August 2008

A new look for Emergency Management’s website

The Pinellas County Emergency Management website – www.pinellascounty.org/emergency – has undergone a major renovation. Sporting a new graphical home screen, the site is easier than ever to navigate. The new screen offers visitors the opportunity to choose from one of eight sections:

Know Your Zone • Prepare Ahead • Special Needs
• Pet Preparedness • Shelter Optionss • Host Homes
• It’s Coming... (Now What?) • After the Storm

Each button links visitors with a freshly reorganized section of the website with easy-to-use tools, important links and a tremendous amount of information about getting ready for the storms. A link to the many safety videos produced by PCC-TV is also prominently featured. One click can lead you to Project Storm Story, Shuttering Your Home, Charley’s Aftermath and many other projects that communicate the need for preparedness. Watch the videos from the comfort of your own home whenever you want. This site will also serve as a vital link to residents should a storm threaten Pinellas County. Official bulletins, announcements and emergency orders will be posted here, giving access to breaking news from Pinellas County as it happens. Important information for business owners, healthcare providers and facilities, hotel owners and others is linked as well. Not only does preparedness make sense for these special audiences. In many cases, there are legal requirements for those who care for others. These are spelled out in each of the sections. Take a few moments to check out the newly updated site and let us know what you think!

|Back to the top|

My Safe Florida Home to end free home inspections

The My Safe Florida Home program, which has offered free wind inspections for nearly 400,000 homeowners, is filling its final free inspection opportunities. The state legislature set the 400,000 inspections and 35,000 home improvement grant target numbers when it established the program in 2005.

Residents who now want a home inspection can call or sign up at the My Safe Florida Home website and schedule one. The cost for the inspection for a single family home will be $150. While the free inspections were only offered on homesteaded, stand-alone, single-family homes, $150 has been the price charged for inspections of condominiums and multi-unit housing since the program’s inception.

After the inspection, homeowners will still receive a report on their structure’s wind-worthiness, suggestions on improvements and a uniform wind mitigation form which can get a discount on their homeowner’s insurance.

Mitigation – the hardening of your home to better withstand hurricane force winds – can significantly improve the structure’s survivability. You may be able to live in your home after a storm if only minor repairs are required, which can be a much better option than trying to find new temporary housing if your home sustains major damage. Visit www.mysafefloridahome.com or call (866) 513-MSFH (6734) for more information.

|Back to the top|

Proper pool preparedness prevents problems

Fortunately, of all your possessions and real property, the swimming pool is best suited to weather the storm. There are some things you can do that will help you quickly return your pool to proper use after the storm.

Before the storm:

• Superchlorinate your pool. It is sometimes called "shock." By raising the chlorine levels, you prevent organisms from getting a foothold while the power is off.

• Secure all deck furniture, toys, pool cleaning equipment and potted plants. Anything loose can and probably will become a missile or projectile in hurricane force winds. Put all loose items inside your house or garage. Do not throw lawn furniture into the pool. Furniture scratches the pool surface and rust stains from the furniture will become permanent blemishes on the surface. Besides, It takes a long time and is a real pain to fish the furniture out of the pool.

• It doesn't do any good to lower the water level. The small amount you pump out is insignificant compared to the volume that will be in your pool area during the storm. If you can't resist the temptation, go ahead...but never, never lower the water level below the throat of the skimmer.

• Just before the storm, turn off the electrical power at the circuit breaker. If you are in a low-lying area and think the pool equipment will be flooded, you should protect the pump motor. Removing the motor is probably not practical, so the next best thing is to double wrap and seal it with plastic and duct tape.

After the storm:

• When it is safe to do so, put your pool back in operation. Superchlorinate the pool again. If the pump will not run, add chlorine and then agitate the water with your long pole and leaf skimmer net.

• Pool water is suitable for flushing toilets or cleaning and if it is clear, for bathing. Also, if the water is clear, you can bring it to a rolling boil for one full minute and use it as drinking water.

• If your pool is near salt water and water could have splashed in from the Gulf, bays or canals, check daily for barnacle growth on the pool surface. Call a licensed pool service professional to have barnacles removed.

For more information about preparing your pool for a hurricane, call a pool maintenance company or the United Pool and Spa Association at (813) 963-5575.

|Back to the top|

Work smart in the heat

When working outside to prepare for a hurricane, you must consider the effect of heat. Your body normally cools by sweating, but in high humidity sweat doesn’t evaporate as quickly, preventing your body from releasing heat quickly. Very high body temperatures may damage the brain or other vital organs and can lead to death. The following tips from your Pinellas County Health Department can help you stay safe in our hot and humid environment:

• Drink plenty of nonalcoholic or nonsugary liquids (water is the best choice).

• Wear appropriate clothing and sunscreen.

• Limit outdoor activities during midday hours.

• Use a buddy system – check on neighbors and those at risk.

• Give yourself time to adjust to the temperature.

• NEVER leave infants, children or pets in a parked car.

• Know the symptoms of heat rash, heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke, and be ready to give first aid treatment and call for help.

Heat stroke is a medical emergency – have someone call for help immediately while you keep the victim cool until help arrives. For more health-related information regarding hurricane season, visit the Pinellas County Health Department’s webpage at www.pinellashealth.com or call (727) 824-6900.

|Back to the top|

What does THAT mean?

Where will the hurricane make landfall? That’s the #1 question on everyone’s mind should a storm threaten the Tampa Bay area. But, is landfall necessarily the place where the worst damage will happen, and what about the areas nearby? To help clarify some of these questions, here are some definitions as established by the National Hurricane Center:

Landfall: The precise location where the center of the storm’s circulation intersects a coastline. Many storms can have several landfalls as they come ashore. For example, Hurricane Charley first made landfall on Captiva Island before making a second landfall in the Punta Gorda/Port Charlotte area.

Direct Hit: When a particular city is within the radius of maximum winds of a storm, it is said to have taken a direct hit, even if the storm fails to make landfall in that city. Thus, a hurricane paralleling Florida’s west coast could make several direct hits before making landfall.

Indirect Hit: Cities outside of a storm’s radius of maximum winds which experience hurricane force winds or gusts and a storm surge of at least four feet are said to have taken an indirect hit from a storm. The effects from 1985’s Hurricane Elena on Pinellas County would be classified as an indirect hit.

Strike: If a particular location falls within a hurricane’s ‘strike circle,’ it is said to have been struck by a storm. A strike circle is a 125 nautical mile circle centered 12.5 nautical miles to the right of the hurricane’s center relative to its motion. This circle attempts to depict the typical extent of a hurricane’s winds.

What does this mean to the average citizen? All of these scenarios can still produce major damage. And, with this information, you will be able to understand and use the right term should a storm affect us this year.

|Back to the top|