Fay's Rains Miss County

Tropical Storm Fay spared Franklin County damage from flooding and wind Friday night, and as of Saturday afternoon, much less rain fell than originally forecast.

"It looks like we may have dodged the bullet on this one," said Butch Baker, the county's emergency management director.

There were no reports of flooding damage, with two roads - Alligator Point Rd and County Road 67 at the lime rock pit - experiencing temporary flooding.

According to the Florida Division of Forestry, the central part of the county had 2.75 inches of rain from 8 a.m. Friday to 8 a.m. Saturday. More rain fell on Carrabelle and the eastern end of the county, and less on Apalachicola.

Baker said only one individual used the Red Cross shelter set up at the Eastpoint Church of God. No evacuation orders were issued.

Wind speeds appeared to be below the estimated gusts of 40 to 45 miles per hour. "They didn't blow hard enough to blow away those election signs that are everywhere," said Register.

According to the National Hurricane Center's 5 p.m. advisory, a tropical storm warning remained in effect for the northeastern Gulf coast from Suwanee River northward to the Pearl River in Mississippi.

At 5 p.m. the center of Fay was about 50 miles east of Pensacola.

Fay is moving towards the west at about 7 miles per hour, and this motion is expected to continue for the next day or so. Some weakening in storm strength is forecast for the next 24 hours. The tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 90 miles. Maximum sustained winds are near 45 miles per hour, with higher gusts.

Storm surge flooding of 2 to 4 feet above normal tide levels is possible in the storm warning area in areas of onshore winds.

Over the two days, Fay is expected to produce rainfall accumulations of 6 to 12 inches across the Panhandle, with isolated maximum amounts of 20 inches possible.

A free fishing tournament sponsored by the Carrabelle Beach RV Resort for today and has been postponed until next weekend.

The Franklin County Board of County Commissioners declared a local state of emergency Thursday morning.

Unless developments dictate otherwise, Franklin County schools will reopen Monday, as will the Franklin County Courthouse. Both branches of the Franklin County Public Library (Carrabelle and Eastpoint) were closed today.