Fla. AG Crist Announces Hurricane Preparedness Policy

A “Prepare, Respond and Recover, Florida!’ plan for surviving the upcoming hurricane season has been announced by Charlie Crist, Florida Attorney General and a candidate for governor. Announcing the details of the plan capped off a week of hurricane related briefings in Port Charlotte, Fla., including a helicopter and ground tour of the Lake Okeechobee Dike.

“Governor Jeb Bush and the Florida Legislature have set the national standard for hurricane response, but we must strive to do even better,” Crist said. “I am committed to ensuring that all Floridians are prepared and safe before, during, and after a storm.”

Crist announced his plan at a Port Charlotte Home Depot where he encouraged shoppers to take advantage of the upcoming 12-day sales tax holiday that will run May 21-June 1. Crist’s announcement concluded a week of hurricane related briefings that included discussions about the lessons learned from recent years’ hurricanes and the preparation taking place in the panhandle at the Escambia County School District and the Interfaith Disaster Resources Group. Crist also received briefings at the Palm Beach County Emergency Operations Center and the Palm Beach Port, as well as the Fawcett Memorial Hospital in Port Charlotte.

“Eight hurricanes and four tropical storms in 15 months have taught us that the best protection we have from these storms is preparation,” Crist said. “We must continue to instill a Culture of Preparedness that arms Floridians with the means to help themselves.”

Crist’s Prepare, Respond, and Recover, Florida! hurricane survival plan includes the following policy proposals that will:

• improve communication before, during, and after a storm by expanding Florida’s 211 Information System;

• make the Hurricane Sales Tax Holiday a permanent protection for Floridians;

• train small businesses to be prepared for storms so they can get back to work as soon as possible; and

• prioritize recovery efforts so that no Floridian enters one storm season with a blue tarp on their roof from a previous season’s hurricane.

“I have been on the ground in the hardest hit areas of the state in the aftermath of these storms, and I have learned that we must not be complacent and we must not underestimate our responsibility to one another,” Crist said.

“Crist’s plan is a comprehensive approach to preparing for and surviving hurricane season,” said Garrett Walton, a member of Crist’s Preparing Florida for Emergencies policy council, co-executive director of Rebuild Northwest Florida, a non-profit corporation that coordinates need-based recovery initiatives for citizens of Santa Rosa and Escambia Counties impacted by Hurricane Ivan, and Escambia County Local Mitigation Strategy Group board member. “Crist just gets it. He understands the importance of Floridians helping Floridians.”

Source: Charlie Crist

Topics Florida Catastrophe Natural Disasters Hurricane