Hurricane season begins Monday, and the South Florida Water Management District is ensuring its teams and infrastructure are ready with its annual “Hurricane Freddy” drill. Inside the emergency operations center in West Palm Beach, teams practiced responding to a simulated storm impacting South Florida. “Storm is definitely getting big. It’s a wide area storm. And is coming our way,” Richard Fimbel, SFWMD Emergency Manager, said during the exercise. The drill helps response teams stay prepared and evaluate areas for improvement, including how information is communicated to the public. “My role would be communicating with the public and the media and acting as a liaison to get information out to the public, to give them the real conditions, real information on what is happening, our response and what we’re doing about it,” said Jason Schultz, spokesman for the South Florida Water Management District. Officials said the goal of the exercise is not just to practice the plan but to refine it based on lessons learned from previous storms. “We learn from every storm. Every storm, whether it impacts the district or not, is a lesson. Even storms that don’t have a name, they’re all something that we take information and data from,” Schultz said.Be Prepared: WPBF 25 News coverage on hurricanesThe district manages a massive flood control system across 16 counties, stretching from Orlando to the Florida Keys. Decisions made during hurricane season at the emergency operations center directly impact local communities. “Preparation is one of the most important things that we can do to be prepared for a storm, and to communicate with each other and find the ways that we can better respond to a storm,” Schultz said. While the “Hurricane Freddy” storm is simulated, officials emphasized that the lessons learned during the drill are critical for real-world scenarios. Get the latest weather updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.Officials also advised residents to ensure their drains and homes are prepared ahead of hurricane season, noting that storm response is a shared responsibility across the community.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. —

Hurricane season begins Monday, and the South Florida Water Management District is ensuring its teams and infrastructure are ready with its annual “Hurricane Freddy” drill.

Inside the emergency operations center in West Palm Beach, teams practiced responding to a simulated storm impacting South Florida.

“Storm is definitely getting big. It’s a wide area storm. And is coming our way,” Richard Fimbel, SFWMD Emergency Manager, said during the exercise.

The drill helps response teams stay prepared and evaluate areas for improvement, including how information is communicated to the public.

“My role would be communicating with the public and the media and acting as a liaison to get information out to the public, to give them the real conditions, real information on what is happening, our response and what we’re doing about it,” said Jason Schultz, spokesman for the South Florida Water Management District.

Officials said the goal of the exercise is not just to practice the plan but to refine it based on lessons learned from previous storms.

“We learn from every storm. Every storm, whether it impacts the district or not, is a lesson. Even storms that don’t have a name, they’re all something that we take information and data from,” Schultz said.

Be Prepared: WPBF 25 News coverage on hurricanes

The district manages a massive flood control system across 16 counties, stretching from Orlando to the Florida Keys. Decisions made during hurricane season at the emergency operations center directly impact local communities.

“Preparation is one of the most important things that we can do to be prepared for a storm, and to communicate with each other and find the ways that we can better respond to a storm,” Schultz said.

While the “Hurricane Freddy” storm is simulated, officials emphasized that the lessons learned during the drill are critical for real-world scenarios.

Get the latest weather updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.

Officials also advised residents to ensure their drains and homes are prepared ahead of hurricane season, noting that storm response is a shared responsibility across the community.