Sarasota County\u2019s Ed McCrane says to be informed, have a plan and have a disaster kit.
\nBy Elizabeth Djinis
\nStaff Writer
\nPosted May 21, 2017 at 11:37 PM Updated May 21, 2017 at 11:37 PM<\/p>\n
When The Weather Channel\u2019s senior hurricane specialist ranked regions in Florida based their vulnerability to hurricanes, he put the Tampa Bay area at the top of his list.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause of the density of the population and the inexperience of the population with hurricanes and just the raw threat of all the people living on islands with a long distance to go to evacuate,\u201d said Bryan Norcross, who is well known for his coverage of 1992\u2032s history making Hurricane Andrew.<\/p>\n
Local emergency management officials hear it all the time: It has been years since Sarasota and Manatee counties have been directly hit by a hurricane. The last time Sarasota County experienced the eye of a hurricane was in 1944, when a cyclone hit with winds above 100 mph. Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have moved to the area, many of whom have never witnessed a major hurricane.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we ever were to be hit, it would definitely be rough,\u201d said Sarasota County Emergency Management Chief Ed McCrane. \u201cI don\u2019t think anybody really realizes how serious it can be, so they need to never take these for granted. Every season is different, every storm is different.\u201d<\/p>\n
Local and state officials are gearing up for another six-month hurricane season, which starts June 1. Many of them gathered in West Palm Beach last week for more training at an annual state conference.<\/p>\n
McCrane\u2019s department holds preparedness seminars for various community groups upon request, and also produces a disaster planning guide each year, he added. But his three tips remain the same. He tells people to be informed, put together a disaster kit and have a plan. Across the board, emergency management officials emphasize that evacuation is significantly more difficult if residents only plan 72 hours in advance.<\/p>\n
Sarasota County has 20 shelters, three of them special needs and all of them local schools. But local emergency management officials say staying with a friend or in a hotel is preferred to a shelter, where visitors may have to sleep on a classroom carpet, sleeping bags or cots brought from their homes.<\/p>\n
\u201cShelters are a last resort,\u201d McCrane said. \u201cThey\u2019re not the Love Boat, they\u2019re a life boat.\u201d<\/p>\n
Manatee County\u2019s 25 shelters can house more than 32,000 people, according to Sharon Tarmon, one of the county\u2019s emergency management officers. During Hurricane Matthew last year, the county opened up the shelters as a host community. While they housed more external visitors than locals, Tarmon did not know the exact number of people in Manatee County\u2019s shelters during Matthew, which stayed just of Florida\u2019s east coast.<\/p>\n
One of the biggest problems Tarmon sees during the threat of any tropical storm is a disbelief among residents that the storm could be bad enough to warrant evacuation.<\/p>\n
\u201cListen to authorities,\u201d she said. \u201cIf we tell you to move, move. Don\u2019t risk your life, don\u2019t risk your family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Both Sarasota and Manatee counties updated their hurricane storm surge evacuation level maps this year. Tarmon and McCrane urged Manatee and Sarasota County residents to know their evacuation zone. Residents can type in their address and find their zones online for Sarasota County and Manatee County.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sarasota County\u2019s Ed McCrane says to be informed, have a plan and have a disaster kit.
\nBy Elizabeth Djinis
\nStaff Writer
\nPosted May 21, 2017 at 11:37 PM Updated May 21, 2017 at 11:37 PM<\/p>\n
When The Weather Channel\u2019s senior hurricane specialist ranked regions in Florida based their vulnerability to hurricanes, he put the Tampa Bay area at the top of his list.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause of the density of the population and the inexperience of the population with hurricanes and just the raw threat of all the people living on islands with a long distance to go to evacuate,\u201d said Bryan Norcross, who is well known for his coverage of 1992\u2032s history making Hurricane Andrew.<\/p>\n
Local emergency management officials hear it all the time: It has been years since Sarasota and Manatee counties have been directly hit by a hurricane. The last time Sarasota County experienced the eye of a hurricane was in 1944, when a cyclone hit with winds above 100 mph. Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have moved to<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n