DEFUNIAK SPRINGS, Fla. (WMBB) — Hurricane season kicks off June 1. On top of the public having supplies, law enforcement in Walton County is practicing how to respond to different disasters.
Fire rescue, deputies, the school district, and organizations like the American Red Cross all met in one room Wednesday. The groups practiced how to respond if disaster strikes.
“We don’t want to exchange business cards when we have a disaster, we want folks to come in, get to know us, get to know the facility, look at what are some things we can do to improve our response,” said Walton County Emergency Management Director Jeff Goldberg.
Staff called the practice on May 31 ‘Operation Shot in the Dark’, a fake wide set blackout affecting the Panhandle. Teams from across the county worked the scenario from the first minute to decisions being made a week later.
“The processes that we use to respond and recover from a hurricane are the same processes that we use for wildfires, tornadoes, floods, terrorism incidents, train derailments,” said Goldberg. “We’re trying to concentrate now more on process than the actual hazards.”
One division of the emergency operations practice is the Human Services team. Working on emergency needs and volunteers, to the long-term effects of a storm or disaster. The team said they learned a lot about long-term planning from the COVID-19 Pandemic.
“What we learned during COVID was longevity,” said Candy Nowling, Human Services Branch Director. “Going into it, we had no idea that we would be doing services three years after being impacted with COVID and so for us at the beginning of any disaster activation, we are thinking long-term.”
Walton County said they will host more practices this year on different scenarios to keep teams prepared for anything. Whether it hits home or elsewhere in the region.
“The message to the public is that we’re always ready. We are always doing training. We are the focal point for emergency management training within the panhandle of Florida,” said Goldberg. “Last year, we trained over 400 people for response.”
Walton County said during the exercise on May 31, they did see a new need for more wireless internet power for crews working on laptops. The I.T. department jumped into action to remedy the situation.
If a storm or disaster hits, Walton County emergency management said they will keep the public informed through media sites like WMBB and different social media pages.