Sarasota and Manatee residents urged to prepare as hurricane season draws near

Hurricane season begins in June, and local authorities urge residents to stock their hurricane kits and create an evacuation plan to prepare for the possibility of a major storm making landfall in the region.

Hurricane Ian's impact on the community is fresh in the mind of first responders in Sarasota and Manatee counties, who ask residents to prepare for a direct storm even though they hope it is not needed. Local authorities who spoke with the media this week said, "It only takes one."

"Ian was a sideswipe to this county, and we had $162 million worth of damage. People flooded, we had huge issues, but we don't have $8 billion worth of damage that was down in Lee County," Sarasota County Emergency Services Director Rich Collins said. "My point is, it only takes one storm. It only takes a 20-mile shift in that storm and that could have been an entirely different storm for Sarasota County."

Hurricane Ian on the mind

Residents in Sarasota and Manatee counties experienced a significant impact from Hurricane Ian last year, even though the storm made landfall south.

Nonetheless, many homes, businesses, and agricultural lands were flooded by heavy rains or damaged by hurricane-strength winds that pelted certain areas for hours.

Sarasota County has already spent just over $95 million in the wake of the disaster, and the total is expected to climb to an estimated $162 million. Manatee County has spent just over $99 million, which officials said makes the storm the costliest natural disaster in county history.

In case you missed it: Slow response by Citizens leaves Ian-damaged South Venice home vulnerable to storm season

From the archive: 'We prayed a lot': North Port retiree community ripped apart by Ian

Photos: North Port's Holiday Park six-months after Hurricane Ian

Sarasota County Emergency Management Chief Ed McCrane recommends residents prepare early, keep plenty of water and food in stock, and ensure gas tanks remain at least half full to minimize the mass rush to the store that typically precedes major storms.

"It's really an individual responsibility for everyone to take a look at their home and understand where they are, what is their evacuation level," McCrane said. "We ask people not to wait until the last minute, not to judge from previous storms what's coming now because every storm is different."

McCrane said residents should also heed calls for evacuation during a storm, and cautioned residents not to be lulled into a false sense of security by storm tracker predictions that do not become fully accurate until the storm nears landfall.

"The cone of uncertainty that everybody sees, that people are used to now, some people misinterpret that," McCrane said, citing Ian's 400-mile radius of maximum winds. "They think that if they are out of the cone, they are not going to be harmed, they're fine, they can go back home. That's not the case."

Collins added that many residents still have homes damaged during Ian still in need of repair and that those residents should take extra precautions.

"I can understand, there is so much work to be done, and getting contractors and getting work completed is a big issue for a lot of folks," Collins said. "You need to be extra careful in listening to what you need to do and if you need to leave the area."

New leadership heads Manatee County emergency response

Many homes and farms in East Manatee County experienced significant flooding during the storm, leading to concerns about water well contamination throughout the community. Mobile home communities throughout the county also faced significant damage.

In Manatee, the storm affected 400 out of 738 lift stations, damaged 104 traffic signals, 1,600 road and traffic signs were knocked down or found leaning, and 732,132 cubic yards of storm debris had to be removed.

Emergency Management Chief Steve Litschauer said it's important that new residents become familiar with their evacuation zones, and warns longtime locals to not become complacent.

"Hurricane Charlie what was that 18 years prior, Hurricane Michael first time in I think 50 years, so it only takes that one storm," Litschauer said.

"During Ian, for us, our coastline survived, but the Myakka area flooded," he said. "There were many people without power, without water. So we need the public to take heed from the professionals as we get information from the national weather or national hurricane service that this is what the predictions are because by the time the information gets more accurate, it's too late."

From the archive: Hurricane Ian winds, flooding devastate east Manatee County farmers

Also: New map shows Manatee County manufactured homes sustained major damage from Hurricane Ian

And: Months after Ian, many private water wells at homes in east Manatee are still contaminated

Manatee County's new Acting Director of Public Safety Jodie Setnor Fiske also will lead the county's emergency response teams during this year's hurricane season.

Fiske was hired as the county's deputy chief of Emergency Management in November. She was named to the acting director role in January but is scheduled to be permanently named to the role during the May 23 county meeting. She replaces former director Jacob Saur, who was fired in August with little public explanation.

Although she is new to the county, Fiske has been responding to Manatee County since 2017 in her previous role as the regional response coordinator for Region 6 — which includes Manatee and Sarasota counties.

"If you've lived here for a long time, even though you haven't taken that major impact, there is something to be said for just keeping up-to-date, know where your zone is, know what your house can take, and be aware that FEMA is always updating their floodplain maps," she said.

Preparedness recommendations

The state has outlined several recommendations to help residents prepare for hurricane season, including a disaster supply checklist, disability planning information, recommendations for evacuation plans, and a reminder to "know your zone, know your home."

The supply checklist includes items such as a two-week supply of medication, a list of required medical devices, cash, first aid supplies, important documents such as medical records and banking information, and a list of phone numbers, food, water, and pet care items.

Prepare: Florida Department of Emergency Management recommendations

Sarasota County resident resources: www.scgov.net/beprepared

Manatee County resident resources: www.mymanatee.org/manateeready

Sarasota and Manatee residents can check evacuation levels by plugging their addresses on their respective county's websites. Both websites include information about any ongoing evacuations, a list of available shelters, sandbag information, and other hurricane preparedness tips.

Residents with qualifying medical needs can also register as medically dependent to ensure transportation and sheltering at a medically-dependent evacuation center.

The city of Venice is hosting a Home & Hurricane Expo from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday at the Venice Community Center. Admission is free and includes guest speakers who will discuss hurricane preparation topics. The center is located at 326 Nokomis Ave.

Sarasota County emergency management teams will also be present at SRQCon on Saturday, at the North Port Public Library on May 23 and June 3, at the Frances T. Bourne Jacaranda Public Library on June 7, and at Fruitville Library on June 26. Hours vary and can be checked on the county hurricane preparedness webpage.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota and Manatee residents urged to prepare for hurricane season