Hurricane Update for Ian 2022

ST. AUGUSTINE IS OPEN AND READY FOR VISITORS.

What Happened in St. Augustine with Hurricane Ian?

St. Augustine and St. Johns County were very fortunate with Hurricane Ian. Very few places were heavily damaged, some took on a bit of water, all or almost all should be fully open later this week.  See the link "After Hurricane" below for more information.  The local visitors bureau released a report on Tuesday, October 4, saying, in part:

"St. Augustine has withstood many hurricanes and storms over the generations," said Cindy Stavely, Executive Director of St. Augustine Pirate & Treasure Museum and The Colonial Quarter, located on the St. Augustine bayfront in the city's Historic District. "Having experience with these kinds of conditions in the past, our crew at both museums were prepared and able to prevent any flooding and damage to our attractions, allowing us to reopen our doors as soon as the streets were cleared."

By Friday, September 30, many restaurants, stores and attractions in the St. Augustine Historic District, on St. Augustine Beach, Ponte Vedra Beach, and in Hastings were open for business. 

• Before Hurricane
• Hurricane Preparedness
• City and County Information
• Cancellation Information
• After Hurricane

Before a Hurricane

Whether you are planning a vacation, live in St. Augustine, or found yourself here during a potential hurricane, please note that if a hurricane is coming, a lot of the businesses here may close to prepare for the storm, while others will continue to operate as long as they are able.

We will try to update cancellations and closures as they come in, but if you are unsure about whether an event is cancelled or a location is closed, please simply call the business using the contact information available on their profile page.

For a list of cancellations, please scroll down the page.

We are experts in things to do in St. Augustine, but when it comes to Hurricanes, there are lots of resources that know a lot more about things to do in order to prepare for a hurricane.

Here are a few sites to consult for hurricane preparedness:

Hurricane Updates and Info / www.sjcfl.us/Hurricane

St. Johns County Emergency Management / http://www.sjcemergencymanagement.org/hurrprep.html

Hurricane Preparedness for St. Augustine, Florida /  https://www.citystaug.com/civicalerts.aspx?aid=301

National Hurricane Center / http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

For still more information:

The St. Johns County Emergency Preparedness phone line is open for questions: (904) 824-5550

Residents can find tips and resources such as supply kits, pets, and other emergency response information at www.sjcemergencymanagement.com

To see the evacuation zones, go to https://www.sjcemergencymanagement.com/evacinfo.html, scroll down just a bit, and click "Evacuation Zone Maps"

Numbers to report electric and utility issues:

Florida Power and Light Company / 1-800-4-OUTAGE Or 1-800-468-8243    
City of St. Augustine Public Works / 1-904-825-1040  
Comcast Cable / You must report via online. Or through their app.

Information from the City of St. Augustine and St. Johns County

September 27, 2022

• The offices of the City of St. Augustine will be closed Wednesday, September 28 through Friday, September 30.
• At 2:00 p.m., St. Johns County issued an evacuation order effective for 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday, September 28, 2022. Residents in Zones A, B, and the section of Zone F that's south of County Road 214 are being asked to leave. For travelers, this essentially means all along A1A, from Ponte Vedra Beach to Vilano, downtown St. Augustine, and all of Anastasia Island.
• As of 9:00 a.m., the city reminds residents and businesses that they should prepare for flooding in low-lying areas of at least 3 feet above street level
• Bags for sand and sand will be available at St. Francis Field beginning at 12 noon on Tuesday, the 27th. There is a limit of 20 bags per person.
• On Wednesday, September 28, beginning at 8:00 a.m., the downtown parking garage will be open and free through October 1, 2022, for those who want to leave their cars above ground level. 
• St. Johns County will close beach driving as of 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 27, 2022, until further notice. Pedestrians will still be able to access the beach, although they are reminded that dangerous surf and rip current activity is expected.

Cancellations:

• Cancelled: the September 28, 2022 St. Augustine Pier Farmers Market on Wednesday morning. The Wednesday Market at the Pier will resume operation on October 5, 2022.
• Cancelled: Lucius, scheduled to perform at the Backyard Stage at the Amphitheater on September 30 has been cancelled.

After the Hurricane

St. Augustine is open for business: restaurants, tours, and events are back on track. While it may have looked bad on the news, and some neighborhoods and homes were flooded, the water downtown did not impact most of the historic district. Here are the few exceptions:

• The St. Johns County Pier checked out just fine and is fully opened.
• The St. Augustine City Marina is open for business, selling fuel, and offering pump-out services. The marina sustained damage on the break wall dock, the dock that protects the boats inside the marina. While they work to repair the dock, they will reduce the number of available slips. The marina has surveyed all of the moorings and is accepting reservations and putting boats on moorings.
• The Fountain of Youth sustained no damage and opened on Saturday, October 1, 2022.
• We have heard that the old pool area of the Lightner Museum once again had water, but not of the planned variety. The museum is fully open and the pool area will be cleared by the end of this week (October 8 at the latest.)
• The Oldest House Museum and their Surfing Exhibit both had some water inside the buildings. They are working to clean up there and we don't expect it to take a long time for them to reopen.
• Some of the restaurants on A1A near the Bridge of Lions had a bit of water on the floors. Again, We expect them to be fully open within a few days, if they haven't already. 
• We have heard that the St. Johns County Beaches have reopened. We have not heard of any damage to the beach access points in St. Johns County, though they are surveying the St. Johns County Pier.
• Fort Matanzas State Park had paused their ferry while they cleaned the area from vegetation that fell during the hurricane. The ferry is operating as normal, on Wednesday through Sunday.
• The boardwalk to the beach at Fort Matanzas State Park sustained damage and is closed until further notice.
• The Wednesday Market at the Pier will resume operation on October 5, 2022.
• Pink up the Pace 5K Walk Run and surrounding events from October 1, has been postponed to a date to be named later.
• Todd Barry Comedy Show at Ponte Vedra Concert Hall has been rescheduled to November 20, 2022.
• All events scheduled for the rest of October and November are still being held.

To go to the National Hurricane Center for information about Hurricane Ian, go here.