City of Cocoa Provides Bottled Water To Customers Affected By Loss of Service.
still under a precautionary boil water alert BREVARD COUNTY • COCOA – The City of Cocoa, in coordination through the State of Florida, has arranged for the Florida Army National Guard to provide four bottled water distribution points for those customers affected by the loss of water pressure from Hurricane Irma.
Currently, residents may pick up bottled water at the City of Cocoa, located at 801 Dixon Boulevard in Cocoa, at the entrance of south bound lane of US 1.
Each vehicle can pick up one case, beginning Tuesday through 7 p.m., and continuing through the next two days from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. until the supplies are depleted.
The City is working to open more sites as soon as possible, according to said City of Cocoa Public Relations Specialist Samantha Senger.
“This is an effort to help provide bottled drinking water to customers as we work diligently to repair the breaks caused by Hurricane Irma,” said Senger.
“Crews are continuing to work throughout the system to make sure each customer is receiving safe and quality water as quickly as possible.
However, even if there is pressure at your home, please remember we are currently still under a precautionary boil water alert for the entire water system.”

Does Publix throw away returned food and water?
Now that the storm has passed, people may be inclined to return their food supplies back to the store.
"Any perishable product returns to our stores must be discarded," said Publix media and community relations manager Brian West.
However, rumors spreading via social media that Publix stores will throw away any food items that are returned are not true.
Bottled water and other non-perishable items can go back on store shelves.
The need is great for those who find themselves without power.
It’ll open its outreach centers in Tampa and New Port Richey on Wednesday looking to help those in need, and its asking for donations of generators, flashlights, batteries for existing flashlights, nonperishables and bottled water.
A team is working there to see how it can serve Outreach clients with or without power beginning Wednesday.
Dulcinea N. Kimrey, divisional communications director for the Army, said donations specifically earmarked "Hurricane Irma" will go directly to local efforts.
It’s a concerted effort to help assist first responders and survivors get back on their feet, and it has staff and volunteers coming from the Eastern Seaboard and as far away as Canada.

Residents of Robertsdale reached out to Local 15 after discovering a Cefco gas station were selling ‘pricey’ cases of water.
CEFCO apologizes for any appearance of impropriety in our water case pricing in the days leading up to Hurricane Irma.
To be clear, however, CEFCO did not change any of its water prices leading up to or during the potential storm crisis.
Residents of Robertsdale reached out to Local 15 after discovering a Cefco gas station were selling ‘pricey’ cases of water.
Pictures viewers sent us showed water cases were being priced from $26-$33 in front of the store.
Locals told tell Local 15 they were especially concerned after seeing the high prices because of the shelter for evacuees that was opened down the road.
Residents of Robertsdale reached out to Local 15 after discovering a Cefco gas station were selling ‘pricey’ cases of water.
"Many people have contacted us in regards to the bottled water prices at Cefco.
After investigating, we have found that the merchandise (water) in question are bottles that are intended for individual sale in the cooler.
Local 15 will update with more on this tonight at 10 p.m. and share the gas station’s statement if we are given a response.

Some 7-Eleven locations in Florida are offering free cases of bottled water after Florida’s Attorney General office reported thousands of calls about price-gouging at stores across the state.
HuffPost reports that 7-Eleven’s corporate office has authorized 1,600 cases of bottled water to be sent to three Florida stores to be distributed for free after Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi told CNBC her office was receiving 100 calls per hour about price-gouging at 7-Eleven locations as well as other stores in the state.
"It’s been unbelievable.
We are out in the field all over this state so people can have the fuel that they need, essential commodities such as water, etc."
We are disappointed that the small minority of franchisees have chosen to do this and will harshly deal with any offenders," the statement adds.
Best Buy was forced to apologize after reports surfaced on social media about price-gouging for cases of water in one Texas location.
As a company we are focused on helping, not hurting affected people.
We’re sorry and it won’t happen again,” a spokesman said in an email.
“Not as an excuse but as an explanation, we don’t typically sell cases of water.
The mistake was made when employees priced a case of water using the single-bottle price for each bottle in the case.”

Bottled water shortages reported throughout metro Atlanta.
ATLANTA – Bottled water has become one of the hottest commodities in north Georgia.
As Hurricane Irma approaches the U.S. residents of North Georgia are getting prepared.
"I’ve never been through a hurricane before, so I figured it’s better to be over-prepared than not be prepared," said John Mason who was buying supplies at a Walmart in Duluth.
11Alive’s Ryan Kruger went to stores in Fulton, Dekalb and Gwinnett counties.
Most stores had bare shelves of bottled water.
At a Publix in Fulton County, customers grabbed water off the shelves as soon as employees re-stocked.
"We went to check water and there was no water," said Kiona Santano, who was shopping at a Walmart in Gwinnett County.
Instead, she bought several gallons of nursery water.
"We bought a case of Dasani and someone had taken a bottle out of it," Mason said, "but it’s all that was left, so we took it."

