No automatic re-entry post-Irma, county says

After Hurricane Irma leaves the Keys, residents who evacuated the island chain will not be able to immediately go home.

Bridges and roadways will have to be inspected first to ensure the infrastructure can safely handle traffic, said Cammy Clark, Monroe County public information officer.

“Monroe County already has plans in place for crews to do the inspections as soon as conditions are safe,” Clark said in a statement. The county will set up a telephone hotline that people can call to find out when U.S. 1 is determined safe enough to travel.

The National Weather Service stated Irma is expected to strengthen to a Category 4 storm before reaching the Lower Keys at daybreak Sunday. But storm force winds were felt the entire day before, with conditions deteriorating steadily as the hours passed.

Keys Energy Services announced about 900 customers were without service at 4:15 p.m. Saturday in Key West, and that power would not be restored until after Irma had passed. On Cudjoe Key, power went out for about 1,300 customers, according to the utility.

In the Upper Keys, storm surge began impacting land Saturday afternoon. U.S. 1 at Sea Oats Beach on Lower Matecumbe Key began to flood late in the afternoon — a typical occurrence at the low-lying section of the highway during tropical storms and hurricanes.

Northbound traffic jams on Florida’s Turnpike throughout the week show many people in Monroe County heeded officials’ warnings to get out of town ahead of Irma, meaning expected congestion when people get the OK to return.

Clark said the Keys’ designated hurricane shelter at Florida International University’s Miami-Dade County campus was filled to capacity by Saturday afternoon, with 560 “general population” residents and 115 people with special needs.

This story was originally published September 9, 2017 at 5:47 PM with the headline "No automatic re-entry post-Irma, county says."