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SEMINOLE COUNTY
GOVERNMENT
Media Contact
County Manager's Office
1101 East First Street
Sanford, FL 32771
Phone: (407) 665-7212
Fax: (407) 665-7958
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NEWS RELEASE
Looking Back to Hurricane Charley
Posted on: 8/10/2009
SANFORD, FLA. August 10, 2009 -- As Floridians look back on the damage Hurricane Charley caused five years ago, there is a new focus on planning for future disasters. Seminole County is proud of the advances made since Hurricane Charley and believes there is more protection for all citizens because of these enhancements to plans, equipment and partnerships.
Since Hurricane Charley, Seminole County has developed a strong strategic plan with all of the municipalities and businesses in the community. Some of the new projects include:
--the Prepare Seminole campaign-a website and guidebook to help citizens and businesses prepare for all hazards.
--Mitigation projects-all school shelters and many critical facilities have been outfitted with wind protection to make them less vulnerable to all hazards.
--Alert Seminole-an electronic text notification system launched to help persons stay informed of major emergencies, including the threat of hurricanes.
--Yearly Business Preparedness Workshops-a partnership between the Small Business Development Council and Office of Emergency Management to build disaster resistant businesses.
--Business/Industry in Emergency Operations Center (EOC)-creation of a business recovery unit inside the EOC during activations.
--Planning-All plans have been updated with lessons learned from Hurricane Charley, Frances and Jeanne, including the addition of a Disaster Housing Plan, Debris Management Plan and Points of Distribution Plan.
--Exercises-Mock disasters occur on a quarterly basis with all municipalities and allied agencies to test response and recovery efforts.
--Partnerships with non-profit and faith-based Organizations.
--Development of a Long Term Recovery Committee, Seminole HEART, which is
still very active with recovery efforts from Tropical Storm Fay.
--Senior Citizens/Disability Coordination-Addition of a pet-friendly special needs shelter to provide a safe haven for our most vulnerable population and their pets.
--Redundant interoperable communication systems with other jurisdictions, State, and Federal agencies.
--Training of staff in Incident Command System, shelter management, EOC procedures, Citizens Information Hotline (3-1-1), emergency management resource tracking, damage/needs assessment, etc.
--Public Outreach-Yearly preparedness fair, community groups, home owners associations, neighborhood watch groups, civic clubs, citizen corps, ARES/RACES and other organizations.
While this hurricane season is predicted to be average, or below-average by some meteorologists, it is still important to plan for the all hazards. In 1992, Hurricane Andrew occurred during a slow hurricane season with only six named storms. All families are encouraged to have a Family Disaster Plan, create a Family Disaster Kit, Stay Informed and Volunteer.
Contact your local Emergency Management Office for more information on how to prepare.
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