Weather

Hurricane Irma: Orlando Moves Into 'Recovery Phase'

The power is still out for 300,000 customers, and residents are asked to minimize water use to prevent sewer backups.

ORLANDO, FL — The Orlando area has moved into "recovery phase" one day after Hurricane Irma battered Central Florida and moved north through the storm-soaked state, leaving a wake of power outages, flooding and debris. At least one person died in a collision Sunday night, officials said.

Tuesday morning, Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs said about 300,000 homes are still without power, and residents are asked to avoid using water as much as possible, including showering, doing laundry and flushing toilets, until crews are able to resolve issues with the county wastewater pumps. Although the majority of roads have been deemed safe to drive on, residents are urged to use caution when driving as hundreds of traffic signals are still not working due to lack of power.

Jacobs issued a countywide curfew for residents Sunday night, which was lifted Monday night. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer spoke to his citizens about Irma, what they are doing to weather it and what residents should do.

Find out what's happening in Orlandofor free with the latest updates from Patch.



Watch: Hurricane Irma Weakens To A Tropical Storm, But It's Still Dangerous

Find out what's happening in Orlandofor free with the latest updates from Patch.


Officials said 130 homes were flooded on Sunday, prompting evacuations. Jacobs said the fire department rescued 135 residents and their pets during the Orla Vista evacuations.

Strike teams were deployed countywide to address emergency situations on Monday morning. Officials said the majority of Orange County shelters closed Monday night. Residents are reminded to stay out of flood waters, which can be hazardous.

See Also:

On Monday, authorities in Cocoa said the community's water system has multiple or major water main breaks. The City of Cocoa Utilities is working with other agencies to assess and identify the location of breaks so crews can begin repairs when it is safe to work.

The Cocoa Utility Water System includes Patrick Air Force Base, Kennedy Space Center, Port Canaveral, Cape Canaveral, Cocoa Beach, Merritt Island, Cocoa, Port St. John, Rockledge and Viera.

If customers notice major utility damage with a significant amount of water in their area, they are asked to take a picture and forward it along with the address or cross streets to the city of Cocoa to help authorities identify the major cause for the system failure. Pictures and/or addresses can be e-mailed to ssenger@cocoafl.org or sent via Facebook or Twitter. Residents are also asked to tip, toss or cover any standing water to prevent mosquitos from breeding.

Orange County will open 10 debris drop-off sites within the next two days, according to officials. Residents can call 311 to get updated information about drop-off locations.

Orlando International Airport has reopened, and passengers are encouraged to call their airline before going to the airport.

Photo courtesy via Twitter

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

More from Orlando