PHOTO VIA VISIT PENSACOLA
Our friends at Visit Pensacola (Instagram | Website) are urging travelers to keep their plans for Pensacola, Pensacola Beach and Perdido Key, about two weeks after Hurricane Isaias hit the Florida Panhandle, with some recovery from the storm still underway.
“The coast is clear, and Pensacola is ready to welcome you,” the tourism bureau said in a news release we just received. Visitors with reservations are encouraged to check directly with their hotel or rental to confirm availability and any changes. “Pensacola is a resilient community, and we’re excited to turn the page and welcome visitors back to experience everything that makes our destination special,” said Nicole Stacey, vice president of destination development for Visit Pensacola.
Isaias made landfall near Destin on Friday, October 9, as a Category 2 hurricane with 105 mph winds. Pensacola City Hall recorded a 102 mph gust, and several roofs were blown off buildings in town, including the Rest and Relax Inn. Pensacola International Airport closed ahead of the storm and has since resumed commercial service.
Perdido Key’s beaches were “largely unaffected,” with all public access points working, according to the bureau. Pensacola Beach “took greater storm impacts,” and visitors are asked to avoid areas where cleanup and damage assessments are still underway. Most Pensacola Beach access points are open, but one boardwalk at Park East and the steps into Santa Rosa Sound at Panferio are not.
The bureau says some hotels, attractions and events remain closed, limited or postponed, and that visitors should check ahead. NAS Pensacola is closed to public visitors, so Blue Angels flightline viewing is not available. Fort Pickens, part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, reopened for day use on October 18, though the National Park Service said it remains under a boil water notice. The Naval Live Oaks Area and the Fort Pickens Campground remain closed because of fallen trees. Park Superintendent Rick Clark said the seashore “fared relatively well” compared with prior hurricanes.
Power has largely been restored. About 95 percent of affected customers had electricity back by October 14. The Emerald Coast Utilities Authority lifted a boil water notice for most of mainland Escambia County, though Pensacola Beach was treated separately, according to WUWF, and Visit Pensacola says the notice has been lifted there and at Perdido Key, with some individual addresses still under advisory.
Visit Pensacola invited us to the Panhandle earlier this summer to participate in the annual Mullet Toss weekend.
