First fatality in St Johns County related to Irma

Sheriff Shoar reported the first fatality related to Hurricane Irma occurred Monday night.

The victim, who was not identified, was said to be an elderly Palm Valley man who was attempting to escape hurricane flooding at his residence.

“We believe that the gentleman suffered a heart attack from the strain associated with his efforts to evacuate himself and his wife,” Shoar said.

The bridges in St Johns County have reopened and the curfew has been lifted, but Shoar says to stay sheltered and don’t go sightseeing. There is still a lot of flooding and debris in the roadways in all parts of the county.

85,000 people are still without power, and that is not going to get fixed fast.

Monday morning at about 3:00 a.m. we saw the worst of the event, officials said in yesterday’s media conference. Hurricane Irma was much worse than Hurricane Matthew; and, although there were lessons learned from Matthew, this storm effected the entire county — not just the coastal area.

Officials at the county are calling for patience and understanding. Shoar repeated that all agencies are 100% committed to the relief effort.