6 minute read
When a Hurricane Hits
Florida’s Emergency Management Director gives guidance
The Florida City and County Managers Association recently provided a podcast on the upcoming hurricane season and how to prepare. Local government managers heard from Kevin Guthrie, the Director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management. The interview was facilitated by Steve Vancore, President of VancoreJones Communications. Here is a selection from the discussion:
Vancore: What is some advice you can give to local government when a storm is imminent?
Guthrie: So I want to talk about that imminent landfall, and then I want to actually talk about the time that the storm’s impacting because there are some things you can do.
So the storm is imminent, so we are now at that point where you’ve got those last-minute evacuation orders. You’ve got those last-minute things that you need to go out and check and ensure people’s welfare.
But you’ve also got to remember … I had to make a very unpopular decision in Pasco County at the local level about ceasing emergency services. Nothing weighs on my mind more than when the time comes for me to have to cease those emergency services. So think about when that happens for you, it should be in policy. Vancore: So what do you mean by “cease emergency services”?
Guthrie: So, for instance, in the counties that I came from before, when the winds reach 45 miles an hour sustained, which means one minute or longer, we do not send out emergency services because fire engines can blow over. Rescue units can blow over. Law enforcement officers have no business standing out on the side of the road or trying to handle a traffic crash with 45-miles-an-hour sustained winds. The last thing we ever want to have happen is a branch falls off a tree and gets carried and hits a police officer in the head and, unfortunately, kills a police officer.
Vancore: You hear this: “Well, why not declare a state of emergency? Why not do this when … ?” Because there’s a tradeoff here, which is we’re considering this a state of emergency, 45-miles-an-hour sustained winds. You want to protect those who protect us, because the moment the storm’s gone, you’re going to need those firetrucks, you’re going to need those police, you’re going to need those public safety officers in full force 100%, directing traffic, cleaning up this, directing.
Guthrie: That’s correct. And so somebody at your local emergency operations center [EOC] – or somebody in city administration, if you don’t have an EOC – has got to be monitoring those winds and has got to make some decisions about when you’re going to cease operations.
Vancore: And your point is make sure this is in policy, so somebody’s not having to make a subjective decision like you see in the movies, “But the mother is calling 911. Don’t suspend.” Nope. This is the policy; this is what we’ve decided.
Guthrie: And again, that’s got to be in the comprehensive emergency management plan for the city, for the county: When you are going to cease operations. And then you’ve got to uphold that. The hardest thing to do – I used to be over a 28-station fire department – is to try to tell a firefighter they can’t go out and save somebody’s life. That’s a difficult thing to do, but you’ve got to keep them standing down. You’ve got to keep them in place so that you don’t jeopardize those firefighters and that Engine Officer and Rescue Officer to go out there and do something that may endanger their lives.
Vancore: That is a really difficult decision too. What else during a storm?
Guthrie: Again, that storm is bearing down. You’ve got to make sure your messaging is right. There may come a point in time that people are trying to evacuate, and they’re in harm’s way, and they may be in more harm’s way by getting on the road with 45-milean-hour winds. You may want to tell them: Just stay in place.
Vancore: If you haven’t left by now, hunker down.
Guthrie: You need to shelter in place. Here are some things that you should do. So have those messages canned and ready to go. Because every County Administrator, every City Manager who has ever been through any type of disaster in their city or their county has had those individuals who just refuse to leave. There comes a point in time – and I don’t think that we do a good job with this – of communicating: “You have made a decision to stay. Here’s the best thing you can do. If something starts to happen, get to an interior portion of your house. Get as low as you possibly can. Put stuff over the top of your head. Take a mattress; put it over the top of your head. Try to do everything you possibly can do to protect yourself because, again, you made the choice to stay; we’re going to try to give you some ideas of how to help yourself not get injured.”
You’ve got to take all those things into consideration. The miles per hour of the wind. Do you have to cross a bridge to get out of harm’s way or not? There are all kinds of factors that go into that. But again, every City Manager, every County Administrator has got to look at their jurisdiction and figure out what those messages are at the last minute. And it may be that if you’re on a barrier island, the risk is better to just go ahead and try to get over that bridge and get out of there versus stay in place. But if you’re not on a barrier island, and you’re maybe one or two miles inland, it may be better for you to just hunker down and stay in place because you made the decision to stay there. But that’s going to depend on every jurisdiction.
In closing, I would say this, and I’m going to say this from a heart of love as a former Assistant County Administrator: Listen to your local County Emergency Manager. Listen to your local City Emergency Manager. You hired a Police Chief, you hired a Fire Chief, because they have an expertise and a skillset.
I have seen when certain counties, certain cities – which will go nameless – don’t necessarily put a lot of faith and trust in their Emergency Manager. You wouldn’t do that to your Fire Chief. Don’t do it to your Emergency Manager. Give them the support that they need. Listen to what they’re saying. Heed their advice. That’s their job.
I had 24 years as a local law enforcement officer – the last eight of those were assigned as the Emergency Preparedness Coordinator to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office – and then I’ve been an Emergency Manager or Emergency Services Director or Public Safety Assistant County Administrator, now the State Director here. It’s in my blood. I’ve been in very, very fortunate situations where people have listened to me.
Access the Entire Podcast The FCCMA Podcast shares conversations with city and county leaders about local issues. The entire interview with Kevin Guthrie, the Director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, can be heard at anchor.fm/fccma.
