PBC Emergency Managers Honored at Governor’s Hurricane Conference

Butch Truesdale (left) accepts the Lifetime Achievement Award and Bill Johnson the Emergency Management Award at the 2012 Governor’s Hurricane Conference.

Butch Truesdale (left) accepts the Lifetime Achievement Award and Bill Johnson the Emergency Management Award at the 2012 Governor’s Hurricane Conference.

On May 17, during the awards ceremony of the 2012 Governor’s Hurricane Conference in Fort Lauderdale, two Palm Beach County Division of Emergency Management staff members received recognition.

The Emergency Management Award went to Bill Johnson, director of the Division of Emergency Management, for his tireless, competent leadership and dedication to the readiness of millions of people in south Florida.

Johnson, who personally suffered through Hurricane Andrew in southern Miami-Dade County 20 years ago this summer, took over in Palm Beach County in 2010. Last month, he conducted the most dramatic overhaul of the county’s evacuation plan in decades, expanding from two plans to five and bringing more than 100,000 people out of mandatory evacuation zones for minimal hurricanes.

The conference’s Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to senior planner Sheridan “Butch” Truesdale, who has spent many years working with mitigation, the science of doing as much as possible in advance of a disaster to minimize its impact. Truesdale is a leader and innovator in both the private and public sectors of emergency management, and his work has been recognized by several high level officials of the federal government.

The week-long Governor’s Hurricane Conference with training sessions, workshops and special ceremonies is held annually prior to the start of the storm season.