The advice to "hide from the wind and run from the water" could be life-saving when navigating storm surge during a hurricane.
The team that helped with recovery efforts after Hurricane Florence hit the Carolinas had members from Pasco County Fire Rescue and emergency management, Lakeland Fire Rescue, Lakeland Police, USF and the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
The 12-member team has recent, first-hand experience when it comes to handling storm surge that can come with a major hurricane or tropical storm.
“You hide from the wind and run from the water. They are not joking you literally need to get away,” Pinellas County’s Emergency management coordinator Clayton Parrott said.
“It was definitely a learning experience, there was definitely a lot of disaster that we saw,” Pasco County’s Assistant Director for emergency management Laura Wilcoxen said.
Parrott and Wilcoxen vividly recall Hurricane Florence’s storm surge and flooding.
“All of the roads were washed out, trees across the roads the homes had water halfway up the front door. It really sort of struck me what would happen to Pinellas County?” Parrott said.
They said they could only get around by helicopter. The most important things they learned were that communication is key and it takes resources and a team working together.
“Don’t assume you’ll be ok if there’s an 8 to 10 foot storm surge. When they say evacuate to a safe distance, evacuate to a safe distance and then some,” Parrott said.
If you do find yourself stranded in storm surge get to high ground and don’t get in the water.
“You don’t know how fast the water is moving, you don’t know what debris is in there and you could get trapped if the water keeps moving,” Parrott said.
Both Clayton and Wilcoxen say they are ready for Hurricane Michael.
“We know we are expecting a storm surge, we know there will be flooding. So it’s about making the right calls with the information we have at the moment,” Wilcoxen said.
Wilcoxen also says to be vigilant. If an evacuation is in place, take it seriously. She also says that every storm is different so don’t rely on past storm experiences.
►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the 10News app now.
Have a news tip? Email desk@wtsp.com, or visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.
