Don’t Focus on Forecast – Prepare Now

By Commissioner Jeff Koons

The 2009 Atlantic Hurricane Season is here, and weather experts are predicting average to possibly less than average storm activity. This is due to the anticipated return of El Nino, the water-warming phenomenon in the Pacific that results in higher wind shear in the Atlantic and therefore less favorable conditions for storm development.

I cringe a little whenever I hear these types of reports because it can lead to complacency. And it really doesn’t matter how many storms are predicted or how many actually form, it’s whether any wind up hitting South Florida. Lest we be reminded that in 1992 there were only six named storms, but one of them was Hurricane Andrew. Although the last three seasons were pretty light, the pounding we took in ‘04 and ’05 with hurricanes Frances, Jeanne and Wilma should still be fresh in everyone’s mind.

Like always, preparation is the key when it comes to dealing with Mother Nature’s fury. I’d like to mention a few changes and improvements our emergency management team has made to handle a major storm. I serve on the county’s executive policy group, which determines what pre- and post-storm resources will be most needed and how to get them in place. Geographically, the county is divided into six emergency operations areas (EOAs) to deal with specific needs at the local level, instead of trying to handle it all from the Emergency Operations Center. There are 14 designated POD (point of distribution) sites for handing out ice, water and food and other emergency supplies. The fairgrounds will serve as the county’s bulk distribution site for getting these supplies to the EOAs. (Residents should not come to the fairgrounds to pick up ice and water; they should go to their local POD.)

Publix has installed generators at approximately 50 of its 70 stores in the county. Many other retailers and gas stations have upgraded, too. This will make a huge difference immediately following a disaster when electrical power is out. The list of stores and gas stations with generators will be posted on our Web site, pbcgov.com, and continually updated throughout the season.

We have a new WebEOC program that can be used with other federal and state emergency managers and all municipalities throughout the entire South Florida region. Think of WebEOC as a separate Internet for the reporting and dissemination of emergency information: dangerous situations such as flooding and downed powerlines, requests for assistance, resource tracking, status of shelters and road/bridge closures, news releases, and personnel accountability for FEMA reimbursement.

The Citizen Notification System (Dialogic), which delivers voice and text messages to any type of electronic device, has been increased to generate 26,000 emergency calls per hour. We have more than 100 local teams in our Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program and more than 2,700 CERT volunteers countywide. These individuals are trained in basic emergency skills and are often the first contact residents have following a disaster until professionals can respond. We now have a Spanish-speaking CERT, a team comprised of teen-agers, and a new CERT group in the Glades.

Of course, the best management plan in the world won’t be effective if residents don’t do their part. The time is now to revise your own emergency plans, review evacuation routes, fortify your homes, buy nonperishable emergency supplies and medications, and make arrangements for pets and/or for special needs. The following Web sites are excellent resources for additional emergency preparedness information or for tracking storm systems:

http://www.pbcgov.com/publicsafety/emergencymanagement/
http://www.floridadisaster.org/
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
http://crownweather.com/
http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/

Getting safely through the hurricane season is everyone’s responsibility. Please use the time we have wisely. As always, I welcome your comments and questions. Please feel free to call me or my staff at 355-2202.