SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Seminole County emergency personnel were getting ready for hurricane season Wednesday by holding the largest hurricane exercise in county history, officials said.
Coming on the first day of hurricane season, the exercise was scheduled to take place at 8:30 a.m. in Sanford.
“This is the largest exercise we have ever done in anticipation for a busier than last few years hurricane season” says Alan Harris, Seminole County Emergency Management.
The goal of the exercise is to evaluate logistics of responding to a storm and coordinating response on a local and state level, officials said.
LINK: Stay up to date on 2016 hurricane season with WFTV's Eye on the Tropics page
“Put yourself in position that you can last 72 hours, and so the first responders are going to be taking care of the most vulnerable first” said Florida’s Governor Rick Scott during a press conference held in Hialeah, Florida.
On Tuesday, President Barack Obama urged residents in hurricane-prone areas to be ready as well. It is very important to have survival kits prepared and an evacuation plan in place, he said.
And residents need listen to government officials during a storm, he said.
“If your local authorities say you need to evacuate, you need to evacuate and get it done,” Obama said. “We can’t control the weather, but we can control our responses to it.”
The 2016 hurricane season is expected to be moderate, with about 12 named storms, officials said.
“Put yourself in position that you can last 72 hours, and so the first responders are going to be taking care of the most vulnerable first” said Florida’s Governor Rick Scott.
Cox Media Group
