WashCo Now

Your Hometown News, Now. Washington County, Florida

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Storm Center

WashCo Storm Center

Official storm, outage, and recovery links for Washington County, Florida — all in one place.

Status: No active storm threats for Washington County right now.

Report a power outage Get county alerts on your phone Emergencies: call 911

Before a storm During a storm Power outages Shelters Schools After a storm

Before a storm — get ready

Washington County Emergency ManagementPreparedness, shelter info, AlertWashington sign-up. Director Connie Welch. Call (850) 638-6203.
National Weather Service — TallahasseeOfficial forecasts, watches, and warnings for the Chipley area. Florida Disaster (state)State storm planning and preparedness resources. Burn ban statusCounty Public Notices page, where burn ban notices post. Washington County Sheriff’s OfficePublic safety news and services.
Standing preparation checklist
  • Charge phones.
  • Fill the gas tank.
  • Water and shelf-stable food for a few days.
  • Medications.
  • Flashlights over candles.
  • Know your electric provider (see the outage cards below).
  • Sign up for AlertWashington.

During a storm — right now

Power outagesReport an outage or check the outage map — the three county providers are below. Road conditions — Florida 511Crashes, flooding, closures, live. Open shelters — American Red CrossLive list of open shelters.
Sheriff’s OfficeNon-emergency: (850) 638-6111. Emergencies: 911.
Emergency ManagementCall (850) 638-6203.

Stay off the roads, treat every downed line as live, run generators outside only.

Power outages

Three providers serve Washington County. Tap a link to check the outage map or report an outage.

Gulf Coast Electric CooperativeServes most of Washington County. Online reporting is the way to report an outage.Outage mapReport an outageMain site
West Florida Electric CooperativeServes the part of the county on the WFEC system (also Calhoun, Holmes, Jackson).Outage centerCall 1-800-342-7400Main site
Florida Power & Light (FPL) — Northwest FloridaServes part of the county (the old Gulf Power territory).Outage map (Power Tracker)Report an outageCall 1-800-468-8243 (1-800-4-OUTAGE)

Not sure who your power company is? Check the top of your electric bill. Duke Energy does not serve Washington County.

Shelters & Schools

Open shelters — Red Cross shelter finderLive shelter locations during disasters. Washington County shelter openings are announced by Emergency Management — call (850) 638-6203.

Schools

School closings — Washington County School DistrictDistrict homepage — closings post there. Statewide school closures — Florida Dept. of EducationOfficial state list of K-12 school closures during storms.

After a storm — recovery help

FEMA disaster assistance — DisasterAssistance.govApply for federal help after a declared disaster, check application status. SBA disaster loansFederal loans for homeowners, renters, and businesses.
Florida Division of Emergency ManagementState recovery info. State hub: floridadisaster.org.
Storm debris & cleanup — Washington County CommissionThere is no standing debris page; the county posts debris and cleanup notices on the county site after storms. County public noticesBurn bans, county storm notices. Florida Dept. of Health in Washington CountyPost-storm health info (water safety, clinics, WIC). Northwest Florida Community Hospital (Chipley)Hospital services and emergency care in Chipley.

WashCo Now keeps this page updated during local storm events. Always follow instructions from Washington County Emergency Management first.