Dear Residents, Business Owners and Visitors:
The city continues to work diligently to plan and prepare and will continue sending updates as they become available. Please remember that, out of an abundance of caution due to likely hazardous surf conditions,
beginning at sunset Wednesday night, access to the beaches will be closed.
As we prepare for tropical storm conditions, we implore you keep in mind the following important information:
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
Transit services, including our trolleys, will cease operations once winds have reached 35mph sustained wind gusts for safety reasons. Emergency bus service is provided by Miami-Dade County in case of an evacuation, please contact 311 for additional information.
EVENTS AND MEETING CANCELLATIONS
All board and committee meetings taking place at City Hall on Thursday and Friday have been cancelled. For updated lists of closing, please visit our Facebook and Twitter pages
FPL outage and restoration information is available by calling 1-800-4-OUTAGE (1-800-468-8243) or through their website FPL.com/powertracker. This phone number may also be used to report a downed power line.
It's important to note that the impact of the storm, which will include high winds and heavy rains, could last up to two days. During that timeframe, FPL restoration efforts may be delayed due to it being unsafe for workers to operate bucket trucks in wind conditions exceeding 35 mph. For more information on the status of outages in your area, please visit the Florida Power and Light website
SCHOOLS AND PARKS
All school closings will be announced by Miami-Dade County and we will forward information to residents as soon as we receive it.
The Parks Department will be closing our pools, recreation centers and tennis centers tomorrow, October 5
th at 6:00 p.m. In the event that Miami-Dade Public Schools suspends classes for Thursday and Friday, Miami Beach Parks will be suspending all programming, including after schools programs, classes and all extra-curricular activities on those days as well.
PREPARATIONS AND FLOODING EXPECTATIONS
Now is the time to have a plan in place, and begin to execute that plan. Make sure your hurricane kits are complete and you have all your supplies ready. We ask that residents DO NOT cut trees and place piles for pickup, as this causes hazardous conditions as winds pick up.
A storm water system, ours included, is generally built to handle typical rain events. Our system has also been designed to accommodate sea level rise. But no system is ever designed to handle a tropical storm or major hurricane. Early predictions for the effects of Hurricane Matthew in Miami-Dade County include the possibility of receiving up to 10 inches of rain in isolated areas. This is more water than our storm water system (pumps) have been designed to handle. This combined with the potential of storm surges of at least one foot above normal high tides, mean that you should expect standing water on the streets and minor to moderate flooding conditions during the peaks of the storm. All of the currently installed pump stations, as well as temporary pumps will be deployed to make every effort to reduce the flooding as much as we can.
PERSONAL PREPAREDNESS AND INFORMATION
Tomorrow morning at 8:00 a.m. we will be activating the Resident Information Center and will be available to respond to questions about the storm. Residents with questions should call 305.604.CITY (2489).
There have already been incidents of price gouging reported. Residents who suspect price gouging should report the information to the Attorney General's Price Gouging Hotline at 1-866-966-7226.
Most importantly - stay tuned to local news media for updates. For more information and preparation recommendations, please visit our website and view our hurricane guide. For updates from the City of Miami Beach, please follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
