The city of Gainesville and Alachua County government offices will be closed on Wednesday due to a winter storm warning that will potentially bring freezing rain and possible snow flurries on Tuesday night.
All area school districts in North Florida will also be closed on Wednesday, along with the University of Florida and Santa Fe College.
The following are releases sent Tuesday afternoon.
CITY OF GAINESVILLE
With our area under both a Freeze Warning and a Winter Storm Warning, the offices of the City of Gainesville will be closed tomorrow, Jan. 22. Regional Transit System buses will run on reduced service through 10 a.m. at which time a safety assessment will be made and further service could be suspended.
Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward has signed an executive order declaring a local state of emergency. The order mobilizes all resources necessary to coordinate the city’s severe weather response for the safety and protection of all neighbors.
Freezing rain and cold wind chills as low as 15 degrees are possible. Overnight temperatures are expected to drop to freezing and are not expected to rise above 32 degrees before 10 a.m. Wednesday.
During the next hours, neighbors are advised to take steps and become winter-ready.
- Take precautions to protect people, pets and and property; shelter by evening.
- Check on neighbors, especially those who are older, those with disabilities and those who live alone.
- Bring in outdoor pets and cover cold-sensitive plants.
- Prepare for power outages by creating an emergency kit with essentials for family members and pets.
- Stay indoors and off the roads.
- Practice fire stafety. Use safe heating sources indoors.
- Charge all portable devices.
- Allow outdoor faucets to slowly drip to protect pipes.
Cold Night Shelter
- The city has activated its Cold Night Shelter (CNS) program through Saturday, Jan. 26 during which GRACE Marketplace and the St. Francis House will have additional beds available for anyone needing shelter from adverse weather. The CNS program is funded by federal Community Development Block Grant funding; $25,000 is set aside for the program.
Facilities
- Depot Park and Sweetwater Wetlands Park will be closed; other city parks will remain open but restrooms will be closed tomorrow, Jan. 22.
- All other city offices and facilities will be closed tomorrow, Jan. 22.
Refuse Collection
- Residential trash and recycling pickup will be delayed one additional day. Today’s collection is scheduled for collection Thursday; Wednesday’s is scheduled Friday and Thursday’s is scheduled Saturday.
Public Meetings
- Visit the Public Meeting Calendaron the City’s website for the current list of scheduled meetings.
- Find important information before, during and after the storm, including phone numbers to report downed power lines, service emergencies and a link to the GRU outage map with estimated time of restoration.
Flooding
- To report flooding, blocked streets and other issues that require prompt attention, please use the myGNV app or visit myGNV.org.
Resources
- Emergency management updates can be found online at www.safeGNV.org.
- Additional helpful information can be found online at ready.gov/winter-ready.
ALACHUA COUNTY
Due to a winter storm warning and the potential for hazardous road conditions caused by ice, Alachua County offices will be closed on Wednesday, Jan. 22.
Additional closures
The following offices will also be closed Wednesday:
- Alachua County Schools
- Santa Fe College
- Alachua County Property Appraiser’s Office
- Alachua County Library District
- Alachua County Tax Collector’s Office
- Alachua County Sheriff’s Office
- Statewide Guardian ad Litem Office (Circuit Eight)
- Supervisor of Elections Office
- Cities of Archer, Alachua, Gainesville, High Springs and Waldo
- State Health Department in Alachua County
- CareerSource of North Central Florida
Delayed openings
- University of Florida (opens at 12:30 p.m.)
- City of Newberry (opens at 1 p.m.)
Waste collection
Alachua County’s solid waste facilities and operations will also be closed on Wednesday and will resume regular hours on Thursday, Jan. 23.
Residential solid waste collection services will be delayed two days for the remainder of the week, due to the combination of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the winter storm warning.
This means that homes regularly collected on Tuesday will be collected on Thursday, those regularly collected on Wednesday will be collected on Friday, and those regularly collected on Thursday will be collected on Saturday. Regular schedules will resume on Monday, Jan. 27.