Okaloosa Orders Zones A and B Out as Panhandle Counties, Schools Shut Down for Hurricane Isaias

Okaloosa County's mandatory evacuation of coastal Zones A and B took effect at noon Thursday, Oct. 8, making it the first Florida Panhandle county to order residents out ahead of Hurricane Isaias, as neighboring counties weighed their own orders and school districts and universities from Pensacola to Gadsden County shut down. The National Hurricane Center has posted a Hurricane Warning from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, to the Bay/Gulf County line and expects landfall late Friday or early Saturday, with up to 7 feet of storm surge on the Panhandle coast.

Evacuation orders in Florida are issued by zone, not by city, so residents should look up their own address rather than relying on a town name. Each county has an online lookup, and the state offers one through the Florida Division of Emergency Management.

County-by-county evacuation status

This is the status of evacuation orders and shelters in Panhandle and Big Bend coastal counties based on county announcements and local news reports through Thursday morning:

Okaloosa County: Zones A and B must leave

Okaloosa County declared a local state of emergency effective 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 7, and asked out-of-town visitors to leave the forecast impact area starting at 8 p.m. that night. The mandatory evacuation for coastal Zones A and B became active at noon Thursday. It covers Okaloosa Island and coastal portions of Fort Walton Beach, Destin, Mary Esther and Niceville. The order applies only to addresses inside Zones A and B, not to every resident of those cities. Residents can check their zone at myokaloosa.com/gis_ps.

The county urged evacuees to stay with friends or relatives in safe housing outside the zone and warned against waiting until the last moment to get on the road. Its release told residents to "Plan early, execute early to mitigate avoidable slowdowns."

Two shelters were set to open at 6 p.m. Thursday: Davidson Middle School, 6261 Old Bethel Road in Crestview, which accepts the general population, people with special needs and pets, and The Raider Arena at Northwest Florida State College, 100 E. College Blvd. in Niceville. Pets at Davidson stay on site, but owners cannot visit them. People with special needs must register in advance through the county health department. The county said more shelters could open later.

Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport planned to close all operations at 9 p.m. Thursday and stay closed until further notice. Okaloosa courthouses close at 2 p.m. Thursday and stay closed Friday.

Walton and Bay counties

Walton County issued a voluntary evacuation order, and county leaders were scheduled to meet with emergency management at 10 a.m. Thursday to decide whether a mandatory order is needed, WJHG reported. Emergency Management Director Jeff Goldberg said evacuation decisions hinge on storm surge risk, not wind alone. Freeport High School was set to open as a shelter at 8 a.m. Thursday, and Walton High School would open as a second shelter if a mandatory order is issued. The Walton County Courthouse is closed Friday.

Bay County declared a local state of emergency and activated its Emergency Operations Center on Wednesday, but had issued no evacuation orders as of its latest update. Emergency Services Chief Austin Pugh said residents in low-lying coastal areas "should be prepared to evacuate if an order becomes necessary." Pugh cited the potential for 5 to 7 feet of surge and said Panama City sits on the eastern edge of the storm's track. Sheriff Tommy Ford said his office will not close bridges, but that crossing is unsafe once sustained winds exceed 45 mph. If shelters open, the primary site will be Deane Bozeman School, 13410 FL Highway 77. The county's citizen information line, 850-248-6090, opened at 11 a.m. Thursday, and Panama City Beach declared its own state of emergency.

Escambia and Santa Rosa counties

Escambia County had issued no evacuations and opened no shelters as of Wednesday, and officials said decisions would likely come Thursday, the Pensacola News Journal reported. Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves said the Pensacola Bay Center would be the first shelter considered. Escambia's Zone A includes Perdido Key, Innerarity Point, Pensacola Beach and other low-lying areas. The county does not use the terms "voluntary" or "mandatory," and treats any evacuation order as a government order residents are expected to follow. Escambia government offices and courthouses close at 2 p.m. Thursday and remain closed Friday. ECAT buses are not running Thursday through Saturday.

In Santa Rosa County, Public Safety Director Tom Lloyd said that if forecasts hold, with up to 7 feet of surge and 20- to 25-foot breakers, the county will recommend evacuations for low-lying areas, the Navarre Press reported. The areas of focus include Navarre, Navarre Beach, Midway, Garcon Point, Holly and Gulf Breeze. Lloyd urged residents who plan to leave to go Thursday night rather than Friday morning. The county said no shelter was open. The Santa Rosa courthouse closes at 2:30 p.m. Thursday and stays closed Friday, and Navarre Beach Pier is closed Friday and Saturday. Highway 399 on Santa Rosa Island is set to close Friday, according to the National Park Service, which closed all Florida areas of Gulf Islands National Seashore on Wednesday.

Gulf, Franklin and Wakulla counties

Gulf County, just outside the Hurricane Warning but inside the Storm Surge Warning, ordered mandatory evacuations for RVs at Water's Edge RV Park, Presnell's Bayside Marina and RV Resort, and Indian Pass Campground because of potential surge flooding. Owners of RVs in other low-lying spots were urged to move voluntarily. The Gulf County courthouse and several state parks are closed Friday, with plans to reopen Monday, Oct. 12.

In Franklin County, where the hurricane center forecasts 4 to 6 feet of surge, Emergency Management Director Jennifer Daniels said orders are issued when emergency services can no longer operate safely, noting that ambulances cannot cross the bridges to the barrier islands once sustained winds reach about 45 mph. The county urged coastal residents to sign up for Alert Franklin. Bald Point State Park is closed.

Wakulla County's Emergency Operations Center is at Level 2, which Emergency Management Director Jennifer Nagy described to WTXL as "a partial activation for us." An RV park in Panacea has warned guests about a possible evacuation.

School and university closures

Public school districts and colleges across Northwest Florida and the Big Bend have announced these closures:

UWF's closure covers its Pensacola and Fort Walton Beach campuses, online classes and the UWF Historic Trust. Nonessential employees did not need to report Thursday. In a notice reported by WUWF, Pensacola State College said, "All Pensacola State College locations will be closed Friday, Oct. 9, and Saturday, Oct. 10."

Sandbags and preparation

Escambia County is offering free sand around the clock at sites including Baars Field, Brent Athletic Park, Don Sutton Park and the County Road Department. Santa Rosa has sand at Navarre (Leisure Street and Citrus Drive), Tiger Point Park in Gulf Breeze, Pace Fire-Rescue and Milton (Pine Forest and Carroll roads). Okaloosa opened sand sites at 714 Essex Road in Fort Walton Beach and 1759 South Ferdon Blvd. in Crestview. Residents generally must bring their own bags and shovels. Local officials have urged households to stock at least seven days of food, water and supplies for each person and pet.

What's next

More orders are likely Thursday as Escambia, Santa Rosa, Walton and Bay counties finish their reviews. Tropical-storm-force winds are expected to arrive Friday, and bridges to the barrier islands become unsafe or close once sustained winds reach roughly 40 to 45 mph, so anyone told to leave should go before then. Residents should confirm their zone, sign up for county alerts (AlertBay in Bay County, Alert Franklin in Franklin County) and verify that a shelter is open before traveling to it.