No bottled water?
@marilyn_ledger Hurricane Irma is almost on us and every time you stopped by Walmart or Publix or Target or anywhere else, the bottled water either has been sold out or only a few bottles are left.
And any time before the storm hits, anyone can take control of the situation by setting aside their own tap water — bottles, jars, pitchers, thermoses and zip-lock bags for drinking and storage tubs or plastic-lined bathtubs for flushing toilets and personal hygiene.
If the storm causes enough flooding that the water system is contaminated or, more likely, if power failures prevent water pumps from operating, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security says it is OK to use tap water that has been set aside if you “cannot access commercially bottled water in its sealed original container.” On its website Ready.gov/water, Homeland Security says: “If you must prepare your own containers of water, purchase food grade water storage containers.
If that is the case, only a small area will be impacted and repairs will be made ASAP,” the city″s statement said.
So it is wise to follow state emergency management officials’ advice: set aside at least 3 gallons of water per person and pet for at least three days.
And when the power goes out in Florida in September, the air-conditioning stops.
A gallon or so of water will flush most toilets.
However, if there is a serious water issue and lines have broken, Homeland Security News and Information says not to risk contaminating the groundwater by flushing.
Do this by pumping out or scooping out as much water out of the toilet bowl and tank as possible, then line the bowl with a small heavy-duty plastic bag.

Newfoundland students get bottled water after well near cemetery raises concerns.
Students in Newfoundland are drinking bottled water amid concerns about how close their high school’s well is to an adjacent graveyard.
“There’s signs all over the school saying: Do Not Drink the Water,” said one student who took photos of brown water Wednesday as it ran from a washroom tap.
READ: Shediac Bay residents rally for clean water One parent estimates the well is within about 10 metres of the closest graves, which are on the other side of a retaining wall, but a school board spokesman said it is about 40 metres from the closest grave.
Kirby said it has nothing to do with water safety.
Susan Stamp, one of almost 800 members of a local concerned parents’ group fighting the project, said the water wasn’t discoloured last year.
“It’s a little disturbing that we know that for years students have been drinking this water and now the government is forcing the issue and saying we’re going to be drinking it for the foreseeable future without doing anything major to move the well.” Caskets were exposed during an extension of the old high school decades ago, Stamp added.
Loyola Hutchings, chairman of the Mobile Cemetery Committee, said there are about 200 to 250 graves there.
“They don’t want any more graves disturbed.” Stamp’s group, the Concerned Parents of St. Bernard’s and Mobile Central High, has lobbied the province for years to build a new middle school in the fast-growing region.
Stamp said many parents aren’t convinced there will be adequate water and septic service.

Irma’s westward track may put Iredell on storm’s fringe; bottled water scarce.
Updated and more confident forecasts late Thursday predicting Hurricane Irma taking a more westward path across the Southeast was met with cautious relief from many in North Carolina.
But officials urge the state not to delay preparation because the storm, at a minimum, will likely bring several inches of rain, wind gusts and the threat of tornadoes to parts of the state.
Many in Iredell County took seriously the threat of the most powerful Atlantic Ocean storm in recorded history.
“Water has been hard to find.
Food Lion reported having a few individual water bottles and gallon jugs of water, but shelves were mostly bare Friday afternoon.
The City of Statesville says staff is on notice they may have to work extra hours.
Officials are checking resources and equipment to make sure they work.
If emergency shelters are needed in Iredell, the government may open South Iredell High School and the Mooresville War Memorial to the public.
To report power outages, call EnergyUnited at 1-800-386-4833 or Duke Energy at 1-800-769-3766.

Why is everyone buying up bottled water?
Will Irma shut off Charlotte’s faucets?.
Judging from store shelves, Charlotteans are panicing about Hurricane Irma’s threat to our water supply.
Scoring a case of bottled water at Harris Teeter or Publix is like winning the lottery.
Damage to above-ground sewer pipe creek crossings because of floating creek debris.
“None of these situations would result in large-scale or extended service interruptions,” officials with Charlotte Water said.
Hurricane Irma: NC still under State of Emergency into weekend North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper says that NC still needs to be prepared for a shift in the path of Hurricane Irma and resources are currently being shifted to the western part of the state.
Low-lying facilities are also being shored up against flooding and wind damage, officials said.
FEMA suggests at least one gallon of water per person per day, as well as water for pets.
Three days worth is best, in case of power outages that last for days.

Hurricane Irma drains water at Walmart stores, halts York County online groceries.
The Rock Hill store expects supplies throughout Friday and the weekend, and customers who want water can call the store first, Wood said.
There have been spot outages of bottled water at some stores in areas likely to be affected by Irma from Florida to the Carolinas but distribution trucks from areas as far away as Pennsylvania and other parts of the country are re-supplying stores, said Ragan Dickens, spokesman for Wal-Mart’s corporate office.
“We are resupplying as quickly as possible,” Dickens said.
Several area Walmart stores posted on Facebook just before noon Thursday that because of Hurricane Irma, stores are halting online e-commerce services, including same-day pick-up and delivery.
We plan to resume regular operations on September 16, 2017 unless conditions change.
Other area stores say their shelves are still stocked.
Publix stores in the Charlotte area have water, but quantities vary by store, said Kim Reynolds, media and community relations manager for Publix Super Markets, Charlotte Division.
Reynolds said Charlotte area stores are serviced by its Atlanta distribution center.
Customer James Honeycutt of Rock Hill bought 10 2-liter bottles of Mountain Dew and planned another trip for cases of water to make sure his family is taken care of.