Columbia County, Fla. Photo by Sgt. Ed Seifert, Columbia County Sheriff's Office.
COLUMBIA COUNTY, Fla. -- County Commissioners voted Monday to extend the state of emergency for Columbia County for another week.
The county first went into a state of emergency on June 24, just as Tropical Storm Debby was beginning to impact the First Coast and its outlying areas.
Three FEMA crews were in the county over the weekend to do preliminary assessments, which were also done in Baker, Bradford, Wakulla and Pasco counties, according to Harvey Campbell, the county's public information officer.
These preliminary assessments allowed Gov. Rick Scott to ask President Obama for a disaster declaration, Campbell said.
The Suwannee River has crested and should be back in its banks by
Friday, while the Santa Fe River has crested and started to fall
slightly.
There is still quite a bit of inland flooding in the county, and officials are trying to pump water into areas that will not cause harm, Campbell said.
Organizations such as Red Cross, the United Way and Catholic Charities have come in to offer assistance to residents of the county.
First Coast News