Simulated Exercises Teach Homeowners How to Prepare for Hurricanes

Widespread hurricanes have blown through several Florida cities during the past several days, and Hurricane Armando, a simulated hurricane, is expected to hit Tallahassee April 23.

Florida American Red Cross and Emergency Preparedness Units have been conducting simulated hurricane drills and even attempted to knock out boarded-up house windows to show homeowners how to be prepared for the summer hurricane season.

Hurricane Armando is a simulated storm, part of a disaster preparedness and response exercise sponsored by the Tallahassee American Red Cross Chapter.

The organization is hosting the exercise 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Bond Community Health Center, 872 Orange Ave. The Red Cross is working with Tallahassee neighborhoods to help prepare them for the upcoming hurricane season – which starts June 1 – and give them a better understanding of how to react after the storm is over, said Chris Floyd, emergency services director for the area Red Cross.

“We’re looking at bringing individuals and families together so that they can better understand their response and recovery roles and communicate efficiently back to the appropriate authorities,” Floyd explained.

According to Floyd, the mission of the event is to bring neighborhood residents together to work through how neighbors should plan and prepare for, respond to, recover from and mitigate the effects of a hurricane.

The following local organizations will participate in the exercise: Capital Area Chapter of the American Red Cross, Capital Area Citizens Corps., Tallahassee Fire Department, Tallahassee Police Department, Tallahassee Emergency Management, Tallahassee Neighborhood and Community Services, Tallahassee Council of Neighborhood Associations, Leon County Health Department, Leon County Sheriff’s Office, Leon County Sheriffs Office Division of Emergency Management and the North Florida Regional Domestic Security Task Force.

Topics Florida Catastrophe Natural Disasters Hurricane Homeowners