Updated October 17, 2026. Numbers and dates below come from the official pages linked beside each one, as they read on October 17. Agencies change hours and plans often, so use the link if a call does not go through.
Hurricane Isaias came ashore near Destin as a Category 2 hurricane at about 8:30 p.m. CDT on Friday, October 9, 2026. A week later, most people in Destin are asking the same thing: which number do I call for this?
Here is the short list, with where each number came from. A tree service is not the right call for most of it, and we say so.
Quick list: who handles what
| What you need | Who to call |
|---|---|
| Power out (CHELCO) | (850) 307-1211 or (800) 342-0990 |
| Power out (FPL) | Report online |
| Debris, Destin city | 850-837-6869 (Public Works) |
| Debris, county | 1-833-495-3664 |
| Smell gas | 850-729-4700 or 911 |
| Road closures | FL511 map |
| Food, housing, help | Dial 211 |
| FEMA application help | 1-800-621-3362 |
| Trees on your house | Reed, (850) 888-5603 |
Each link goes to the official page that lists the number. Details and more sources are below.
Power
Which utility serves you depends on your address, so check your bill. CHELCO takes outage reports day or night at (850) 307-1211 or (800) 342-0990, or through its MyCHELCO app, per its report an outage page. Give them your name and address. If you cannot get through, they say to be patient, because many other members are calling too.
If FPL serves your address, use the FPL outage reporting page. We could not confirm a phone number on FPL's pages, so we are not listing one.
Anything touching a power line goes to the utility first. Report it to them, not to a tree crew.
Debris pickup
Two different crews, depending on whether you live inside the city.
- Inside Destin city limits: the City began collection on October 15 and says crews work sunrise to sunset, seven days a week, starting in West Destin. Questions go to Public Works at 850-837-6869. Details are in the City of Destin notices.
- Unincorporated Okaloosa County: the county set up a storm debris call center at 1-833-495-3664, listed on the Okaloosa County EOC page. Residents inside a city are told to call their city or town instead.
- Walton County: the county posts Isaias updates through its news page, which points to Walton County Emergency Management on Facebook.
Both Destin and Okaloosa ask for the same basics. Vegetative debris goes in loose piles at the public right-of-way, not bagged, kept apart from construction material, and kept off drains, hydrants, mailboxes and utility equipment. Our debris pickup rules post covers it county by county.
Gas, roads and shelters
- Gas: if you smell gas, Okaloosa Gas lists 850-729-4700 or 911 on its home page.
- Roads: FL511 has a closures view.
- Shelters: Okaloosa County began standing down its evacuation shelters on October 10, according to the county EOC updates. If you need help now, the resource centers below are the better place to start.
Help for people, not trees
- 211: the county lists 211 Florida for food, housing, health care, utility help and disaster support. If three-digit dialing fails over Wi-Fi calling, go to 211.org and enter your ZIP code for the local 10-digit number.
- Multi-Agency Resource Centers: per the county, these are open October 14 to 24, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., at the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Convention Center (1250 Miracle Strip Pkwy SE, Fort Walton Beach) and the Crestview Community Center (1446 Commerce Dr, Crestview). Bring ID, proof of residence and insurance papers. Details on the county EOC page.
- Samaritan's Purse: the county shares 833-747-1234 for free property cleanup help, including chainsaw work and roof tarping. It is on the same county EOC page.
- FEMA: DisasterAssistance.gov lets you check whether your county is in a declared area and apply. The FEMA Helpline is 1-800-621-3362, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week.
Where Reed Tree Service fits
We do trees, and only trees. Reed is based in Tallahassee, and Josh Reed's climbing crew is working Destin and the Emerald Coast until about the end of October.
- We are insured, not licensed.
- We are not a 24/7 emergency line.
- Josh gives a written quote after he sees the job. Debris is cut and moved to the road for pickup. On big jobs he can arrange haul-off through a sub, so ask him.
Before you hire anyone, including us, read our checklist on telling a storm chaser from a real tree service. For work near your house, see what to do when a tree is on your house and our Destin storm cleanup page. The storm and hurricane tree cleanup page covers how the work goes.
Trees on your house, roof, fence or pool cage: call Josh at (850) 888-5603.