ORLANDO — There you are, enjoying your spring, zipping around town now that the tourists are gone, and looking forward to some summer fun.
Then along comes “the Weather Enterprise” to tell you that the nice lazy Sunday you had planned today will just have to wait.
Reflective vinyl collars, provided by Sarasota County Emergency Management, are attached to stop signs in evacuation zones labeled “A” and “B,” which are those closest to the water and most vulnerable to deadly storm surges. Photo provided by Sarasota County.
The Weather Enterprise? President Eisenhower might have called it the “weather-industrial complex.” When you put NOAA’s National Hurricane Center, county emergency managers, television meteorologists, private weather forecasters and the public together, you have the so-called Weather Enterprise.
And its central message is “preparedness and maintaining preparedness,” said Dr. Laura Myers, director of the Center for Advanced Public Safety at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, speaking a few days ago at the Governor’s Hurricane Conference at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando. (The governor wasn’t there.)
Your preparation should, they say, start today with National Hurricane Preparedness Week, May 15-21, which prescribes an action a day for the next seven days to assure your readiness for the Atlantic cyclone season.
Here’s the schedule:
Sunday — Determine your risk of being impacted by a hurricane. Most Herald-Tribune readers are at risk, despite the myth that the City of Sarasota is safe from hurricanes because it is on high ground, or benefits from an Indian blessing, or has some kind of invisible shield.
Monday — Develop an evacuation plan. That starts with knowing your evacuation zone. If you can see salt water, or a creek or river, from your house, it is highly likely you are in an evacuation zone. Then determine how you will marshal your family, gather essential papers and get out of Dodge.
Tuesday — Get an insurance check-up. Go to your homeowner’s insurance agent and make sure you have enough coverage to rebuild your house. If you don’t have flood insurance, find out if you should get it.
Wednesday — Shop for supplies. Nonperishable foods, water, flashlights, tarps — you know the drill.
Thursday — Strengthen your home. This starts with protecting the envelope with shutters or the much more expensive, but carefree, impact-resistant glass. Look for signs of deterioration on your roof and make repairs. Brace gable ends. Trim back overhanging branches.
Friday — Identify trusted sources of information. This could be a TV weatherman, such as SNN’s Justin Mosely, your county emergency manager, The Weather Channel, the National Weather Service or some other key player in “the Weather Enterprise.” Ignore hype. Look the source that delivers clear, consistent messages.
Saturday — Complete your written hurricane plan. If it’s not written down, it will be hard for you to remember what to do when a storm is bearing down and you start to panic. Keep the plan with your insurance, homeownership and other vital documents in a waterproof folder, and keep it handy.
As usual, the biggest worry for emergency managers is complacency among the most important stakeholder in the Weather Enterprise — the public.
“There is a lack of awareness,” said Bryan Koon, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management. “Millions of new Floridians have never experienced a hurricane. There is a big knowledge gap. Until you have experienced a hurricane, you cannot know who devastating they can be.”
For more information, search #HurricanePrep on Twitter.
