Governor's Hurricane Conference 2023 Palm Beach County

 

I had the opportunity to attend the 17^th Governor’s Hurricane Conference in West Palm Beach this week, and there was a lot to learn and many experts in the field to hear from.  I attended this conference along with a team from the company I work for, ESA South, Inc.---not as a County Commissioner.  Nevertheless—there was definitely some crossover, and I learned a lot that will be useful in my duty as a commissioner—particularly if disaster strikes our area again.

The session got kicked off with a welcome from Lt. Governor Jeanette Nunez, where she recapped the completion of the legislative session and described the state’s numerous proactive measures for hurricane preparation and recovery efforts.

Next- we heard from the deputy director of the National Hurricane Center, Jamie Rhome. His message to thousands of attendees at the first general session was to heed the warnings from local officials and be prepared in advance of storms. Also— he reiterated the necessity that the public focus on storm surge— not the Saffir Simpson wind scale. “Storm surge kills” he stated emphatically. He also presented compelling data on how forecast models and storm prediction simulations have dramatically improved in the last decade. “Don’t text me and ask— ‘hey did you see the latest GFS model?’— we do this for a living!” He quipped.  He presented numerous, data rich slides in his presentation demonstrating how the NHC is improving models and how this has the potential to save lives--- if the public will simply heed the warnings put out by public officials and the media ahead of a storm’s arrival.

The session also provided numerous opportunities for breakout sessions—allowing for additional learning from not only professionals engaged in the field of emergency management but also from many vendors and providers who set up information booths in the exhibit hall.  More than one-hundred purveyors and vendors had exhibits in the hall—most had informational materials to hand out and representatives on hand to answer questions from convention participants.

From shelf-stable emergency meals, to trailers for “bunking” disaster responders (and bathroom and shower trailers) to companies engaged in disaster recovery, to other companies who have developed innovative software technologies to assist with disaster response and recovery forms and paperwork.  There was also a plethora of companies that provide “consulting” services.

One very informative and interesting 3.5 hour session I attended was on the topic of F-ROC—which is an acronym for the Florida Recovery Obligation Calculation system which is in the midst of a gigantic, data-driven overhaul to ensure maximum accuracy in data collection post-storm for municipalities and counties throughout Florida-which will allow for the standardization, streamlining, and simplification of the Public Assistance process. This will result in a quicker recovery and reduced risk for Applicants (Counties and Municipalities).  According to the current Executive Director of the Office of the Governor-Florida Division of Emergency Management Kevin Guthrie, whom I had the opportunity to speak with after his presentation—this change to our current system will be an “adopted best practice nationwide” once Florida completes this overhaul and implementation by July of 2024.  Guthrie stated, “Over the last five years we have been able to facilitate the recovery of more than $8Billion dollars for Florida Counties and municipalities—which is more than double what was recovered in the previous 20 years.”

Currently, about 160 Florida municipalities and counties have participated in the testing of the new system which will go live starting in July of this year, and which will be implemented the following year.

Another informative session I attended at this convention centered on the protection of public and private infrastructure and Information Technology resources nationwide that is supported by CISA.  CISA is the Federal Agency that supports state and local government in their quest to harden their infrastructure against all threats—man made and naturally occurring.  This presentation spotlighted the concept of “dependencies” as an issue which must be considered in the disaster recovery world-- which describes the numerous categories of critical infrastructure that are dependent upon one another post an “event” that creates a widespread “disruption.”  The panel had current and former federal, local, and state level officials well-versed in disaster recovery moderating.  The overarching theme put forward was the idea that the definition of critical infrastructure is multi-faceted and, in many respects, “perspective based.”  But regardless of one’s perspective—the idea of dependencies is solid; impacts from events—whether man-made or naturally occurring—have wide ranging impacts on systems that are not necessarily connected to the areas/industries initially impacted—which is why the Federal government takes such an interest in this topic.  Much more to digest on this topic here.

The last breakout I attended was on the topic of sheltering those who find themselves displaced after a storm.  This session was moderated by folks who are well-versed in storm response and recovery: John Scott from Brevard County’s Emergency Management Department, Beth Meyer from the Florida Independent Living Council, and Ryan Lock from the American Red Cross.  The main theme of this session was that the sheltering process prior, during, and after the storm event should be subdivided into two categories—storm sheltering and recovery sheltering.  The initial storm sheltering is a response to a crisis event—the long-term recovery sheltering, and the follow-on case work is based upon recovery from such an event.  And the underlying reality is that the goal should be to assist folks with getting back to their pre-storm state as quickly as possible after the storm event—which can be tricky.  The panel for this breakout session described the timeline for the shelters in Lee County pre and post Hurricane Ian—and the significant drop off in shelter population shortly after the storm which surprised many experts.  As one might naturally imagine—the least complex of the shelter discharges are folks that have homes or are already served by an ongoing social service provider (disabled citizens, veterans).  The most difficult cases are the individuals that are renters and those who are homeless pre-storm.  According to the lead panelist, Ryan Lock, there is no firm timetable for completely clearing the shelters, but his heuristic is within two weeks if it is at all possible.  He continued “Sometimes you must have difficult conversations when folks are hesitant to leave.  Often, they do not want the only solution available for them, sometimes they do not feel such a solution is adequate.  Regardless, it will inevitably come to a point where you must be firm and tell them here are the options, you can leave the shelter, or you can take this assistance—but you must choose—the shelter is closing.”

So, the conference was greatly beneficial and enlightening—particularly given the proximity to the start

of Summer and the Hurricane Season.

As we approach the beginning of the 2023 Season, now is a suitable time for all of us to consider our storm preparation and plans.  There are countless resources online to assist county residents, beginning with our online checklist for storm preparation at BeReadyEscambia.

Next Wednesday, May 17th from 6:30-7:30 we will have our Coffee with the Commissioner event livestreamed on Facebook—where our guest for the hour will be Travis Tompkins, Escambia County’s Emergency Manager.  The discussion will center on the upcoming season and how the county is working to be prepared for any storm(s) that may hit this area.