Fort Pierce - Thursday November 10, 2022: Hurricane Nicole made landfall at 3:00 A.M. as Category 1 Hurricane, just north of St. Lucie County, with sustained winds of 75mph.
The storm has now moved inland and been downgraded to a Tropical Storm. However, Nicole is still capable of producing at or near hurricane-force gusts, especially in onshore, moving squalls near the coast, north of its center track, and within the eyewall itself.
UPDATES:
As of 9:30 am Thursday Tropical Storm & Storm Surge Warning were still in effect for St. Lucie County, along with a Flood Watch.
At this time, City and County crews are out with law enforcement clearing the roads and assessing damages; therefore, we are urging residents to please stay off the roads for a few more hours and allow crews to safely assess the damage, restore power and clear the roadways.
There are still hazardous conditions such as flooded roads and possibly down power lines.
Here are some helpful tips on what to do after a storm: https://www.cityoffortpierce.com/867/Hurricane-Preparedness
Outages:
* Fort Pierce Utilities Authority reported 626 residents without power.
* Florida Power & Light reports over 2,900 customers are without power.
Closures and Openings:
* North and South Hutchinson Bridge assessments are complete and the bridges are open.
* The Jetty, the Jetty Park, and Jetty Linear Park are all closed to the public due to hazardous concerns and safety precautions.
* FPUA Customer Service Lobby will be closed today, Thursday, Nov. 10. The lobby will also be closed on Friday in observance of Veterans Day.
* City of Fort Pierce offices are closed today, Thursday, Nov. 10, and will remain closed on Friday, Nov. 11, 2022, in observance of Veterans Day.
* St. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners’ offices, including libraries and attractions, are still closed today, Thursday, Nov. 10.
* Additionally, county offices are closed Friday, Nov. 11 in observance of Veterans Day.
* All public schools and other government offices will also be closed Wednesday, Nov. 9, and Thursday, Nov. 10.
State of Emergency remains in effect
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a State of Emergency for 34 counties, Executive Order (EO) 22-253, on Monday, Nov. 7, 2022. The City of Fort Pierce declared a State of Emergency at 9:30 AM. St. Lucie County declared a Local State of Emergency at 6:44 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 8.
Communication
All public notices will be provided on the city’s website at www.cityoffortpierce.com, social media channels, and Fort Pierce TV Channel 27.
Residents are also encouraged to sign up for St. Lucie County's Alert St. Lucie program to get emergency notifications sent directly to their phone, email, or text: www.stlucieco.gov/Alert
If residents have questions or concerns, they should call the St. Lucie County Public Information Lines at 772-460-4357 or 772-460-HELP, which are open today until 7 p.m. and the rest of the week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.