After a long wait, it appears things in Highlands County finally are returning to normal. The Tropical Storm Watch for Highlands County was lifted last night as Hurricane Dorian lumbered northward.
Although Highlands County and municipal offices will resume operations today, there still are some closings. Highlands County schools and South Florida State College have suspended classes through today – they will commence again tomorrow morning.
Shelters also were closed yesterday and were not open overnight. At their peak Monday, there were 170 residents who took advantage of the four facilities that had been opened in Avon Park, Sebring and Lake Placid.
Trash collection was pushed back a day. That means Tuesday’s collection will be today. Today’s collection will be tomorrow. There was some rain in the area overnight attributed to the outer bands of the big storm. However, no significant flooding or other problems have been reported.
There was one traffic accident to report. There were no serious injuries when a car hit a utility pole. That occurred yesterday at the intersection of Highway 27 & Vickie Drive in front of the Lakeshore Mall. Other than that, law enforcement officials say it was uneventful.
After dodging the bullet here, relief efforts for storm victims in the Bahamas are underway. Hurricane Dorian wreaked havoc on the island, lashing it with up to 185 mph winds for three days before moving on.
The Highlands County Sheriff’s Office, the Alan Jay Automotive Network, Lockwood Aviation at the Sebring Regional Airport and Boater’s World in Lake Placid all have started such drives.