St. Lucie County updates: Tropical Storm Ian impacts Thursday in Fort Pierce, Port St. Lucie

TCPalm has staff across Fort Pierce, Port St. Lucie and St. Lucie Village to provide updates on Tropical Storm Ian’s impact Thursday to St. Lucie County.

This story will be updated live as news breaks. You can also keep up with TCPalm reporters on social media using #TCWeather. If you missed Wednesday’s weather blog for St. Lucie County, click here.

5:20 p.m. - St. Lucie shelters closed

All county emergency shelters are now closed.

4:32 p.m. - Boats sink at Causeway Cove Marina

Four boats were sinking or already sunk Thursday at Causeway Cove Marina in Fort Pierce after Hurricane Ian.

Harold “Buzz” Smyth, who manages the marina, estimated millions of dollars in damage between the boats and the docks.

“It’s a sad sight,” Smyth said. “It wasn’t even supposed to come this direction. It was supposed to go somewhere else.”

He didn’t expect any damage, and nobody took their boats out of the water as they typically would before a storm.

— Click here to read the rest of the story by Laurie K. Blandford

4 p.m. - Power continues being restored across St. Lucie

Nearly 16,000 FPL customers in St. Lucie County are experiencing a power outage, roughly 11%. That’s down from about 16% three hours ago. Power has been restored to about 43,600 customers.

For more information, download the FPL app or dial 1-800-4OUTAGE.

3:50 p.m. - Power back on for nearly all FPUA customers

The Fort Pierce Utilities Authority reports power has been restored to 99% of customers. Call 772-466-1600 ext. 3900 to report an outage.

2:57 p.m. - St. Lucie schools to remain closed Friday

While the county is no longer under a tropical storm warning, St. Lucie Public Schools and district offices will remain closed Friday due to lingering power outages.

“I want to thank our amazing staff members who went above and beyond to welcome our community into our shelters, providing a safe place for them to ride out the storm,” Superintendent Dr. Jon Prince said in a prepared statement.

Click here for an exhaustive list of local closures and cancellations.

2:30 p.m. - Tropical storm warning lifted in St. Lucie, Martin

St. Lucie County is no longer under a tropical storm warning, according to the National Weather Service’s Melbourne office. Neither is Martin.

However, the threat remains in Indian River, with wind gusts of up to 60 miles per hour forecast in coastal areas.

1:44 p.m. - Breezy at North Beach Causeway

A streak of blue sky peeks through rolling gray clouds at the North Beach Causeway in Fort Pierce, in footage captured by reporter Gianna Montesano.

1:31 p.m. - Power outages persist across Treasure Coast

Utility providers are working around the clock across the Treasure Coast to restore power that was cut off because of Hurricane Ian.

Early Thursday morning, roughly 22% of residents in the tri-county region were without power. That has since dropped to 15% as of 1 p.m. Thursday.

— Olivia McKelvey

1:30 p.m. - Debris could clutter Fort Pierce Inlet State Park for weeks

Fort Pierce Inlet State Park is closed Thursday as park manager Cass Meadows cleans up some of the debris.

It could take weeks to clean it all up, Meadows said.

The park will open at 8 a.m. Friday.

— Gianna Montesano

1 p.m. - Power being restored across St. Lucie

More than 22,600 FPL customers in St. Lucie County are experiencing a power outage, roughly 16%. That’s down from about 28% four hours ago. Power has been restored to about 35,630 customers. For more information, download the FPL app or dial 1-800-4OUTAGE.

The Fort Pierce Utilities Authority reports power has been restored to 97% of customers. Call 772-466-1600 ext. 3900 to report an outage.

12:50 p.m. - St. Lucie shutting down public info lines

St. Lucie County will deactivate its public information phone lines, 772-460-INFO and 772-460-4357, at 3 p.m. In a tweet, the county thanked the librarians who’d helped answer phones during Hurricane Ian.

12:10 p.m. - IRSC to reopen Friday

Indian River State College will reopen all campuses at 8 a.m. Friday, including the Massey Campus in Fort Pierce and the Pruitt Campus in Port St. Lucie.

Click here for an exhaustive list of local closures and cancellations.

11:45 a.m. - St. Lucie remains under tropical storm warning

The entire Treasure Coast remains under a tropical storm warning, according to the National Weather Service office in Melbourne.

St. Lucie can expect peak winds of 25-35 miles per hour and gusts of up to 60 miles per hour in coastal areas. Peak winds of 20-30 miles per hour and gusts of up to 55 miles per hour are forecast in inland areas of the county.

No additional tornado or flood watches are in effect. However, coastal areas could see storm surge of up to 2 feet through Sunday evening.

11 a.m. - Sea turtle eggs scattered at Jetty Park

Debbie McManus broke down crying Thursday morning when she walked onto the beach and saw hundreds of sea turtle eggs.

“It was a shock,” she said. “I didn’t expect to see this.”

The 66-year-old Fort Pierce native stopped by the south jetty at the Fort Pierce Inlet to see if the outer bands of Hurricane Ian had damaged a plaque there for her deceased grandson.

She was surprised by all the trash washed up on the beach, including plastic and glass bottles tangled in seaweed.

“Then I looked up and saw (the eggs) all the way down the beach,” McManus said. “I don’t know why it’s affecting me like this.”

— Click here to read the rest of the story by Laurie K. Blandford

10:57 a.m. - Debris clean-up in the Sunrise City

City staff clean up scattered palm fronds and branches near Seaway Drive, reports Laurie K. Blandford.

