06/01/06

People to SCAT from storms

Among changes made to Sarasota County's hurricane preparation efforts are plans to use buses for evacuations

SARASOTA -- Improvements can always be made, and in emergency management sectors this is especially true when there are disasters such as hurricanes Charley and Katrina to learn from.

Sarasota County held a media day Wednesday as part of its efforts to kick off a public awareness campaign on the eve of the official start of hurricane season.

County Emergency Management Chief Ed McCrane reiterated his warning that people need to be prepared to be self-sufficient for at least 72 hours.

In a video statement, County Administrator Jim Ley said each resident also needs to have a personal and family plan -- which includes supplies, evacuation and personal safety. He said no one will ride in on a white horse to help immediately after a storm, and "quite frankly (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) seems to be riding in on a nag."

McCrane said there is better coordination with other agencies in the region to help ensure that if a storm approaches and an evacuation order is needed, a process will be in place to avoid everyone using the same routes.

A county team met with FEMA representatives Tuesday to learn what will happen in the event of a storm, such as reimbursements for individuals and public assistance.

FEMA has promised to send an observer to the county in the event a storm threatens. Previously, any liaison was through the state emergency management offices.

McCrane said there is going to be an expanded role for public buses -- SCAT and school district vehicles -- that will pick up people who have signed up to be taken out of harms way. The SCAT buses will focus on existing routes, while the school buses could be used for individual pick-ups in neighborhoods where bus service is limited.

This is in response to the evacuation problems that occurred ahead of hurricanes Katrina and Rita last year.

Another new item this year is the way the county designates hurricane evacuation zones.

The map used to follow hurricane category surge zones of 1, 2, 3 and 4/5. But McCrane said people were confused when they were asked to evacuate in a zone higher than the anticipated force of the hurricane at landfall. The main reason for this is that the general rule of thumb for evacuations and storm preparation is to plan for a category storm higher than forecast. Charley dramatically showed how quickly a storm can change intensity.

The county has also updated the Web site (www.scgov.net) to be user-friendly and allow people to type in their address and learn what evacuation zone they live in and where the nearest open shelter is.

McCrane also listed some of the other things he said had improved:

* The county adopted the National Incident Emergency Management System -- which guides the way first responders deal with disasters.

* A recovery chief was hired to handle the aftermath of a hurricane.

* A liaison was added to help business and industry with resources after a storm.

* The School Board added back-up generators to three schools that will serve as special needs shelters.

You can e-mail Bob Reddy at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

By BOB REDDY

Staff Writer

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