Emerald Coast Reopenings Update: Niceville, Crestview, CHELCO Restoration & Fort Walton Beach Health Advisory
NICEVILLE, Fla. — Okaloosa County communities continue taking significant steps toward recovery following Hurricane Isaias, with municipal reopenings, steady utility restoration, and updated public safety advisories across the Emerald Coast.
Municipal Reopenings and Sanitation
In Niceville, city officials announced that all city facilities have resumed normal operations, with two exceptions: Turkey Creek and the Children’s Park remain temporarily closed for storm cleanup and damage assessments. Regular residential trash collection handled by Waste Management has officially resumed its standard schedule across Niceville.
In North Okaloosa County, the City of Crestview has also fully reopened city offices and municipal services to the public.
CHELCO Power Restoration Update
Choctawhatchee Electric Cooperative (CHELCO) reported major progress in its post-Isaias power restoration efforts. As of 7:00 AM on Monday, October 12, utility crews and visiting personnel have successfully restored power to more than 50,000 members across its service area.
Approximately 20,000 members remain without power. More than 1,400 personnel are deployed across the system today to repair downed lines, replace broken poles, and restore service. CHELCO remains on track to restore electricity to the majority of its system by Tuesday night, October 13. Residents can monitor live outages on the CHELCO Outage Viewer (https://outageview.chelco.com:8080/).
Health Advisory Issued for Fort Walton Beach Waterways
The Florida Department of Health in Okaloosa County (DOH-Okaloosa) has issued a health advisory for Santa Rosa Sound and Choctawhatchee Bay near Highway 98 due to wastewater releases from sewer manholes in Fort Walton Beach.
Health officials emphasize that drinking water is NOT affected by this advisory. However, contact with contaminated waters poses health hazards, including potential exposure to untreated sewage and gastrointestinal illnesses. Anyone exposed to affected waterways should wash thoroughly with soap and clean water. The City of Fort Walton Beach is conducting ongoing water quality testing, and the advisory will remain in effect until testing shows satisfactory results. For questions, contact DOH-Okaloosa at 850-833-9247 or visit Okaloosa.FloridaHealth.gov.
Meanwhile, the Destin Beach Safety Division has downgraded their beach flag from a single red flag to a yellow flag.
