Osceola County Participates in Statewide Hurricane Exercise

Osceola County, Florida - This week Osceola County is participating in the Florida Division of Emergency Management's statewide hurricane exercise. On Tuesday, county staff, along with community partners, met and discussed planning timelines and challenges associated with hurricanes. On Wednesday, damage assessment teams will travel throughout the county to train in a mock damage assessment exercise. Today, the Joint Information Center will be "activated," along with the Citizen Information Center hotline phone bank in response to the mock damage assessments.

"Each year, Osceola County participates in the statewide hurricane exercise to train and ensure our preparedness to respond and recover from severe weather," explained Osceola County Emergency Management Director David Casto. "This training comes on the heels of the Governor's Hurricane Conference held last week."

Casto went on to say that, over the years, staff has built great partnerships with such agencies as the Department of Health, Osceola County Sheriff's Office, Osceola County School District, the cities of Kissimmee and St. Cloud, East Central Florida Regional Planning Council and the American Red Cross, all of which are participating in this week's training exercise.

"Public Safety officials remind citizens that, whether you intend to evacuate or shelter in place, every resident should make their own preparations to safeguard themselves and their families," stated Osceola County Fire Chief Richard Collin. "As families, our first priority in disaster preparedness is to ensure that we have the necessary supplies, food, and water to be self-sufficient as it can be up to three to five days before help arrives after a major disaster." Hurricane season is from June 1 to November 30.

For more information on how to protect you and your family during hurricane season, visit the Osceola County Emergency Management website at www.osceola.org/emergencymanagement/home.cfm, visit our new community safety website at mysafety.osceola.org or call the Emergency Management office at 407-742-9000.