I read in the Destin Log (online) that the annual fishing rodeo starts back up this morning. It had been suspended Tuesday. Looks like most everything from the Walton/Bay county line westward (South Walton, Sandestin, Destin, Ft Walton) is up and running.
Oct. 11 --PANAMA CITY — Bay Medical Center Sacred Heart began the orderly evacuation of more than 200 patients to hospitals outside the area affected by Hurricane Michael early Thursday morning.
The hospital sustained roof, structural and water damage during the hurricane on Wednesday, and a section of the roof collapsed in the hospital's materials management building, compromising a significant store of supplies needed to sustain care over the long-term.
Hurricane Michael also caused substantial broken glass, cooling and plumbing issues, and loss of information systems.
Hospital staff were working to transport 209 patients in total, including 39 intensive care patients who were expected to be transferred first. Patients will be transferred to Ascension hospitals in Pensacola and Jacksonville, Florida, and Mobile, Alabama. Providence Hospital in Mobile, Alabama, St. Vincent Hospital in Jacksonville and Sacred Heart on the Emerald Coast in Miramar Beach are all also available to accept patients.
Evacuation is expected to be complete within 48 hours.
Tyra Palmer, senior vice president at Ardent Health Services, said crews worked through the night to clear roadways around the hospital, and by 3 a.m., 13 ambulance crews had started transporting patients.
The hospital’s emergency department remains open, and Palmer said Bay Medical Center Sacred Heart planned to open its free-standing emergency room on Panama City Beach on Friday.Source: pnj.com