Hurricane season is upon us!
Every year, from June through November, your social feeds get the occasional inundation of Jim Cantore and weather radar memes from your Florida-dwelling friends and relatives.
Unfortunately, hurricanes are rarely lighthearted matters. They can bring devastation to entire cities, counties, and the state. That’s why, if you live in Florida or plan to visit during hurricane season, it’s imperative you know how to access your county’s emergency management offices.
When You Should Look at Your Emergency Management Office Website
As soon as you hear that a hurricane is on its way, that’s the best time to open up your county’s emergency management office website and keep that tab open. They’ll let you know about evacuation orders, emergency shelter locations, warnings and advisories, how to prepare for and recover from natural disasters, and travel conditions.
If you’re fortunate enough to not need any assistance, you can also learn about volunteering opportunities and how else to provide aid to those in need in your community. On the flip side of that coin, call your county EM manager if you witness downed power lines, flooding, or anything else that needs reporting during a hurricane or other natural disaster.
The State of Florida’s Division of Emergency Management has a website: floridadisaster.org where you can get information about both natural and man-made disasters. Everything from floods to hurricanes to incidents involving hazardous material or nuclear power. The Division is also the state’s liaison to federal and local agencies and maintains the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) in Tallahassee. The SEOC is the state’s communications and command center for reporting emergencies and coordinating state response activities.
While there are plenty of sites out there with more detailed information about the State of Florida resources as well as planning and preparations, this post aims to provide a handy go-to list of county-specific sites.
List of Florida Counties’ Emergency Management Office Websites
Alachua | Baker | Bay | Bradford | Brevard | Broward
Calhoun | Charlotte | Citrus | Clay | Collier | Columbia
DeSoto | Dixie | Duval | Escambia | Flagler | Franklin
Gadsden | Gilchrist | Glades | Gulf | Hamilton | Hardee
Hendry | Hernando | Highlands | Hillsborough | Holmes | Indian River
Jackson | Jefferson | Lafayette | Lake | Lee | Leon
Levy | Liberty | Madison | Manatee | Marion | Martin
Miami-Dade | Monroe | Nassau | Okaloosa | Okeechobee | Orange
Osceola | Palm Beach | Pasco | Pinellas | Polk | Putnam
Santa Rosa | Sarasota | Seminole | St. Johns | St. Lucie | Sumter
Suwannee | Taylor | Union | Volusia | Wakulla | Walton | Washington
I sincerely hope you never have to use this information. Stay safe!
Love & Sunshine,
Frances