LEON COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) - One day after Hurricane Irma rolled through Leon County, the school district says it will be ready to welcome back students on Thursday.
Chris Petley with Leon County Schools says that they "are well on our way to opening schools for staff tomorrow and students on Thursday."
Superintendent Rocky Hanna says the district was spared from any significant damage to any of its schools, 10 of which served as shelters.
The Red Cross announced the emergency shelters at the school would close by noon Tuesday.
The district says there was minimal damage overall. They say district impact response teams have been assessing campuses since Monday afternoon.
Hanna says the district was proactive in its planning to recover from Irma.
"Collectively, as a community, we're breathing a sigh of relief. It could've been much worse, but I think we were prepared," said Hanna. "All in all, we were prepared as a community, and I'm so proud of our schools, our school leaders, the way they stepped up. Not only -- I realize we provide education for 34,000 students, but we also provide emergency sanctuary to thousands in our area and to other parts of the state."
While there was no structural damage, they say Chaires Elementary is currently without power. Officials say crews are actively working to get the school back online.
They report some buildings on the Leon High campus are experiencing some electrical issues that crews are working on as well.
Due to the loss of power, some schools' refrigeration systems were impacted. However, LCS officials say nutrition services prepared in advance so that all impacted schools will soon be receiving fresh milk and meals.
LCS says they will also be prepared to safely transport more than 12,000 students to and from school on Thursday. Wednesday will be a normal workday for faculty and staff.
