With Florida hurricane season underway, government officials in Manatee County don’t want to be caught off guard by a Florida hurricane. County leaders are already preparing just in case they have to deal with a storm this season. MySuncoast.com is reporting that Manatee County emergency management leaders are currently in “lockdown” but just as an exercise.
The plan is to put the county’s emergency services to the test before they are in a real emergency. Florida hurricane damages can be severe to both personal property and for city government’s that are trying to provide vital services like medical care, emergency services and providing citizens basics like water and power. According to city officials they believe Manatee County is well prepared to deal with a hurricane but recovery is something they needed to work on.
Larry Leinhauser is the captain of Public Safety and he told MySuncoast.com that transitioning from a short term response to long term planning in a seamless manner is a difficult task for any city or county following a natural disaster. He stressed that the initial decisions made in response to a hurricane can impact long term strategies.
The hurricane exercise in Manatee County lasted through the afternoon and officials believe they will have a much better grasp of how prepared Manatee County is for the long-term period of recovery which follows the initial devastation of a major hurricane.
