SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. — Hurricane season this year is going to feel different because of the impact of coronavirus, especially when it comes to your family's plan.
Sarasota County Emergency Management says it's important to start planning now for hurricane season, and not wait until the last minute to prepare. Be sure to incorporate current COVID-19 "essentials" to your disaster kits.
County leaders say they will be following CDC guidelines for their evacuation centers, including enforcing social distancing and creating more space between people. They say these guidelines will lower capacity at their shelters and evacuation centers, so you and your family should consider them a last resort. The county is working to get more sites approved to be utilized for shelters.
“The Emergency Management team has been working with our Sarasota County School District partners and the Department of Health to determine the proper procedures for operating Hurricane Evacuation Centers under COVID-19 conditions," Sarasota County Emergency Management Chief Ed McCrane said. "We have been looking at space availability with social distancing, determining the procedures for screening of evacuees as they arrive and increased disinfecting and cleaning procedures.
"We will be asking all evacuees to continue to consider a hurricane evacuation center as a last resort and make every effort to stay with a friend or family member, outside of the evacuation area. Once we finalize the procedures, we will put the information out on social media, and through local news outlets.
"The Emergency Management team is also participating in conference calls with the State of Florida, where all 67 county Emergency Management Directors are sharing ideas and working on the same procedures that I mentioned above."
Here are some tips to prepare from Sarasota County Emergency Management for hurricane season:
COVID-19
- Add facemasks and hand sanitizer for each person to disaster kits.
- If staying at home during a storm is not a safe option, consider sheltering with friends or family in a safe home outside of the evacuation area. It is recommended to practice social distancing, sanitation and good hygiene. If someone cannot shelter at home, or with a friend or family member, they may also consider sheltering outside of the area in a safe hotel.
- Sarasota County evacuation centers should be considered a last resort.
- Sarasota County evacuation centers will use the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Florida Department of Health guidelines for screening, use of masks, social distancing and increased sanitation.
KNOW YOUR LEVEL & HOME PREPAREDNESS
- Residents need to know their evacuation levels.
- During a hurricane or major flooding event, Sarasota County Emergency Management will announce what levels need to evacuate through Alert Sarasota County, social media @SRQEmergencyServices, and through local media including radio, print and TV.
- All mobile homes, RV and boat dwellers must evacuate in the event of a storm regardless of the evacuation level being called or the category of hurricane.
- To learn your evacuation level, type your address into the Know Your Level page. A map of evacuation levels is also available on scgov.net.
- Homeowners should evaluate their own home’s safety even if outside of evacuation levels/areas.
- Residents may shelter at home if the home was built after 2002, is outside of the evacuation level being called and has hurricane shutters, including window and door coverings.
- Learn more about preparing your business or home, including plans for pets and farm animals here.
EVACUATION CENTER & TRANSPORTATION
- Seeking shelter in a Sarasota County evacuation center should be a last resort.
- A list of evacuation centers can be found at scgov.net. Sarasota County will announce evacuation center openings.
- If staying at home is not an option, consider sheltering with friends or family in a safe home outside of the evacuation area.
- For those who cannot drive to an evacuation center, Sarasota County will provide bus transportation for you and your pets (along with a limited amount of supplies) to and from a general population evacuation center. This program is activated only when Sarasota County has a declared county emergency, an activation is ordered and evacuation centers are opened.
- Transportation will be offered at designated rally points throughout the county. Rally points may change depending on the severity of a storm.
- Complete the online registration form. The online registration process will cease when landfall is expected within 60 hours.
- Those who with qualifying medical needs are encouraged to complete the Medically Dependent online application form. Online applications will stop being accepted at 60 hours prior to the expected impact of the storm.
DISASTER KITS
- Prepare disaster kits now.
- Ensure there are enough supplies to last each person at least one week to 10 days.
- For more information on what to include in a disaster preparedness kit, visit ready.gov. This includes a list of additional emergency supplies recommended by the CDC to help prevent the spread of coronavirus or other viruses and the flu.