PLAN NOW FOR HURRICANE SEASON
By Johnny Duncan
On August 13th, 2004, Hurricane Charley came barreling through Orlando with winds up to 145 mph. The strength of this storm caused 20 deaths and left thousands either homeless or without power. A month later, Hurricane Frances moved slowly through our area, and then on September 25th, Hurricane Jeanne finished off the season causing even more damage to homes left unprotected by the previous storms.
Named for Huracan, the Carib god of evil, the hurricane is an amazing yet destructive natural phenomenon that occurs about 40 to 50 times worldwide each year, according to the National Hurricane Center. Hurricane season takes place in the Atlantic, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and Central Pacific from June 1 to November 30, while in the Eastern Pacific the season is from May 15 to November 30.
Since Hurricane Charley was the worst storm to hit our region in more than 40 years, many people were not prepared for such devastation. County officials learned lessons from the storms of ’04 and are taking measures to protect our homes and families from the effects of future storms.
“Since the storms of 2004, Orange County has activated a three-digit phone number (3-1-1) as a dedicated citizen’s information line,” says Preston Cook, Executive Director for the Office of Emergency Management in Orange County. “In the event of a major emergency situation, 3-1-1 becomes the Citizen Information Line active 24 hours a day to provide citizens up-to-date information such as evacuation directives, shelter information, distribution locations for services available to the citizens and disaster recovery centers.”
Orange County has also implemented a text based messaging system called OCALERT which allows residents to sign up for email and text messages for their cell phones, PDAs, Blackberries, and pagers. The system provides text alerts directly to these devices regarding severe weather warnings.
Orange County has also brought a new GIS mapping system online called INFOMAP available for all citizens to use. INFOMAP will provide vital information during a disaster situation, including, but not limited to, shelter information, road closures, and debris sites.
In addition, there are steps that the citizens of Orange County can take to protect their families and homes, such as creating their own hurricane safety plan. Cook says the Office of Emergency Management provides planning guides to provide vital information for individuals, families and small businesses to develop a personalized disaster plan.
Cook advises every citizen to create a hurricane kit. “When preparing for a possible emergency situation, it's best to think first about the basics of survival: fresh water, food, clean air and warmth. Build a disaster kit that has all of the essential items that might be needed during a disaster. Items to include in the kit are listed in the preparedness guides.”
Next, make sure you have a family emergency plan including how you will contact one another, how you will get back together, and what you will do in different situations. Also, stay informed about the different types of emergencies that could happen where you live and the appropriate ways to respond to them. Have a battery-operated radio available to stay alert to broadcast announcements, news and weather information.
Finally, help the rest of your neighborhood prepare, by getting involved in volunteer programs coordinated by Citizen Corps, including Community Emergency Response Teams, Neighborhood Watch and the Medical Reserve Corps.
For More Information:
Download hurricane planning guides at:
Register for OCALERT’s text based services at:
Access INFOMAP directly from the Orange County web site:
Volunteer to help your community during an emergency at:
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