CENTRAL FLORIDA — Hurricane season started June 1, and even though forecasters are calling for a less active tropical storm season this year, Central Florida’s emergency preparedness experts are not taking any chances. They are getting ready for every possible scenario.
Residents in the Bonnie Brook subdivision in Orange County know how devastating floods from hurricanes can be. Some residents recall getting three feet of water in their homes during Hurricane Ian in 2022, when drainage canals overflowed with huge amounts of water. Bonnie Brook residents want their county government to do all it can to get ready for serious storms.
Emergency preparedness experts from across Florida are in Orlando this week, attending a conference to prepare for hurricane season. Orange County’s Emergency Management Director, Carlos Durden, says his team prepares for hurricanes all year long.
“Don’t let your guard down by saying it’s going to be a less than normal season, because remember, it only takes one,” he said.
Durden said his team has already identified shelters they will use, prepared assisted living facilities, and is coordinating with the National Weather Service.
“They’re going to issue their updates now and display what counties are actually in a hurricane watch or warning,” he said.
In Seminole County, 40 government agencies and nonprofits joined forces at the emergency operations center to run drills to simulate a Category 4 storm plowing across the area. People taking part in this exercise simulated taking emergency calls.
Seminole County Emergency Manager Alan Harris explains what the calls focused on.
“Everything from power outages to opening up emergency shelters to people needing evacuation assistance,” Harris said.
He added that Seminole County uses backup systems for 911, satellite redundancy for the operations center, and a system called WebEOC.
“It tracks all of our logistics. It tracks businesses that are out of service. It tracks all of our fuel stations, and it tracks our hospitals to see if the beds are full,” he said.
Harris points out that battle-tested emergency preparedness experts are getting ready, and families should do the same.
“We are preparing here. We’re asking our residents to do the exact same thing. Get a kit together. Get a plan. If you’re going to evacuate, know where you’re going to evacuate,” he said.
On Monday on Interstate 4, the signs over the highway are now encouraging people to make a hurricane plan. The message is in place, but residents have to take action.
Alan Harris says Hurricane Ian brought a 500-year flood to parts of Seminole County. Hurricane Milton caused heavy flooding in Orange County’s Orlo Vista neighborhood. Experts warn that residents cannot afford to ignore the potential risks of powerful storms.
Lake County Emergency Preparedness officials said that they recently took part in a statewide hurricane exercise to ensure they are ready to respond quickly this hurricane season.
Osceola County officials said that this year they are using Floodwise software to do flood forecasting in two of the county’s most flood-prone areas.
Flagler County officials said that later this summer they will start using the Flagler County Fairgrounds expo hall as their main evacuation center, and schools will be used as shelters if the expo hall gets full.