It’s sometimes difficult to convince people to evacuate when a hurricane is approaching, especially if they’ve never experienced the frightening winds and rain, and the destruction that’s left behind.<\/p>\n
Key Biscayne Fire Chief Joe Fernandez remembers Hurricane Andrew in 1992 all too well, with its 165 mph winds and nearly 17 feet of storm tides, something he’d surely like to forget.<\/p>\n
“That was the year’s first named storm (striking Miami-Dade County on Aug. 24) … It just takes one to come to you,” he said.<\/p>\n
According to records, approximately 500 tropical and subtropical cyclones have affected the state of Florida, but only 31 have had a direct contact with Miami since 1871, equating to an average of one direct hit about every five years. Other storms have grazed the area with wind-swept rain an average of one every 1.93 years.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Key Biscayne Fire Rescue Chief Joe Fernandez.<\/p>\n
“Complacency of hurricanes is human nature, and it is always a concern,” Fernandez said. “The best tool is preparedness and early action.”<\/p>\n
Knowing your zone<\/a> is critical. Key Biscayne is in Zone A, like Brickell, Coral Gables and much of the coastal communities.<\/p>\n Zone A is the area in which the greatest risk of danger from storm surge (water is the leading cause of deaths in hurricanes) exists for Category 1 storms and larger.<\/p>\n Even when a storm is tracking some 300 miles away, Miami-Dade County would likely begin a voluntary evacuation order “if the track has a good amount of certainty,” Fernandez said.<\/p>\n Zone A could likely begin evacuating when a Hurricane Watch (hurricane conditions, 74 mph or greater, possible within 48 hours) is in effect or especially when a Hurricane Warning (expected landfall within 36 hours) is issued.<\/p>\n Keep in mind that in a Hurricane Warning, there is a 66% likelihood that the center of the storm will pass in that region. Significant damage can still occur outside the hazard cone.<\/p>\n “It’s been a while, and that’s the cause for concern.” Fernandez said.<\/p>\n He reiterated that evacuees don’t have to go far, like across the state, but rather just a few miles inland, at least, hopefully at a friend’s or relative’s residence.<\/p>\n Going to a shelter also is a choice, but that’s another ballgame.<\/p>\n Miami-Dade County opens its shelters in a tiered format, so there’s constant checking needed to see which ones will be open and which are pet-friendly. Once an evacuation is announced, the list of open centers will become available on miamidade.gov<\/a> or by calling 311.<\/p>\n “Shelters should never be your primary choice,” Fernandez said. “It’s much better if your plan involves an inland relative or friend, obviously hotels, but you might have to do it two or three times (in a season) times, so you should have a multi-tier plan.”<\/p>\n Storm panels, impact windows or accordion shutters on your residence is also important.<\/p>\n “Hopefully, by now, you have some method of protection,” Fernandez said. “If a door fails or a window fails, the whole house can be pressurized.”<\/p>\n Filling gas tanks, stocking up on batteries, a backup power source or solar charger for your phone, or a generator are some examples to think about.<\/p>\n After the storm, be careful with power tools, and be aware of dehydration “when overworking yourself,” he warned.<\/p>\n Also, the portable generator cannot be placed too close to the home because of carbon monoxide. Invest in those detectors.<\/p>\n Going to a shelter?<\/p>\n According to Miami-Dade County, each evacuee is allotted 20 square feet of space at the evacuation center, so please bring only essential items. All evacuation centers meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements for sheltering. Service animals are permitted.<\/p>\n If you need to evacuate, it is important to bring:<\/p>\n \u2022 Sleeping bag\/mat or folding cot\/lawn chair<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0Infant and childcare items, such as formula, diapers, toys, etc.<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0Cash<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0Personal hygiene items<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0Comfort materials, such as books, magazines, etc.<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0Medication (refrigeration will be available for prescription or emergency medication)<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0Drinking water<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0Snacks<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0Extra clothing<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0Special items for family members who are elderly or disabled<\/p>\n While hurricane evacuation centers will provide meals such as sandwiches and soups, it will take time to get the food set up and served, so you should eat before you leave your home.<\/p>\n If you have a special diet, you should bring those dietary items with you, so as to ensure the highest level of comfort during your evacuation away from home.<\/p>\n It is strongly recommended to bring portable electronic devices, such as phones, tablets and battery packs, fully charged as there are limited outlets at evacuation centers.<\/p>\n Ways to stay informed<\/p>\n Fernandez said two weeks ago, the Village staff and emergency personnel conducted their annual storm exercise with a simulation of a hurricane landfall.<\/p>\n “We dealt with injury issues and mock recovery,” he said.<\/p>\n His staff also met with condo presidents and Miami’s storm exercise partners.<\/p>\n “It was a very active week. The Village takes it very seriously,” Fernandez said.<\/p>\n According to the Village website<\/a>, the County mails residents a comprehensive guide to hurricane season each year. The Are You Ready guide is available online<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Village of Key Biscayne Hurricane readiness guide<\/a> is also available.<\/p>\n Re-entry after a storm will be announced via the Village Connect<\/a> social media site and the Village Information Notification System (VINS)<\/a>, an alert system which residents are encouraged to join.<\/p>\n Anyone who chooses to remain on the island must understand that no assistance will be available until after the storm has passed.<\/p>\n Re-entry will occur in phases to help ensure the Village is accessible and prepared for residents to return.<\/p>\n Being prepared in the first place is critical.<\/p>\n “The way those storms can fuel up in the last hours as they approach South Florida is something you need to be thinking about,” Fernandez said. “They can accelerate quickly and that’s not always factored in (to forecasts), particularly in Zone A.<\/p>\n “When that (evacuation) message is coming out, whether it’s voluntary or ordered, it’s time to take it seriously and heed those orders. That’s the best thing to do.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It’s sometimes difficult to convince people to evacuate when a hurricane is approaching, especially if they’ve never experienced…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":294519,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[36475,5378,1846,1847,126,123,125,124],"class_list":["post-294518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami","tag-chief-joe-fernandez","tag-fire-chief","tag-hurricane","tag-hurricane-season","tag-key-biscayne","tag-miami","tag-miami-headlines","tag-miami-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/294518","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=294518"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/294518\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294519"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=294518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=294518"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=294518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}