Panama City Declares State of Emergency

PANAMA CITY, Fla. ( WMBB ) – Bay County is included in the 61 counties covered by Governor Ron DeSantis’ state of emergency.

But Panama City commissioners are adding a layer of protection.

Panama City commissioners unanimously voted to declare a 72-hour state of emergency for the city due to Hurricane Helene. If necessary, Mayor Micheal Rohan or City Manager, Jonathan Hayes has the authority to extend the declaration for an additional 7 days.

The commissioner would then officially vote on the extension at their next meeting.

“It allows us to have certain authority for either myself or the mayor in regards to a myriad of issues as it relates to a storm preparedness and response. It also triggers our employees to start tracking specific time in the preparation for and storm preparation for reimbursement from FEMA and just making sure that we have everything ready to go so we can quickly respond in the event that the storm does become more serious than we’re spending right now,” Panama City City Manager Jonathan Hayes said.

As of Wednesday, there are no evacuation orders for Bay County and city officials don’t expect any. Helene’s local effects on Thursday will likely be rain, flooding, and tropical-force winds.

City officials say it’s still important to have a plan.

“You know, this community is very resilient when it comes to dealing with hurricanes, whether it’s Hurricane Opal back in 95 or Hurricane Michael in 2018 at this community. I mean we live here along the coast and have for centuries. And so you know I think you know use common sense you know be careful be cautious,” Hayes said.

Due to the state of emergency, commissioners have rescheduled Thursday’s regular meeting and budget hearing to next Monday.

City officials encourage residents to get their latest updates on the city’s social media sites or sign up for ALERTBAY.ORG.

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