With hurricane season a month or so away, emergency managers are urging everyone to take care of their preparations now. Please don’t wait until a storm is brewing to figure out what to do. Most of us know that we should have enough food, water, batteries, fuel, medicines and other household supplies to last five to seven days without electricity. But a lot more has to go into the planning process.
New Hurricane Guide
That’s why Palm Beach County’s Emergency Management and Public Affairs staff decided to produce our own comprehensive hurricane guide. The Official Palm Beach County 2006 Hurricane Survival Guide contains 32 pages of important information every household should have. To insure that everyone receives this information, the guide will be mailed free to every home in Palm Beach County. It’ll also be available at County buildings and libraries, and on our Web site, pbcgov.com. Spanish and Creole versions are being produced as well.
The guide provides a step-by-step look at preparing for the season. It begins with things to do in the off-season, then leads you through a hurricane watch, warning, landfall and post-storm recovery. Besides securing your home, residents can find information on protecting their car, boat, pets, mobile home, and where to go if an evacuation is ordered. There is even a full recap of last year’s record-breaking Atlantic storm activity. Look for this new hurricane guide in your mailbox in the next few weeks.
New Recovery Plan
We all hope it won’t happen, but should a major storm hit our area, emergency managers have unveiled a new plan for dealing with the aftermath. Rather than basing all recovery efforts from the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) near the airport, coordination of relief supplies and damage assessment will now be handled from six different sites located around the county. These emergency operations areas – EOAs — will be staffed by volunteers and directed by County department managers. Each will coordinate the distribution of ice, water and food, and conduct damage surveys in their immediate area and report back to the EOC. They will serve as extra eyes and ears to help us better understand the amount of damage and the need for immediate relief supplies.
Sales Tax Break
Buying all those extra hurricane supplies will be a little easier on the wallet, thanks to the governor once again approving a tax-free holiday. For 12 days beginning on May 21, you will be able to purchase hurricane supplies with no sales tax tacked on. Those items include hurricane shutters, generators costing less than a thousand dollars, battery-operated TVs, portable radios, flashlights and batteries, and tarps. It’s an incentive to get people to stock up on all the things they will need should a hurricane threaten. June 1 is the last day for the sales tax holiday.
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Government
