With the 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season getting underway in a few days, emergency managers across the state and region are gearing up.
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Santa Rosa County’s Emergency Management team is among those making final preparations and taking steps to ensure residents are ready.
“The main thing is we run through and make sure all of our partners are informed that, ‘Hey, remember, it is coming up to our storm season,’” said Kevin Riley, emergency management plans chief for Santa Rosa County.
With turnover common, making that contact ensures they’re speaking with and creating a relationship with the right people. Also on the county’s checklist is to verify the points of distribution locations they’ve identified for dispensing necessities such as food and water.
“We go make sure that those locations are still adequate, and then if it's on any private, property, that we still have an agreement with them that will still stand in place,” Riley said. “As well, as, you know, we check our plans, make sure that nothing changed over the year that we didn't update, and we reach out and make sure we stay informed by and with the National Weather Service, the state office, and things like that.”
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Additionally, the county is planning to invite some of its partner organizations to participate in their annual hurricane exercise next month.
"We have one coming up at the end of June here, and that's a great way to make sure all of our systems are working, that we still all know how to communicate with each other,” said Santa Rosa County Public Information Officer Sarah Whitfield.
She says it’s a great dry run for everyone who would be called into action during a real storm, including those manning their citizen information line.
“We do practice calls with them, throw out some really crazy questions, because you never know what you're going to get during a hurricane," she said. "And also, for our public information office, that's when we practice, too, and get back together, make sure everyone knows what the expectations are for their roles during a disaster.”
For 2024, National Weather Service forecasters at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center are predicting above-normal hurricane activity in the Atlantic basin. NOAA’s outlook for this year is forecasting a range of 17 to 25 named storms (winds of 39 mph), with 8 to 13 of those to become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), including 4 to 7 major hurricanes (category 3 or higher; with winds of 111 mph or higher). Since Santa Rosa is one of the fastest growing counties in Florida, now with a population of over 200,000, educating residents, new and old, about preparedness is extremely important.
Residents should “Know Your Zone, Know Your Home,” which means determining if their home is in an evacuation zone, low-lying or flood-prone area, and whether their home is a structure that’s safe enough to shelter in place during a hurricane.
With hurricane season starting in a few days, June 1, now is the time to prepare by making a plan and creating or updating a disaster supply kit. Whitfield says residents can find all the information and resources they need on the Emergency Management page on the county’s website.
"You'll find our disaster guide. It has a list of suggested items for your kit. And if you have pets, make sure you have supplies for them for one week as well," she said. "Don't forget your pets or your kids. If you're in a place where you know you're not going to feel safe, and we open a public shelter, you'll want to bring items with you. Food, snacks, games, (and) books for kids for you too, just make sure you're ready. And we have the sales tax holiday coming up starting June 1. And that's a great time to go ahead and get some of those supplies tax-free for your disaster kit.”
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And, Santa Rosa County emergency management officials want to emphasize the current messaging in preparedness, “Be One Week Ready.”
"For the past couple of years, there's been this thing floating around. One week ready, one week out, and it's now been adopted by Santa Rosa county,” said Riley, noting the shift away from the previous call for the “First 72 on You” or three days of food and supplies. “We're now saying it needs to be a one-week supply. And there's multiple factors for that. Just the amount of time that it actually takes to get things into a disaster area turns out to be a little bit longer than 72 (hours) as it was originally thought of. So over the years throughout the country, we found that does need to be extended to a week.”
In addition to the closed-door hurricane exercise for the emergency management team on June 20, Santa Rosa County is planning to announce a series of storm-ready workshops for residents. Additionally, families are encouraged to get a battery-operated NOAA weather radio and be sure to stay aware.
“So definitely sign up for the county's alert Santa Rosa, where we send out notifications, especially the ones that are more immediate, as well as keep an eye on our social media,” said Riley. “And then, of course, listening to you guys (WUWF), because the PIOs and our various news outlets are going to be in communication as well to help get that information out, especially if maybe you're unable to get onto social media if you even have one.”
That’s a reference to the possibility of a major storm causing catastrophic damage to communications infrastructure, which was the case with Hurricane Michael, which in 2018 left a wide swath of destruction in the Panama City area. With that in mind, Santa Rosa County is continually working to beef up its communications capabilities, including the possibility of acquiring the satellite internet platform Starlink. Also, as was the case when a team from Santa Rosa was sent to help after Hurricane Michael, staffers were prepared to communicate the old-fashioned way by handing out paper flyers.
