Florida Department Of Emergency Management Making Plans In Case Of Storm

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – The director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management joined top state and local officials on Wednesday morning, during a press conference in Surfside to talk about contingency plans in case of a storm.

Here is what Kevin Guthrie had to say:

“Emergency Management is working with Miami-Dade County Emergency Management to develop contingency plans for severe weather, including tropical cyclones.”

“As part of this planning, the division has requested a federal team to augment the efforts here so that we can free up some of our state assets to be able to respond to a tropical cyclone.”

“To be clear, this is contingency planning. And we at this point in time, we’re working with our state meteorologist. We’re working with Dr. King Graham at the National Hurricane Center.”

“I talked to Dr. Grimm just before this news conference, he is keeping his team well aware of what’s going on here. My team is very aware of what’s going on here. And we will be closely monitoring the tropics. However, if a system does develop, I want to ensure you we have contingency plans, which include facility relocation, communications, backup plans of how we will continue to respond here while responding to the hurricane.”

“So we are well aware. We have done this before, where we have responded to multiple emergencies in the state at the same time.”

“State Emergency Response Team is extremely experienced in managing multiple disasters at one time.”

Referring to the tragedy in Surfside, Guthrie had this to say:

“The Florida Department of Transportation has brought in additional district staff to assist with around-the-clock debris removal.”

“FTOT is also deploying additional heavy equipment from other areas of the state. To assist with this effort. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has issued an emergency final order waiving permitting requirements for the storage and processing of solid waste. This emergency final order will remove any requirements that may hinder the debris removal process.”

“The emergency final order also includes guidance for disaster debris to assist the heavy rescue operations.”

“The Florida Housing Authority, the Florida Housing Finance Corporation, has identified more than 120 multifamily rental developments to provide emergency housing to displaced individuals impacted by the collapse.”

“The Florida Housing Finance Corporation has also requested that the Department of Housing and Urban Development at the federal level waive income limitations and other provisions to allow families affected by this tragedy to reside in any vacant unit home-funded properties.”

“The state has also deployed additional Human Services personnel from the Florida Department of Education to respond to the Family Assistance Center to support the county’s efforts. Overall, the state is continuing to fulfill all requests by our local partners.”

“Also, want to ensure and to encourage all individuals impacted by this disaster to visit Surfsidestrength.com .

“This website provides resources for immediate emotional support and assistance during this difficult time. The state is encouraging individuals to prioritize their mental health. The website is also available to families, survivors, first responders. Please remember to take care of yourself. Thank you.”