St. Lucie County - Wednesday September 28, 2022: St. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners’ government offices, libraries, parks and attractions will remain closed on Thursday, Sept. 29 as Hurricane Ian impacts our area with strong winds and heavy rains. Some essential St. Lucie County employees will continue working at the Emergency Operations Center and at other locations until the storm passes through our area.
St. Lucie County opened three shelters on Sept. 28 at 10 a.m. on Wednesday.
However, because of the low turnout those seeking shelter at the General Population Shelter at Fort Pierce Central High School, 4101 S 25th St., Fort Pierce, Fla. 34981, were relocated to the Pet-Friendly Shelter at Fort Pierce Westwood Academy, 1801 Panther Lane, Fort Pierce, Fla. 34947.
The Special Needs Shelter at Havert L. Fenn, 2000 Virginia Ave, Fort Pierce, Fla. 34982, hosted 11 individuals as of 2 p.m.
St. Lucie County’s public transportation system, ART (Area Regional Transit), bus service was suspended today at 2 p.m. and will remain closed through Thursday, Sept. 29. Riders are encouraged to monitor the schedule using the RouteShout application, available on the Apple Store and Google Play sites.
The St. Lucie County Landfill and Waste Pro will evaluate the roads and weather conditions on Thursday, Sept. 29 at 5 a.m. and make a determination regarding hours of operation at that time.
Several St. Lucie County parks and natural preserves will be closed for the next few days as crews access the flooding and any damage.
Ocean Rescue Lifeguards will not be on duty until Friday, Sept. 30. Beachgoers should use extreme caution when entering the ocean as heavy surf and rip currents will continue for several days. Additionally, the heavy surf and erosion may expose sea turtle nests. Eggs that become exposed should be left alone. St. Lucie County’s contracted biologists will continue to monitor nests and beach conditions after the storm passes. If you find a wild animal, including sea turtles, in distress please call the FWC hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922).
St. Lucie County Emergency Operations Center is operating at a Level 2 (partial) activation. If residents have questions or concerns, they can call the St. Lucie County Public Information Lines at 772-460-4357 or 772-460-HELP, which are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (These hours are subject to change depending on the storm’s path).
The potential for heavy rains and flash flooding will be in effect for the next several days. Residents can report flooding by emailing details, including street addresses and images, to flooding@stlucieco.org. If there is emergency, life-threatening flooding, please call 911. Residents are reminded to avoid driving and/or walking down flooded streets.
St. Lucie County has additional storm-related information available at www.readystlucie.org as well as our social media channels @StLucieGov.