Since 2004, when Frances and Jeanne paid an unwelcome visit to our shores, Vero Beach has mostly been spared the mighty wrath of hurricanes, complacency being the only downside.

“Prepare before,” advised Rachel Ivey, an emergency management planner with Indian River County Emergency Management, at the 17th annual Hurricane Expo at and presented by the Indian River Mall. “Prepare now while it’s blue skies and you have plenty of time and you can do it gradually, versus all of a sudden a storm’s here, and there’s no resources because everyone is running out to go buy them.”

Emergency Management was one of the many nonprofits and governmental organizations, along with hurricane-related vendors, who were on hand to provide vital information about these unwelcome visitors.

Officially, hurricane season runs June 1 through Nov. 30. However, with storms forming each May over the past six years, the National Hurricane Center began forecasting Atlantic basin storms on May 15 this year, which coincides with the start of the Pacific season.

We’re making sure people have information about preparing for the hurricane season,” said Ivey.

“When there’s an actual storm and we have an evacuation, we work with a lot of these nonprofits and non-governmental entities. We all come together as one team.”

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), a FEMA sponsored, volunteer-led group, is part of that operation.

Known as “ambassadors of preparedness,” potential volunteers (age 18 and older) are invited to take a free, three-week course in emergency preparedness and response.

“We teach you how to prepare your house and your family for an emergency, what to do during an emergency and afterwards, and how to help your neighbors,” said Marion Metakes.

“One of the big things we do is our radio system,” added Robert Homdal.

He explained that, ideally, representatives from each neighborhood call in to the emergency response center, where police, fire-rescue and other emergency management personnel are situated.

“And then they decide which neighborhood needs to be responded to first, which is extremely important. It saves a lot of time,” said Homdal. “That’s key.”

Carm Miranda, CERT program manager, explained that they solicit volunteers through expos, public events and networking.

“Additionally, one of our claims to fame in 2020 is we helped The Source deliver 10,000 meals to residents here in Indian River County who were sheltered in place in April and May of last year during COVID-19,” said Miranda.

Sgt. Linda Nolan of the Indian River County Sheriff’s Department’s Community Affairs Unit was giving out magnets with their non-emergency number, and encouraging people to download the Aware and Prepare Indian River app on their phones.

“Aware and Prepare Indian River provides information about evacuation routes, shelters and storm information,” Nolan explained.

A comprehensive Official Disaster Preparedness Guide for Indian River County, State Emergency Response Team hurricane information, and hurricane tracking maps were also handed out.

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