Hurricane Irma City of Cocoa Beach September 8 12, 2017
Monitoring prior to landfall Expected effects What happened What went well What didn t go well Changes and improvements After Action Outline
Storm Monitoring Formed August 30, 2017 as a low latitude or Cabo Verde system Peaked at 185 mph on September 6 th (highest wind speed in 2017) September 3rd September 10th
Expected Effects Heavy rainfall of 8-12 inches, isolated totals to 15-18 inches possible resulting in a high flood threat. Long duration of damaging winds Storm surge and beach erosion (weakened by Hurricane Matthew) Increased tornado threat Power outages
What Happened Brevard County EOC Situation Reports and twice daily Municipal conference calls commenced on September 6 th. Zone A evacuations ordered to commence on Friday, September 8 th at 3:00 pm City Operations Center (COC) Level I activation on September 9 th at 6:00 pm
What Happened (continued) Winds reached 73 mph sustained with gusts to 94 mph Rapid deterioration of conditions September 10 th at approximately 4:00 pm Widespread electricity outages started shortly after (FS51 lost power at 6:49 pm) Lift stations down Discovered City Hall/Police Department damage at approximately 10:30 pm Potable water lost at approximately 3:30 am on September 11th
Cocoa Beach was exposed to the dirty side of the storm for > 12 hours Tropical storm force winds covered 70,000 miles 2 (State of Florida is 65,755 miles 2 ) Three tornado warnings issued for Cocoa Beach (Sep 11 @ 1:01 am, 1:45am, 2:21 am) Damage in the City of Cocoa Beach: Single Family Homes (62) Multifamily-Condominium & Apartments (19) 19 affected 3 affected 32 with minor damage 14 with minor damage 5 with major damage 2 with major damage 6 destroyed Commercial Properties (16) City Assets (16) 4 affected 9 affected 6 with minor damage 6 with minor damage 3 with major damage 1 with major damage 3 destroyed 113 properties affected (Hurricane Matthew saw 44 properties affected)
What Went Well Early recognition of potential path and close monitoring Good public outreach (NWS, AlertBrevard, Facebook, CBNN, paper postings, television) Evacuations ordered 48+ hours in advance of Tropical Storm force winds arriving City assets successfully evacuated and/or relocated Very good communication with BCEM (Communications Manager)
What Went Well (continued) FMIT representative on site Debris management coordination before, during, and after storm Interdepartmental operations Water Point of Distribution (POD)
What Didn t Go Well Loss of critical infrastructure (City Hall, Police Department, Lift Stations) Not everyone has the same technology (cell phones, internet, television) Lost more than one utility (Electricity, potable water) Some cell towers disabled Some confusion on sandbag availability Commodities versus teams
Changes and Improvements Increased focus on Continuity of Operations Plans (COOP) for all City departments Post public information at multiple locations after a storm that is accessible by foot or bicycle Update Hurricane Plan to facilitate expedited water delivery to POD Clarify types of fuel for delivery during states of emergency Continue Information Technology system improvements Sand distribution site in City. Location will be announced by the beginning of hurricane season
AlertBrevard notification system Receive critical information related to incidents such as severe weather, launch anomalies, boil water notices, law enforcement alerts, protective actions, etc. Home/Business Phone Mobile Phone SMS/Text Email http://www.brevardfl.gov/emergencymanagement/stayinformed/alertsignup Facebook City of Cocoa Beach Government Cocoa Beach Network News (CBNN) Stay Connected
AlertBrevard http://www.brevardfl.gov/emergencymanagement/stayinformed/ AlertSignUp Questions and Comments