INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Despite significant budget and staffing cuts since Sebastian and Fellsmere city officials responded to damage done from 2004’s hurricanes Frances and Jeanne, top managers of both cities say they’re prepared to deal with just about whatever this year’s storm season might bring.
The 2004 hurricanes “cleaned our clock,” Sebastian City Manager Al Minner said, adding that the city was hit again the following year by Hurricane Wilma, which was “wimpy” by comparison.
“I think it’s amazing what these storms do,” he said.
In 2004, Hurricane Frances made landfall south of Indian River County on Hutchinson Island as a Category 2 storm.
Three weeks later, Category 3 Hurricane Jeanne made landfall in nearly the same spot.
The one-two punch left much of Indian River County flooded and heavily damaged.
Combined, the storms caused nearly $20 billion worth of damage to the U.S.
Hurricane Frances alone caused more than $3 million in damage to the City of Sebastian’s government property, signage and debris removal, according to minutes from council meetings following the storm.
The 2004 storms left portions of Indian River Drive in ruin, requiring it to be rebuilt. Minner said the city used FEMA dollars to “re-armor” the Indian River Lagoon shoreline, which is sufficient protection for the road during a “typical major storm event.”
“But you never can truly prepare for those major-major storms that are greater than the 500-year event, as an example,” Minner said.
Minner said each of the city’s departments has reviewed its emergency plans of action, which includes using the Sebastian Municipal Airport as a staging area for debris, emergency personnel and relief efforts.
And though the city has cut staffing roughly one third since the 2004 storms, Minner is confident the city will be able to adequately respond to a storm.
“We’ve got our stuff in order,” he said.
Minner said the city routinely maintains the drainage system of swales and ditches but when a storm is looming double-checks that all is ready. The city also has approximately six baffle boxes – stormwater drainage filters – that it cleans and maintains on a regular basis, regardless of a storm barreling down on the area.
“We do try to make sure the boxes are cleared during the summer and will check major boxes or inlets as part of major storm prep,” Minner said.
Being farther inland, the City of Fellsmere’s biggest concerns center around the inevitable flooding that a slow-moving hurricane can cause.
To that end, the city has rented equipment to clear the alleyways to assist in moving water through town to the canals and drainage ditches.
“The city handles it pretty well,” Fellsmere City Manager Jason Nunemaker said.
Since the 2004 storms, the city has taken on various street improvement projects to help with drainage.
And currently, the city is working on a stormwater master plan to better identify needs and craft a plan to address them.
“We’ve been making a lot of improvements,” Nunemaker said, confident that, despite staffing cuts, the city is still in good shape to respond to an emergency like a hurricane.
“We have a stronger police department,” Nunemaker said, a stronger public works department, too.
The building department was outsourced to a private company, Independent Inspectors. Permits would be issued through the city and the city would maintain control of such, but the people performing the work are not employees of the city, Nunemaker explained.
“We haven’t dipped below the level of service set by the City Council,” Nunemaker said.
Along with assessing the city’s drainage, Nunemaker and Minner both said staff have checked its generators to ensure they are in working order.
Generators are located at various sites throughout the city to keep certain key facilities running, including the city halls, police departments, the Fellsmere water plant and the Sebastian Municipal Airport. Temporary generators could be situated at various lift stations – sewage pumping facilities – to keep the sewer systems from backing up.
As for the Old Fellsmere School, which is now Fellsmere City Hall, Nunemaker said the city would be monitoring any storms to determine if the hurricane shutters need to be placed on the windows.
“It’s a bear,” Nunemaker said of putting on the shutters. “We hate to do it.”
Once the shutters are on, they would stay on until the hurricane season ends – and experts are predicting it’s going to be a long one.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has forecast a more active than usual season with 13 to 20 named storms, of which seven to 11 could become hurricanes.
Of those hurricanes an estimated three to six could become major hurricanes – Category 3 or worse.
Nature may also be giving clues to an active summer in the tropics.
Fellsmere City Councilman Joel Tyson told his fellow council members that he learned during a recent Beach and Shore meeting that the sea turtles are building their nests higher up the dunes – a sign that perhaps the storm season will indeed be more active.
Both Minner and Nunemaker firmly recommend residents have their own emergency plans and prepare to be on their own in the time immediately following the storm.
That’s advice Sebastian River Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Beth Mitchell echoed.
“FEMA today is not what it was in 2004,” Mitchell said, recalling how the agency was quick to respond to the Sebastian area after the hurricanes. And, in the political aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, which devastated parts of the northeast, the agency might not be as accessible as before, either.
Mitchell recalled the Sebastian community rallying together – neighbors helping neighbors and businesses helping businesses – in the wake of the 2004 storms.
“Our businesses were very generous,” Mitchell said. “The community does come together. I would expect that again.”
Mitchell said the Chamber’s Board of Directors has gone over its emergency plans and the members know their role. They have gone over the insurance policies, compiled a contacts list, and know who is expected to remain in town during and after the storm.
The board is responsible for reaching out to the hotels in the area to get a sense as to the number of rooms available for post-storm housing and checking with real estate agents for available office space for temporary relocations.
After the storm, Chamber employees will be out in the community making contact with the businesses, locating them in the event they relocated, and assisting as needed.
Mitchell recommends that businesses craft their own plans before a storm is headed toward Florida and make sure employees know what is expected of them. If nothing else, business owners should review their insurance policies and make sure they have adequate coverage.
And her advice to the residents? Pick up a hurricane preparedness guide from the American Red Cross and Indian River County Emergency Services, both of which are available at the Chamber’s office on Main Street at U.S. 1.
Sebastian Police Chief Michelle Morris has similar advice for residents.
“Don’t wait for a storm. Have your plan of action now.”
The police chief said it’s critical for residents to heed the call to evacuate if such a call were issued.
“People underestimate the damage” a hurricane can do, Chief Morris said. “If the experts say evacuate – do it. We can’t put our people at risk” to rescue those who decided to stay behind.
She said that the police department received several 911 calls during the 2004 hurricanes and all the police could do at the time was take down names and addresses and check on the callers after the storms had passed.
The Sebastian Police Department has reviewed its own plan of action, making sure it is updated to reflect the most recent techniques and is consistent with the latest laws.
All sworn officers have been put on notice that all will be on duty in the event of a storm – even if they’re on vacation.
And just as other departments have seen a reduction in workforce, so too has the police department – though the number of sworn officers remains as it was during the 2004 storms.
Chief Morris said the department in 2004 had 35 full time sworn officers, including supervisors.
What’s different today is the lack of supervisors. The department has the chief, a deputy chief, four road sergeants, five detectives, four K-9 units and 20 officers. In 2004, there were two captains and five sergeants – all responsible in some way for supervision.
Now, it’s up to Chief Morris and Deputy Chief Gregory Witt to oversee hurricane response within the police department.
“We’ll make do with what we have,” Chief Morris said.
