Log In | Become a Member

Ten Years, Dozens of Layoffs and One Economic Downturn Later, Hurricane Prep Falls More on Shoulders of Residents Than Before


June 24, 2014 | WMFE, Orlando - It's hurricane season, and emergency managers and forecasters agree that people should start preparing for storms before they happen. It's a lesson learned from the devastating 2004 hurricane season. But one economic downturn, dozens of local government layoffs and ten years later, the responsibility of storm prep falls more on the shoulders of residents now than ever before.

Play Audio Story

Hurricane Charley over Florida on August 13, 2004. Photo: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

 On Friday, August 13, 2004, Hurricane Charley pummeled Central Florida.

Charley was just one of four storms which hit the state back-to-back that year.

But-as bad as that storm season was- experts wonder if people have forgotten the lessons learned from the so-called “Big four of ‘04.’”

Dr. Lou McNally is a professor of meteorology at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.

“You know if it hasn’t hit you in the last 10 minutes, people don’t pay attention to it."

In his home just a few blocks away from the beach, he’s constantly checking his radar.

McNally says though forecasters are predicting a quiet season:

“People should not become complacent, at all. We could very easily get a large one,” says McNally.

Complacency is what emergency managers want to avoid—because that could lead to costly damage.

In one month alone in 2004, Volusia County spent $40 million on just debris removal—now, says Emergency Management Director Jim Judge, the county’s reserves sit at $4 million.

“The expectations going forward for a storm, what the expectations are is we’re going to do the same thing we did in 2004," says Judge. "And the fact of the matter is, it’s not going to be the same response."

Judge says the economic downturn means some local governments now have less money to spend on hurricane response, and fewer employees to do the cleaning up.

That, he says, puts the onus of early preparation mainly on the shoulders of residents.

A few miles south, Orange County leaders are putting the tools for preparation in the hands of residents, with a new app called OCFL alerts.

The free app warns users of approaching storms, and, in the event of a hurricane, lets people know where to seek shelter or find sandbags.

Rafael Mena, Orange County’s Chief Information Officer, says the app grew from a need inform thousands of residents and visitors about emergencies following the 2004 hurricanes.

“We’re the tourism capitol of the country—of the world—so we need to make sure that we keep up with technology, especially technology that everybody uses," Mena says.

The app has even caught the eye of the White House: Mena presented it to President Obama during a meeting on innovations in emergency response last month.

But while new technology can help, some residents say they’re ready to ride out a storm, old school.

Raymond Reed, Sr. is an Orlando resident who has stocked up his basement with supplies.

Describing his supplies, Reed says he has, “Perishables, blankets, water, and flashlights.”

Shelby Guthrie, a mother of four, says she plans on buying those items soon, but that she’s learned to listen to authorities when it comes to evacuations:

“If we hear of anything coming, and we need to evacuate, we’re just going to do that as soon as possible, and not wait," says Guthrie.

Guthrie and Reed are fairly prepared, but statistically, not everyone follows their lead.

In a 2014 study by AAA, 71 percent of respondents said they would evacuate if they were warned to do so, while 37 percent would evacuate only if the hurricane was a Category 3.

That’s a storm with winds upwards of 120 MPH, much like 2004’s Hurricane Jeanne which caused almost $7 billion in damage nationwide.

With new strides in technology since 2004, residents in disaster-prone areas now have more tools to predict how, when and where to evacuate when the time comes.

But, says Volusia County’s Jim Judge, people still have the responsibility to be prepared.

“Not just slightly prepared, but I mean really Boy Scout, Cowboy-up prepared so that you’re really ready for whatever comes our way," Judge says.


Results of WMFE's Survey on Hurricane Preparedness:

 - Do you have an evacuation plan in the event of a hurricane?

YES - 11

NO - 8

- Do you have an emergency kit? If yes, what's in it?

YES - 13

NO - 6

Some items in kits: medicine, food, water, solar radio, board games, manual can opener, tarps, flashlights, batteries, canned food, photocopies of credit cards and insurance papers, generators, plywood, MRE's (meals ready to eat), powdered milk 

- Have you started buying supplies for the 2014 season?

YES - 4

NO - 14

- Do you feel prepared for this season?

YES - 10

NO - 9 



 

All active news articles