SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — It was an all-hands-on-deck kind of day on Friday at the Emergency Management Office in Seminole County. Officials and first response teams were doing what they tell residents to do every year ahead of hurricane season: be prepared. “Once the storm is already here, is too late. We see the rushes at the grocery stores, gas stations,” said Chief Imeson, Seminole County Fire Department. “We are making the best of our assets, identifying areas we can improve upon. Working on communication for a very large-scale incident.”
The men and women who will take action when a storm hits gathered for the training - they all came to the emergency operations center on Friday for a crucial exercise. From law enforcement to the fire department, to solid waste, they used the experience from previous storms to prepare for what’s next. “This gives us an opportunity to run through like it’s a real event and we are cutting all of the kinks and will be ready for when a real storm hits,” said Oliver Bond, Solid Waste Division manager.
Volunteers called the office about all sorts of real-life issues during hurricanes - from requesting shelter for special needs children, to support with hurricane kits, to even requesting emergency services for non-English speakers. “We have anything from hazmat calls, hazmat releases from trucks being flipped over we’ve had interesting calls with kids playing in waterways and water rescues,” Chief Imeson said.
Channel 9 learned Seminole County had requested 300 thousand dollars from FEMA to help with generators for emergency operations. The money was denied due to the recent budget cuts. “We just have to be prepared for FEMA not showing up,” said Alan Harris, Emergency Manager in Seminole County, when he was asked about the budget cuts impacting the emergency response ahead of the hurricane season. “This is a different kind of year because usually with disaster relief centers, we may be responsible for that now.”
County officials said they have partnerships with other counties for first response, which means the training keeps Seminole County safe and all communities across Central Florida.
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