How is Elsa affecting the Keys? A likely warning for those in RVs, trailers and boats
Officials in the Florida Keys declared a state of local emergency Saturday and will likely recommend Sunday morning that those staying in campers, travel trailers, RVs, boats and mobile homes leave the island chain ahead of Tropical Storm Elsa.
That decision could come as soon as Saturday evening following the 5 p.m. National Weather Service advisory, said Monroe County Emergency Manager Shannon Weiner.
Elsa weakened from a Category 1 hurricane to a tropical storm as it neared Haiti and the Dominican Republic Saturday, and it could weaken more as it nears Cuba.
But it could then pick up strength as it crosses the Florida Straits, said Jon Rizzo, National Weather Service warning coordination meteorologist. And, whatever shape the system is in, it is expected to pass over or near the Keys with tropical storm force winds starting Monday afternoon.
“We’re quite confident on this track either going over the Keys or slightly west of the Keys sometime Monday evening,” Rizzo said at a 3 p.m. conference call Saturday with county and municipal leaders.
The National Weather Service issued a tropical storm watch in the Keys at 5 p.m. Saturday from Craig Key in the Middle Keys to the Dry Tortugas.
County officials will also likely advise tourists in hotels and rental homes to either leave the Keys early Monday morning or ride out the storm in a safe place. That’s to avoid heavy traffic along U.S. 1, known as the Overseas Highway, the only major road that travels up and down the 120-mile string of islands.
“We always have traffic jams on any given Sunday afternoon after a regular weekend, so we need to get everyone out by 2 o’clock who is leaving,” Monroe County Administrator Roman Gastesi said.
“If they’re going to leave, leave earlier. Don’t everyone check out at 10 o’clock and try to get on the road,” Gastesi said.
Advice for tourists
Andy Newman, a spokesman for the Monroe County Tourist Development Council, said the agency gave that message to Keys hotels and other lodgings over the weekend.
“In our last advisory, that is the message we put out about consideration to stay over an extra night or two to avoid the road,” Newman said.
The Keys were expecting a large volume of tourists over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, and the prediction turned out to be correct.
Weiner said traffic cameras posted in Key Largo, the northernmost Key, recorded traffic at 123% of normal flow coming into the island chain, and northbound traffic at 93% of normal flow.
“So, all the messaging we can do is extra important,” Weiner said.
Rizzo said that so far, the storm was unorganized, but it contains heavy squalls and severe wind gusts. If these characteristics remain when it hits the Keys, he warned of similar conditions. He also said to expect flooding and possible tornadoes.
Dangerous conditions are likely to still affect the area through at least Tuesday morning, Rizzo said, with conditions returning to their typical summer pattern of hot, sunny temperatures and the occasional rain storm by Wednesday.
“The early half of Tuesday, I think we will still be in it with tropical storm force winds,” he said.
Emergency mode
On Saturday morning, Monroe County Emergency Management activated its Incident Management Team due to the possibility that effects from Elsa could reach the Florida Keys Monday and Tuesday.
Officials said now may be a good time to start making initial preparations.
“We are expecting some record crowds on the road and water,” said Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay, in a video posted on Facebook. “Obviously last year not having Fourth of July, we are going to experience crowds like we’ve probably almost never seen before.”
On Friday Ramsay urged people to stay informed about Elsa and start taking steps to prepare for a tropical storm or hurricane.
“That means removing items from your yard that could be a wind hazard, ensuring you have water, food, cash, medication among other necessary items,” Ramsay said in a statement.
He also said to expect traffic congestion and periods of time when drivers will have to wait on the highway.
Boat ramps, sandbars and waterways will also have more traffic than normal, Ramsay added.
“Look, friends, this is not Hurricane Irma,” Ramsay said in another video posted Friday evening on Facebook. “The world is not going to come to an end. But we are going to have just a couple days of some bad weather, and we do need to plan ahead and we need to have a contingency plan just to make sure that it’s OK..”
People may want to have extra medications on hand and stock up on water and dry goods, said Monroe County Mayor Michlle Coldiron.
“We don’t panic,” Coldiron said. “This isn’t panic time. This is what we always do when it’s the hurricane season.”
County and municipal agencies are preparing themselves.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office is advising its people to take some initial precautions: filling up car gas tanks, getting cash and taking yard items inside that aren’t secured.
These are also wise steps for all Keys residents to take as well.
Keys Energy, which provides electricity to about 30,000 customers from Big Pine Key to Key West, announced crews are prepared to restore service as quickly as they can if power outages occur.
But if sustained winds exceed 35 mph, all crews will be called in from the field and the utility will not try to restore power until after the storm has passed, said Keys Energy spokesman Julio Torrado.
Tourism officials are urging residents and tourists to keep checking with the National Weather Service advisories.
So far, Newman said, there been no need to tell people not to come to the Keys because forecasters have said repeatedly that there is a significant degree of uncertainty on what the system will end up doing by the time it approaches the area.
He said the TDC has been in constant communication with hotels and other lodging establishments, telling them to keep track of the forecast and National Weather Service advisories.
“We have always taken hurricanes very seriously, and have always believed in transparency,” Newman said.
Snake Creek drawbridge
The Florida Department of Transportation announced Friday afternoon that, in coordination with the U.S. Coast Guard and Monroe County, it will keep the Snake Creek drawbridge, at mile marker 85.5 in Islamorada, locked in the down position eight hours in advance of expected tropical storm force winds.
“The bridge will be closed to marine navigation once lockdown is complete and will remain closed for the duration of severe weather and until the drawbridge and waterway can be assessed for damage,” FDOT said in the press release.
The agency also warned boaters that it’s possible the bridge may not be operating on normal publicized schedules as early as 36 hours prior to the storm’s arrival.
“The drawbridge will not be operating upon arrival of gale-force winds (34 knots or higher) or following a mandatory Monroe County evacuation order,” FDOT said.
This story was originally published July 2, 2021 at 12:26 PM.
