Storm Surge, Flooding Addressed At Tampa Disaster Plan Hearing

Eugene Henry lives and breathes disaster and he wants to hear from you.

Manager of the county’s Hazard Mitigation Program, Henry is inviting the public to a series of disaster preparedness meetings this month to discuss and answer questions about local emergency plans and it begins tonight, Aug. 15, in Tampa.

The Tampa meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. at the All Peoples Life Center (Multi-Purpose Room), 6105 E. Sligh Ave., Tampa.

“We always get something new from these meetings,” said Henry who has been working to prepare the county for disaster scenarios for a decade. “This is about education, awareness and getting the message out on protection and pre-disaster planning.”

With floods, wildfires hurricanes and oil spills, few states in the nation have had to deal with as many natural and man-made disasters in recent years as Florida. But when it comes to disaster, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure for members of the Hazard Mitigation Program.

Tampa has its own unique risk factors when it comes to potential natural disasters, Henry said.

“Parts of Tampa are at more risk for wind-born debris from a hurricane and there’s also a good portion of Tampa is within the coastal planning area, an area with vulnerability to storm surge in any category of hurricane.”

Wildfires and flooding rank among the highest dangers for Eastern Hillsborough, Henry said.

“We have some areas that are very close to fire fuel in Eastern Hillsborough so the risk ranks alongside flooding for that part of the county,” said Henry. Hillsborough County is ranked eighth in the state when it comes to acreage at risk for wildfires, according to the Florida Department of Forestry.

The Hillsborough County Hazard Mitigation Section plans five public meetings to provide updates and seek public input from residents on the county’s Local Mitigation Strategy.

That strategy identifies vulnerability to natural hazards such as flooding and wildfires and assesses risks for all of Hillsborough County. It also details government projects to mitigate or reduce those vulnerabilities.

The public meetings will provide an overview of the Local Mitigation Strategy with staff from the section on hand to answer questions and get input from residents on the Floodplain Management Plan portion of the strategy and the draft Community Wildfire Protection Plan. 

The Community Wildfire Protection Plan will be included in the Local Mitigation Strategy when adopted later this year.

There will be an update on the progress of implementing the county’s Post-Disaster Redevelopment Plan.

For more information on the county’s Hazard Mitigation Programs, visit the section’s website.

For more information on the meeting, call 813-307-4541.

The public meetings are set for:

• Tuesday, Aug. 16, 6:30 p.m., Brandon Regional Service Center, 311 Pauls Drive.

• Wednesday, Aug. 17, 6:30 p.m., Town ‘N Country Regional Public Library, 7606 Paula Drive, Suite 120, Tampa.

• Monday, Aug. 22, 6:30 p.m., Jan Kaminis Platt Regional Library, 3910 S. Manhattan Ave., Tampa.

• Tuesday, Aug. 23, 6:30 p.m., South Shore Regional Service Center, 410 30th St. S.E., Ruskin.