New Educational Tools
New educational tools are available on the Pinellas County Emergency Management website for helping citizens with special needs be prepared for a hurricane.
These flyers can be used by anyone who would like to help someone be safe and secure during a hurricane. Share this life-saving information with those you know. Simply download the file, print and hand them out. For example, copies can be given out at a place of worship, at neighborhood meetings or to friends or relatives.
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A resource guide for those special needs
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An educational flyer about the registration procedure (color/bw) spanish (color/bw)
Pinellas County encourages special needs registration
This month, a targeted direct mail campaign is being sent to physicians, other health care providers, pharmacies, and leaders in the faith community to encourage local professionals to assist with special needs evacuation registration.
Because these professionals regularly come in contact with special needs citizens, they are in a unique life-saving role when it comes to preparing our vulnerable population for hurricanes. This population includes those who have serious medical conditions, physical and mental limitations or other special needs, and the elderly, homebound or frail.
The mailing includes the helpful tips and tools for these professionals to use while informing special needs residents about the free special needs evacuation assistance program and how to register.
The need to pre-register for special needs evacuation assistance is critical. Local fire departments maintain lists of residents who have registered for assistance. When an evacuation order is given, buses from the School Board and PSTA will be dispatched to assist with this evacuation process. In order for residents to be evacuated, firefighters must know who these residents are and where they live in advance.
People who believe they may qualify for special needs evacuation assistance can call Emergency Management at (727) 464-3800 or their local fire department. The registration form can also be found at Emergency Management’s website www.pinellascounty.org/emergency.
Each county is required to maintain a registry of persons with special needs per Florida Statue 252.355.
Public presentation schedule
The following presentations are free and open to the public. No reservation is necessary.
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July 9, 2 p.m. – Busting Hurricane Myths
St. Pete Beach Library, 365 73rd Ave., St. Pete Beach (727) 363-9238 -
July 23, 10:30 a.m. – Hurricanes for Kids
Tarpon Springs Public Library, 138 E. Lemon St., Tarpon Springs (727) 943-4922 -
August 12, 4 p.m. - Hurricanes for Kids
St. Pete Beach Public Library, 365 73rd Ave., St. Pete Beach (727) 363-9238 -
August 13, 7 p.m. - Busting Hurricane Myths
Dunedin Public Library, 223 Douglas Ave, Dunedin (727) 298-3080
If you’re looking for a presentation for your homeowner’s association, civic group, church, business or other gathering, Pinellas County can help.
Currently, there are three hurricane-related presentations that can be requested:
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Hurricane 101: What is a hurricane? How do they form? What are their effects? Get the basics on these dangerous tropical storms.
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Busting Hurricane Myths: Learn the dangers of some commonly held beliefs when hurricanes approach. Not only will you find the real story, you may also save your life if the big one comes.
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Hurricanes for Kids: Hurricane season can be a very trying time for younger family members. By using experiments and easy-to-understand language, your youngsters can find some control over these scary situations.
To schedule a speaker, call Pinellas County’s Speakers Bureau at (727) 464-3000.
Remember, knowledge is power. You can’t do anything about the weather, but by knowing what to do when bad weather threatens, you can gain control over your personal safety.
Watch Project Storm Story
Experience is the greatest teacher. That’s why Pinellas County launched Project Storm Story, a program that gathers and catalogs the first hand accounts of hurricane survivors to teach the importance of being prepared.
The four featured people in the video include:
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Herb Donald, a survivor of the 1928 Lake Okeechobee storm, the second deadliest hurricane in United States history. Mr. Donald was living in West Palm Beach when this killer storm moved ashore. In his account, he talks about having little warning that the storm was on its way due to a lack of radar, satellite coverage and mass communications.
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Paul Gunson, a survivor of the 1944 Great Atlantic Hurricane. Mr. Gunson was living in Atlantic City, New Jersey, when this storm brushed the coast. Due to wartime radio silence, there was again minimal warning time before the full effects of the storm were felt.
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L. Lynette Birch, a survivor of 1995’s Hurricane Marilyn while vacationing in St. John’s, the U.S. Virgin Islands. Her harrowing account of survival gives a glimpse of just how powerful and destructive these storms can be.
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Tracey Manemann, a survivor of 1969’s Hurricane Camille and 2005’s Hurricane Katrina while living in Biloxi, Mississippi. It was surprising to hear just how differently these two catastrophic storms behaved as they devastated the Gulf coast.
You can watch the Project Storm Story video online at www.pinellascounty.org/emergency/storm_story.htm, or on PCC-TV at Bright House channel 622 Knology channel 18 or Verizon channel 44. The video has also been shared with each of the county’s municipalities, which are airing the video on their stations as well.
If you have a storm story you would like to share, you can mail the story to:
Project Storm Story
333 Chestnut St.
Clearwater, FL 33756
E-mail the story to stormstory@pinellascounty.org
Fax the story to (727) 464-4432
Please note that by submitting your storm information, Pinellas County reserves the right to use your name and story in future hurricane educational materials.
Just what the doctor ordered
One of the most important things to include in your disaster survival kit is your necessary prescription medications. But, what happens when an emergency is declared and your insurance company claims it is too early for you to get a refill?
Recently, the Legislature passed the Emergency Prescription Refill bill (Florida Statute 252.358 and 462.0275). This law requires all insurers and managed-care organizations to suspend refill-too-soon restrictions when a patient seeks a refill in a county that:
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Is currently under a hurricane warning issued by the National Weather Service
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Is declared to be under a state of emergency in an executive order issued by the governor
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Has activated its emergency operations center and its emergency management plan
Listen to local media to know if any of these three conditions are in effect.
