- March 29, 2024
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What’s the best way to prepare for a natural disaster? Winter Park City commissioners discussed that question during their meeting on Monday, Dec. 11 while hearing an After Action Report on Hurricane Irma.
Winter Park Fire/Rescue Department Chief Jim White spoke to the commission about how the city fared against the hurricane that hit the city the week of Sept. 10.
Irma’s winds of up to 65 mph damaged an estimated 337 public and private trees, generating roughly 55,332 yards of debris. That was cleaned up within the following 77 days.
There was one fatality during the storm. Brian Buwalda walked into a downed power line while trying to deliver supplies to a neighbor.
White came prepared with a series of recommendations for the city to consider, including looking into establishing a shelter in Winter Park for residents.
“It depends on who you are and what the situation is as to whether you would actually leave your home and go to a shelter,” White said. “Shelters historically are made and offered to people who are in housing that is not going to be substantial enough to survive the event. We don’t have mobile properties, we don’t have people living in mobile homes, and we don’t have areas that are prone to flooding. Most of the sheltering requests and discussions that we’ve had with people have just been because they’ve felt uncomfortable to stay in their own home by themselves — they wanted to be with a group of people.”
White said the city will consider looking at options for shelters that would be open to everybody, not only Winter Park residents. In the days leading up to Irma, residents looking for shelters were directed to go to Orange County shelters in the area, White said.
The city’s technology has advanced significantly since Hurricane Charley in 2004, White said. Winter Park efficiently used an application to log details regarding damage location and costs. More training with GIS tracking and having people who are immediately fluent with the programs would be helpful for next time, White said.
City Manager Randy Knight said during the recovery period after Irma, the city developed the ability to use its automated meter reading system to find out where exactly the power was out everywhere in the city.
“Next time, we’ll have that up-and-running and ready to go from Day One,” Knight said. “That will be a huge help in the restoration.”
The city will look to continue to improve all of the facets of emergency management and help residents to prepare even better for the next storm, White said.
“We think we did as good a job as we could possibly do under the circumstances,” White said. “I think we need to do more educating up front, and this is a good time to do that since it’s fresh on peoples’ minds — we’re not 10 years post storm.”
Commissioner Sarah Sprinkel also suggested the city find a way to be connected to every resident in the city via phone or through email so they can readily stay in contact during a storm.
“I know that we’ve contacted a number of residents, but the number of residents whose email addresses we have is woefully underreported, and I understand that,” she said. “I’d like to see us make an effort in the name of safety and security of our community.”
The City Commission directed Knight to come back with updates on the desired improvements.