Clay County Emergency Management is recognizing Florida Preparedness Month this September to highlight the importance of being ready for all types of disasters and having a family disaster plan in place should it be needed. “With the historic peak of hurricane season happening in September, this is the perfect time to evaluate your family’s readiness,” said John Ward, Clay County’s Director of Emergency Management. Ward added, “The first step is to know if you are in an evacuation zone. Clay County has recently updated the Hurricane Evacuation Zone Map and those who were not previously in an evacuation zone may now be.”
The updated Clay County Hurricane Evacuation Zone map is available here: Evacuation Zone Map. Residents can also use the Find Your Evacuation Zone link to determine their evacuation zone using the address lookup tool.
Clay County Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners Wayne Bolla said, “Even though Clay County is inland, we are still susceptible to damage from sustained tropical force winds, and we are certainly prone to flooding along the St. Johns River and Black Creek. Hurricane Irma caused significant flooding in Clay County in September of 2017, so now is the time to make a plan to protect your family and property. With all the recent rain we have had, it won’t take a significant tropical storm to cause inland flooding.”
Once you know your evacuation zone, the next step is to make a family disaster plan that includes your evacuation route, where you will stay until the hazard has passed, and a fully stocked emergency supplies kit. The Florida Division of Emergency Management reminds you that disaster plans should be specific to each household or business. Emergency supplies kits should also be unique to your needs and include important items like nonperishable food, water, medications, and batteries for each person to last at least seven days. Special consideration should also be given to supplies for the elderly, children, and family pets. For more information, visit Disaster Supply Kit Checklist.
Watch the Clay County hurricane preparedness kits and family disaster plans video here: https://youtu.be/vHH4jZ6Vtio.
John Ward reminds us that, “Clay County has not seen significant impacts from sustained tropical force winds since Hurricane Dora in 1964. While flooding is our primary impact, hurricane-force winds could also cause significant damage in our area.”
Sign up for emergency alerts at Alert.ClayCountyGov.com and find the information you need to make a family disaster plan at https://www.claycountygov.com/community/emergency-management.
Original source can be found here.