This law also allows patients outside of these areas to get an emergency 72-hour refill if the pharmacist is unable to readily obtain refill authorization from the doctor. Please talk with your doctor and pharmacist now about how this new law can affect your prescriptions.
Make sure you’re ready this hurricane season. In addition to having a supply of your medication on hand, keep a list of each one you take, including the name of the doctor who wrote the prescription, the name of the drug, dosage instruction and the name of the pharmacy where you had it filled.
Electrifying weather
You know when it’s going to happen. Those menacing clouds roll in, towering high into the sky. The dark cloud bottoms look ready to unload a downpour. The distant rumble of thunder. Most of Florida’s thunderstorms bring cool relief at the end of a long, hot summer day, but these storms also have the potential to do some serious damage.
Central Florida is the lightning capital of the United States, with an average of more than 120 thunderstorm days a year. Sea breezes from the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico collide over the Florida peninsula, providing the necessary humid air and lifting that can cause these storms to grow.
What are some of the reasons these storms are so dangerous? The hazards are:
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Lightning: The most spectacular part of a thunderstorm can be one of the deadliest. Lightning carries a massive electric charge. If it strikes you, you could be severely injured or killed. Follow the 30/30 rule - seek shelter if the "Flash-To-Bang" delay (length of time in seconds between a lightning flash and its subsequent thunder), is 30 seconds or less, and remain under cover until 30 minutes after the final clap of thunder.
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Heavy Rain: Tremendous amounts of rain can fall in a short time from slow-moving thunderstorms. This rain can cause localized street flooding and even house flooding in affected areas. Do not drive through standing water if you don’t know the depth – your car can be swept off the roadway in as little as 12 inches of water.
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High Winds: Downbursts, gustnados, tornadoes and waterspouts can occur during severe thunderstorms. While each has a different formation, they can produce very high winds that can seriously damage your property and put you in danger.
If you see thunderstorms are on the way, get indoors as quickly as possible. Stay away from windows and don’t touch electric appliances, bathe or shower – copper water pipes are also excellent electrical conductors.
If you can’t make it indoors, seek shelter in a hard topped vehicle – not a convertible. Do not take shelter under a tree – the extreme heat of a lightning strike can cause the sap to boil and the tree to explode violently.
For more information on lightning safety, visit FEMA’s lightning safety website at www.fema.gov/hazard/thunderstorm.
Is your personal property endorsed? Should it be?
So, you have a collection of antique china, premium stereo equipment or classic paintings. How can you ensure they will be covered in the event of a disaster? By getting an insurance endorsement.
An endorsement can take several different forms and is often referred to by different names which include floater, rider or personal property protection. An endorsement is basically an amendment that changes insurance policy provisions. Different articles require different types of endorsements, some are an addition to your homeowner policy, others are separate policies. Some rare or expensive articles will have a specific separate policy and require an independent appraisal. So how will you know if you need an endorsement? Talk with your insurance carrier. If you have unique or expensive items in your home ranging from high-end tools or personal weapons to jewelry, furs, fine art or rare coins, check with your carrier to make sure they are covered.
One other type of endorsement to a homeowner policy is for sewer back-up. If a back-up occurs in a toilet or other plumbing fixture and damage results from overflow, a majority of standard homeowner (form 3) policies will provide coverage for such an event. However, if a back-up occurs off the residence premises (i.e. in the city/county sewer line or due to a pumping station going down), additional coverage is usually needed such as a Back-Up of Sewer & Drain endorsement. While not all companies may offer this, it’s prudent for insured residents to be aware of the potential coverage gap and know to ask if their carrier offers such an endorsement. Check to see if these items and if mold is included or excluded in your policy. Also check your policy limits, as you can make a request to purchase higher limits.
You can review more information about your insurance rights in the state of Florida by reading the Consumer Guide to Homeowner Insurance produced by the Florida Department of Financial Services. The guide may be obtained by downloading it from the website at www.fldfs.com or by calling the toll free Florida Department of Financial Services Consumer Helpline at (800)342-2762 and asking for a free copy to be mailed to your home.
What does THAT mean?
A rose by any other name would smell as sweet…
William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
Those words penned by Shakespeare basically mean that it doesn’t matter what you call a rose, it’s still going to be the same thing.
The same thing applies to the many names of tropical cyclones. While they are known by different names, these similar storms have common traits – they rotate around a central core or eye and draw their strength from warm water and bring high winds, heavy rains and storm surge.
Hurricane: This is what tropical cyclones with winds greater than 74 mph are called in the Atlantic and the northern Pacific basin east of the International Date Line. The word originated from the word Hurakan, the name of the Mayan god of wind, storm and fire. This name was adopted by Spanish explorers to describe these terrible storms.
Typhoon: This is what these storms are called in the northern Pacific basin west of the International Date Line. This word originated with the Chinese daaih-fung, which means big wind. This is the most active area for tropical development, and, because there is a tremendous amount of ocean area for the storms to develop, they can become incredibly large and powerful.
Cyclone: This is what these storms are called in the Indian Ocean and anywhere south of the Equator. This word originated from the Greek kyklōma, meaning a wheel or coil, and was first used to describe these storms after 1848, when sailors began to understand that the winds of these storms circulated around a central core.
The term cyclone – specifically extra-tropical cyclone – can also apply to non-tropical storm systems such as nor’easters that affect the east coast of the United States and Canada with tremendous winds and snowfall. Low pressure areas on weather maps also induce winds to rotate counter-clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere. This rotation is known as cyclonic flow.
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