- April 25, 2024
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UPDATED 11:15 p.m.
The following was just posted on flagleremergency.com.:
"Some minor damage was also reported in parts of the Hammock. ...
"There are about 1,863 residences without power at this time. FP&L is working to restore power where they can. Please report power outages to 1-800-4OUTAGE (1-800-468-8243) or via FPL.com.
"Persons should not approach or touch any downed power lines. Persons who are not involved should stay away from the areas affected."
Editor's note: The report above was posted just an hour or so after the number of homes without power was reported as 2,733. So, the power is being restored much more quickly than was anticipated.
Original story:
Driving south on Belle Terre Parkway from the Matanzas Woods area, everything was black. As of 10 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14, power outages were widespread in the B-section. In the city as a whole, 2,733 homes were without power at least for the night.
At least six homes have been severely damaged, but no injuries have been reported at this time.
While authorities are not able to say yet that it was officially a tornado, all indications point to that. Meteorologists from the National Weather Service will be in town on Sunday to make the official determination. They will also determine the width and length of the path of destruction. So far, according to Palm Coast Communications Manager Cindi Lane, all we know is that a likely tornado traveled from the Intracoastal Waterway to Belle Terre Parkway.
Officials have received reports of debris or worse from residents on the following streets: Bridgehaven, Barrington, Banburry, Bayside, Birchwood, Bannerwood, Brigadoon, Cimmaron, Fulton and Farriston.
Six or seven homes have had their roofs damaged and are a “total loss,” according to Palm Coast Fire Chief Mike Beadle.
Read a first-hand account of the damage to a lanai on Cimmaron here.
Assuming it is a tornado, it is the first one in recent memory. Beadle and Flagler County Communications Manager Carl Laundrie, both of whom having been in the area for more than three decades, do not remember ever hearing of one in the city.
While the homes and street lamps were dark, the traffic signals were still working on Belle Terre because the city of Palm Coast has connected them to generators, according to Palm Coast Fire Department Deputy Chief Jerry Forte.
Flagler County Emergency Operations Chief Kevin Guthrie said residents should “shelter in place.” Don’t drive on the affected streets unless you live there, he said. No other tornado watches or warnings have been received, but there still could be severe weather.
“Right now, we're asking everyone to stay in their homes, out of the road ways,” Guthrie said. “Let public safety crews do their jobs. Expect a significant daytime operation.”
Because of the dark, officials have not been able to fully assess the damage to homes. Expect more information to follow on Sunday morning.
“You really don’t know until the sun comes up,” Laundrie said.
