From assessing damages to helping neighbors clear their property of branches, leaves and other debris, the Apopka community is reclaiming some normalcy following Hurricane Irma, which was a Category 1 by the time it reached Central Florida in the early-morning hours of Monday, September 11.

Not surprisingly, Irma wreaked havoc that caused electrical outages in many households and much property destruction.

Schools and community activities came to a grinding halt. Orange County Public Schools (OCPS) canceled school for the week, planning to resume classes on Monday, September 18.

Events, such as a barbecue and steak cook-off competition, scheduled for last weekend at Northwest Recreation Complex, were postponed until further notice. Other events, such as the one to commemorate the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack, were cancelled.

Tom Terry, chief meteorologist at WFTV-Channel 9 in Orlando, said that although there is no official sensor in Apopka, there were winds between 55 mph and 75 mph experienced in the community. Sustained winds were about 50 mph, he said.

Irma was originally expected to come up the western edge of Florida, perhaps just off west coast, but the storm continued on a northern trek after making landfall just south of Naples in southwest Florida.

“As the storm was approaching Marco Island, the track due north certainly had us concerned,” Terry wrote in an email. “And it was like in 2004 where the short-term track changes prior to landfall have to be watched carefully as any subtle shifts can bring a lot more impacts to our area, But, we had to do a similar on-air ‘course correction’ of sorts as the storm moved north, before making its northwest turn west of Apopka.”

The storm dumped as much as 16 inches of rain on the area, Terry said.

“The center of Irma passed west of Apopka, but the ‘eye’ of the storm degenerated in a linear wall of wind essentially, and we got a piece of that around 3 a.m. on Monday.”

A hardy bunch

In spite of the massive disruption Irma caused, Apopka prevailed.

“I saw this community come together to help one another,” Apopka Deputy Police Chief Randy Fernandez wrote in an email. “Teams of citizens were clearing debris from each other’s homes and neighborhoods. I saw the Apopka family work together. Just like a family, sometimes we pick at each other, but when the chips are down, you don’t mess with family. This is a community in which I am happy to call home and one in which we can all be proud.”

According to information from city spokesman Robert Sargent, the city cleared 300 streets on Monday, with storm debris collection continuing throughout the week. Residential curbside garbage collection and recycling resumed on Tuesday, with Monday collections rescheduled for Thursday, September 14.

Plenty of traffic signals throughout the city have been without electricity. Therefore, drivers were advised to view all intersections without working signals as four-way stops.

Orange County government enacted a curfew from Sunday, September 10, at 7 p.m. through Monday, September 11 at 6 p.m. The curfew did not apply to emergency responders, health care facility and hospital workers, or critical staff for businesses that provide essential commodities and services.

Apopka government buildings closed at 2 p.m. on Friday and remained closed throughout the weekend. They reopened on Tuesday with the exception of Northwest Recreation Complex, which reopened on Thursday for sports activities. Meanwhile, the city has been working to coordinate repairs to facilities like the amphitheater.

Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, as are all land owned by the St. Johns River Water Management District, have stayed closed to the public while the district staff assesses each property for safety and accessibility.

Editor John Peery contributed to this report.

For more about the Hurricane Irma aftermath, pick up the Friday, September 15 issue of The Apopka Chief at one of multiple sites in the Apopka area.