Crews also used chainsaws to clear a damaged seagrape tree at Jetty Park.

10:31 a.m. - St. Lucie EOC remains at level 2

St. Lucie County’s Emergency Operations Center remained at a level 2 Thursday morning, according to spokesperson Erick Gill.

Midway Road, Torino Parkway and Easy Street are closed due to flooding. Multiple traffic signals are out throughout the county, including several along U.S. 1, Gill said.

The county urges residents to treat damaged signals like a four-way stop until power is restored.

— Olivia McKelvey

10:16 a.m. - Felled tree traps Port St. Lucie family

Port St. Lucie Police officers cut and moved a fallen tree that was blocking a home’s garage and front door, trapping a family inside, the department tweeted Thursday morning. The house was boarded up and had lost power, and the family called 911 for help.

10:15 a.m. - White City Park underwater

White City Park, located at 2081 W. Midway Road in Fort Pierce, is flooded. Reporter Jon Santucci captured a drenched pavilion and a bench underwater.

10:01 a.m. - Midway Road flooded

Due to flooding, one lane of Midway Road in Fort Pierce is closed, reports Jon Santucci.

10 a.m. - Emergency shelters remain open in St. Lucie

Can’t see the Google Map above? Click here to view Treasure Coast emergency shelters.

These emergency shelters remain open:

• General population and people with pets: Fort Pierce Westwood Academy, 1801 Panther Lane, Fort Pierce.

• People who need medical support: Havert L. Fenn Center, 2000 Virginia Ave., Fort Pierce.

For information on how to register for a medical support shelter, also referred to as a “special needs shelter,” click here.

9:56 a.m. - Cleveland Clinic Martin Health to reopen

Cleveland Clinic Martin Health, which operates several facilities throughout St. Lucie County, will reopen ambulatory clinics at 10 a.m. This includes rehabilitation and urgent care centers.

Ambulatory surgery centers will reopen at noon. Patients may call 800-546-4138 for more information.

Click here for an exhaustive list of local closures and cancellations.

9:09 a.m. - Storm damage at Lyngate Park

In Port St. Lucie, a racquetball court light at Lyngate Park is downed, reports Jon Santucci.

9 a.m. - St. Lucie power outages surging

More than 40,200 Florida Power & Light Co. customers in St. Lucie County are experiencing a power outage, roughly 28%. Power has been restored to about 11,660 customers. For more information, download the FPL app or dial 1-800-4OUTAGE.

The Fort Pierce Utilities Authority reported 3,554 outages as of about 7:45 a.m. Call 772-466-1600 ext. 3900 to report an outage.

8:58 a.m. - Beach erosion on North Hutchinson Island

Editor Cheryl Smith observed some beach erosion on North Hutchinson Island early Thursday.

8:49 a.m. - Beware of …

People in the vicinity of Sandhill Crane Park in Port St. Lucie should be wary, though of what is hard to say. Reporter Jon Santucci snapped a photo of a yellow street sign that says, “BEWARE OF,” but the rest of the warning is covered by floodwater.

8:23 a.m. - Storm damage in Port St. Lucie, Fort Pierce

Reporter Jon Santucci has spotted damage throughout St. Lucie County as the region remains under a tropical storm warning.

The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office closed a section of Indian River Drive, north of Midway Road in Fort Pierce, due to a broken tree dipping into the street.

In Indian River Estates in Port St. Lucie, a tree crashed onto a vehicle in front of a home.

In Spanish Lakes in Port St. Lucie, a screened porch enclosure collapsed in front of a house.

Across from the St. Lucie Lanes bowling alley in Port St. Lucie, a stop sign toppled over into the roadway.

7:14 a.m. - Lights out in Fort Pierce

Police are directing traffic at the intersection of U.S. 1 and Midway Road in Fort Pierce, where traffic lights are out, reports Jon Santucci.

7:12 a.m. - No trash pick-up for unincorporated St. Lucie

Due to high winds, Waste Pro will not pick up trash and recycling Thursday for residents of unincorporated St. Lucie County.

5:41 a.m. - Ian downgraded, St. Lucie still under warning

Hurricane Ian has been downgraded to a tropical storm, according to the National Weather Service, but St. Lucie County isn’t out of danger yet.

The county remains under a tropical storm warning, with tropical storm-force winds forecast for the next few hours. Peak coastal winds of 30-40 miles per hour are expected, along with gusts up to 60 miles per hour. Inland, peak winds of 20-30 miles per hour and gusts up to 50 miles per hour are forecast.

While a flood watch is no longer in effect, storm surge up to 1 foot is possible in coastal areas around high tide.

5 a.m. - Trash service resumes in Port St. Lucie

The St. Lucie County Landfill and Waste Pro are scheduled to assess whether service will resume Thursday, county spokesperson Erick Gill said in a statement Wednesday.

After suspending curbside garbage and recycling collection on Wednesday, the city of Port St. Lucie said that afternoon that FCC would resume service Thursday. Residents can expect their trash to be picked up one day later than usual.

4 a.m. - What’s closed during Hurricane Ian?

St. Lucie Public Schools are closed Thursday and scheduled to reopen Friday. Also among Thursday’s closures are Fort Pierce City Hall, St. Lucie County government offices and facilities in the city of Port St. Lucie.

Click here for an exhaustive list of local closures and cancellations.

1 a.m. - Tornado watch ends

A tornado watch issued by the National Weather Service Wednesday afternoon has ended. Nine Florida counties, including Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River, were included in the watch.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Hurricane Ian: Tropical storm warning for St. Lucie County, Florida