Sand available at four locations within the county, prepare for potential severe weather

Although not facing a direct impact from Tropical Storm Francine, Santa Rosa County may still see some impacts from this tropical system. According to the U.S. National Weather Service Mobile Office, local impacts may include:

• A high risk of deadly rip currents Tuesday night through Friday night
• Dangerous surf Wednesday night through Thursday night
• Tornadoes with a higher chance near the coast Wednesday night through Thursday
• Heavy rainfall and flooding Wednesday into Wednesday night

Due to the potential flood threat, the county's public works department has sand available on a first-come, first-served basis at the following locations:

• The corner of Leisure St. and Citrus Dr. in Navarre
• Tiger Point Park in Gulf Breeze (1370 Tiger Park Ln.)
• Pace Fire-Rescue in Pace (4773 Pace Patriot Blvd.)
• The corner of Pine Forest Rd. and Carroll Rd. in Milton

Residents must provide their own sandbags and shovel.Bags can be purchased at many local hardware stores. For information on how to make and use sandbags, visit the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes(www.flash.org). While sandbags can help mitigate to an extent, buying flood insurance is the best protection against flood loss.

Floods are the nation's most common and costly natural disaster and cause millions of dollars in damage every year. And get it sooner rather than later - flood insurance requires a 30-day waiting period.

Prepare now for severe weather. Make sure all family members know the plan.

• Have multiple ways of receiving alerts.
• Every home should have a NOAA weather radio, the first line of defense before relying on alerts through a smartphone.
• Smartphone weather apps are also an excellent delivery source of severe weather information and other disaster updates - especially during overnight hours. Santa Rosa County's alert app - AlertSantaRosa.com- provides updates on emergency incidents (hazardous materials as well as severe weather) in the county at addresses of your choice (work, school, home, etc).
• Be sure that you have not disabled your alerts on your phone and that it is fully charged and within reach. If you use the "Do Not Disturb" feature on your phone at night, turn it off so that any emergency calls may come through.
• Have a kit with supplies ready to go when a tornado warning is issued. Suggested items to include are:
• A bike helmet or some form of head protection for each family member.
• A flashlight or electric lantern.
• Charged cell phone power bank.
• A whistle or air horn in the event you are trapped under debris.
• First aid kit.
• Know where you will go (interior rooms away from windows, basement - never a car or mobile home) if a tornado warning is issued and don't forget your pets!

For current weather events, visit www.weather.gov/mob. For information on preparing for disasters, visit www.santarosa.fl.gov/974/Emergency-Management.

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