Isaias Recovery Monday Morning: FPL Pushes Hardest-Hit Escambia and Santa Rosa Areas to Tuesday, Shoal River Falls at Crestview

Florida Power & Light revised its Hurricane Isaias restoration estimate late Sunday. Of the 435,000 FPL customers affected, the company now expects 85% to be restored by the end of Monday, including all schools, hospitals and critical facilities, down from its initial estimate of 95%. FPL says Bay, Holmes, Jackson, Walton and Washington counties are essentially restored and Okaloosa County and parts of Escambia and Santa Rosa should be done by end of day Monday, but the hardest-hit parts of Escambia and Santa Rosa, including Milton and Pace, are now expected back on Tuesday. FPL CEO Scott Bores said the tree damage "was much more severe and widespread than our initial estimates showed." WESH reported Monday morning that more than 146,000 Florida households were still without power and that at least four people died because of the storm, two in Florida and two in Alabama. Choctawhatchee Electric Cooperative (CHELCO) said at 7 AM that it has restored power to more than 50,000 members, with about 20,000 still out, and is still on track to restore the majority of its system by Tuesday night.

The Shoal River near Crestview topped out near 12.5 feet Sunday afternoon, short of the 13.8-foot crest that had been forecast, and has been falling since. It was at 10.9 feet at 7:15 AM CDT Monday, in minor flood, and the National Weather Service in Mobile expects it to drop below its 8-foot flood stage late Tuesday morning. The latest NWS forecast for the Choctawhatchee River at Caryville now calls for a crest of 13.5 feet Thursday morning, just under its 14-foot flood stage. In Northeast Florida, the St. Marys River at Macclenny was at 12.2 feet Sunday evening, in minor flood, and is expected to fall below flood stage Tuesday evening.

Closer to Central Florida, the St. Johns River near Astor in Lake and Volusia counties remains in moderate flood at 3.1 feet and is expected to hold steady through at least midweek; NWS says water at that level approaches or may enter the lowest homes on or near Wildhog Road and nearby canals. Flood warnings also continue for the Withlacoochee River at Dunnellon, which is holding at its 28.2-foot flood stage, and for Cypress Creek at State Road 54 in Pasco County, forecast to reach its 8-foot flood stage early Tuesday. A Coastal Flood Advisory runs until 7 AM Tuesday for inland Flagler and eastern Putnam counties. In the tropics, the National Hurricane Center's 8 AM EDT outlook is watching only a low west of the Cabo Verde Islands, far out in the eastern Atlantic, with a low 20% chance of development before upper-level winds become too strong.

If river or rain water got into your home or business, take photos for your insurance claim and start drying out as soon as it is safe. Florida Restoration Specialists does water extraction and drying in Lakeland and across Polk County. Call (863) 588-6617.

Sources: FPL: On track in six counties, revised estimate for Santa Rosa and Escambia, Pensacola News Journal: FPL shifts restoration goal to Tuesday, WESH: Florida households without power after Hurricane Isaias, CHELCO: 7 AM Monday restoration update, NWS Shoal River near Crestview gauge, NWS Choctawhatchee River at Caryville gauge, NWS active Florida alerts, NHC Atlantic Tropical Weather Outlook.