Latest Updates On Post-Hurricane Irma Repairs In The Upper, Middle & Lower Keys
By Kevin Wilkerson, PubClub.com Travel Blogger
Normal life is not returning to the Florida Keys, but life is, as crews work to repair damage and restore power and services after Hurricane Irma slammed into them last Sunday.
Here’s the latest updates from the Keys, gathered from several sources, primarily from Monroe County. PubClub.com will continue to update this post through the coming days and, if necessary, weeks.
Florida Keys Post-Hurricane Irma Updates
• The checkpoint, which permitted only residents and business owners to enter the Keys, has ended and officials are meeting Monday to determine when tourists will be allowed to enter the Keys.
• Power has been restored to 98% of customers from Key Largo to south of the Seven Mile Bridge. About 70% of homes and businesses have power in the Lower Keys.
• Monroe County opens Lower Keys to residents & business owners to Marathon. The Keys are not open for tourists and tourism.
• Monroe County Mayor George Neugent issues a brief statement: “I want to welcome you back to the Keys. But, I want to also tell you, at the same time, that you are not coming back to the same Keys you left.”
• All 42 bridges in the Keys on the Overseas Highway have been inspected and are declared safe for vehicles.
• Power is being restored to the Upper Keys. There is currently no timetable when power will be restored to the Lower Keys, including Key West.
• For an update on how the legendary restaurants and bars fared during Irma; click here. Unfortunately, Mangrove Mamas was destroyed.
• Monroe County residents and business owners who live in the Upper Keys are being allowed to return to the Keys. They must have a yellow re-entry sticker or show proof of residency or business ownership
• Key West Airport remains closed to commercial traffic.
• A dusk-to-dawn curfew is still in place for all of Monroe County
• Monroe County says reports of 10,000 being evacuated are not true.
• Basic services such as water, power, sewer, fuel, medical service and cell service are limited in all of the Keys.
• FEMA estimates 25% of the homes in the Keys have been destroyed. Another 65% have some sort of damage.
RELATED POSTS:
• Key West Hurricane Irma Updates Provided Here
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