Palm Beach County Emergency Management officials are continuing recovery operations for Hurricane Irma. The Emergency Operations Center will go to a Level 2 activation on Wednesday.
 
Curfews
A curfew for all of Palm Beach County remains in place and the hours have been modified to 10 p.m. – 6 a.m. until further notice. This curfew is to ensure the safety of citizens as well as to protect the personal property and businesses from looters.
 
As businesses begin to operate, the curfew is being modified to accommodate an increasing level of activity.  Although the curfew is modified, that does not mean that all the roads are 100% clear and safe. There continues to be several hundred traffic lights that are inoperable and traffic signs down. Many roads have debris, trees and downed power lines. Please remember to treat all inoperable traffic lights as a four way stop. Proceed cautiously. We will continue to update the status of county infrastructure as the day goes on.
 
Power Outages
Do NOT call 911 if your power is out. FPL is reporting 342,400 customers in Palm Beach County without power. Power has been restored to 338,300 customers. FPL is working to restore power to the largest number of customers possible, in the shortest amount of time as well as repairing damage to power plants, power lines and local substations. FPL expects to return power to all Palm Beach County residents through the weekend.
 
FEMA Declaration
Preliminary damage assessments estimate approximately $19 million of damage in the county at this time. As a result, Palm Beach County has been included in a FEMA Major Disaster Declaration, triggering the release of Federal funds to help people and communities recover from Hurricane Irma.
 
Residents with losses due to Hurricane Irma in Palm Beach County may now register for disaster assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
 
Individuals can register online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov.
You may also register by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362). The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. EDT seven days a week until further notice.
 
Reduce Water Usage
Customers of Palm Beach County Water Utilities are asked to limit draining or flushing water into the sanitary system until FPL has fully restored power to the county.
 
This includes bathing, toilet flushing, dish washing and running any kind of water down drains. Anyone who experiences an impact to their water service after Hurricane Irma can report the issue by calling (561) 740-4600.
 
Boil Order
Pahokee and Canal Point are on a boil water notice until further notice.
 
Garbage Collection
Recyclables WILL BE collected Wednesday
 
Palm Beach County residents can start putting their recyclables to the curb on their regularly scheduled recycling day starting Wednesday, Sept. 13. The Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County’s recycling facility, the Recovered Materials Processing Facility, has regained power and will be open for receiving recyclables at 7 a.m.
 
Please place garbage and recyclables out to the curb by 6 a.m. on your regularly scheduled day.
 
However, vegetation collection WILL NOT resume as normal. In preparation for debris removal, residents are asked to help clean up our community by placing their waste and debris in three separate piles at the curb:
 

1. Put garbage and recyclables out by 6 a.m. on your regularly scheduled day. These will be picked up first.
2. Put all vegetation only in a second pile.
3. And, put all other construction storm debris in a third pile.

Be sure to keep these three piles separate and away from:
 

• Fences
• Mailboxes
• Power line equipment, poles, transformers, downed electrical wiring
• Water meters
• Fire hydrants or
• Storm drains

 
Palm Tran
​Tuesday, Sept. 12:
​Fixed-route service will resume starting at 7 a.m. and ending at 7 p.m.
Palm Tran Connection service will be for essential trips only starting at 7 a.m. and ending at 7 p.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 13:
Fixed-route service will be from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. only.
Palm Tran Connection will be from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. only and for essential trips only (i.e. work or medical need or appointment)
Due to Hurricane Irma, Routes 41 (West Palm Beach to Palm Beach Inlet) and 94 (FAU to Boca Raton Tri-Rail) are not operating until further notice.
 
Airport
Palm Beach International Airport is operating on normal schedule. Check with individual airlines for flight scheduled.
 
Damage Assessments
PBC-DART is an important way to report damage to the EOC. DART is available for IOS and android devices.
 
Closings
County offices will reopen Thursday.

ALL COURTHOUSES
North county courthouse
Will be open Wednesday, September 13th (public, staff, Judges) for court operations. 
 
The remaining courthouses will be closed to the public.  
All courthouses will be fully operational, including holding court events, on Thursday and Friday of this week (September 14th and September 15th).
 
Palm Beach County Public Schools will be closed through Friday.
 
Up-to-date information will also be posted on Palm Beach County's website: www.pbcgov.com.
 
Assisting Other Counties
Overall, we are in much better shape than others. The Palm Beach County All-Hazards Incident Management Team was deployed to assist Monroe County after Hurricane Irma. Palm Beach County Fire Rescue is sending personnel and equipment to assist in recovery operations.
 
Animal Care and Control
Approximately 200 pets will be transported by three Palm Tran buses at 6 a.m. tomorrow morning to Palm Beach International Airport for a flight north by Wings of Rescue.
 
The pets will be traveling to New York and New Hampshire shelters respectively to be placed in loving homes and will free up space at local shelters. Our shelters are working diligently to locate and reunite pets displaced during Hurricane Irma with their families.

For continuing information on Hurricane Irma, and for more information on the Palm Beach County Division of Emergency Management and hurricane preparedness, please visit: www.pbcgov.com/dem, follow us on Twitter @PBCDEM and watch PBC-TV Channel 20.