RESPONDERS. MAYOR MICHAE >> EVEN BEFORE IAN DEMOLISHED
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA COMMUNES IT
DID SOME DAMAGE ON THIS COAST.
TWO TORNADOS TOUCHED DOWN IN
PEMBROOK PINES FLIPPING AIRCRAFT
AT PERRY AIRPORT RIGHT THERE,
UPROOTING TREES AND DAMAGING
HOMES.
MANY IN BROWARD ARE STILL
CLEANING UP AND MANY ARE
STEPPING UP TO PROVIDE AID IN A
VARIETY OF WAYS TO NEIGHBORS ON
THE OTHER SIDE OF I 75.
MICHAEL UDEAN IS BROWARD’S
MAYOR.
MR. MAYOR, GREAT TO SEE YOU.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
I ENJOY SPEAKING WITH YOU AND
BRINGING UPDATES TO ANY OF OUR
RESIDENTS ACROSS THE STATE.
>> LET’S START THERE.
WE’VE TALKED FOR ALMOST AN HOUR
ABOUT WHAT’S GOING ON IN FT.
MYERS AND THE SURROUNDINGS.
THERE ARE PEOPLE IN BROWARD
COUNTY WHO KIND OF WERE SHELL
SHOCKED FROM TORNADOS THIS WEEK.
THERE WAS CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE.
HOW ARE THEY DOING?
>> THEY’RE DOING WELL.
I WAS DOWN AT NORTH PERRY
AIRPORT THE MORNING AFTER.
THERE WERE TWO TORNADOS THAT
TOUCHED DOWN ON THE AREA THAT
FLIPPED SOME PLANES, THAT DID
SOME MINOR STRUCTURAL DAMAGE.
THE AIRPORT TEAM WAS FANTASTIC.
THEY WERE OUT THERE RIGHT AWAY.
THANK GOD THERE WAS NO INJURY,
THERE WAS NO LOSS OF LIFE.
THEY CLEANED IT UP AND GOT NORTH
PERRY AIRPORT OPEN WITHIN 48
HOURS.
THERE WAS SOME PROPERTY DAMAGE.
PROPERTY DAMAGE CAN BE, YOU
KNOW, FIXED.
THANK GOD NO ONE WAS HURT.
WE HAD A LITTLE BIT IN PORT
EVERGLADES.
SOME CARGO CONTAINERS WERE MOVED
AROUND.
THEY GOT THAT OPEN RIGHT AWAY,
THE PROFESSIONAL TEAM THERE, OUR
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT TEAM MADE
SURE THAT THE PORT WAS BACK
ONLINE AS SOON AS THE COAST
GUARD GAVE APPROVAL AND FUEL
TANKERS WERE GOING IN AND OUT OF
THE PORT RIGHT AWAY TO MAKE SURE
FLORIDA HAD FUEL, JET FUEL,
DIESEL FUEL THROUGHOUT THE STATE
OF FLORIDA.
SO I’M PROUD OF OUR TEAM AT
BROWARD COUNTY.
THEY DID AN EXCELLENT JOB MAKING
SURE OUR RESIDENTS WERE TAKEN
CARE OF.
NOW THEY’RE DOING EVEN MORE,
TRYING TO HELP OUR BROTHERS AND
SISTERS AND NEIGHBORS ON THE
WEST COAST OF FLORIDA.
>> LET’S TALK ABOUT THAT A
LITTLE BIT.
THERE’S BEEN VIDEO OF THESE
CONVOYS GOING ACROSS I 75.
YOU HAVE THE URBAN SEARCH AND
RESCUE TEAMS THERE FOR MIAMI,
MIAMI DADE, MIAMI BEACH FIRST
RESPONDERS, CORAL GABLES.
BROWARD IS PART OF THE URBAN
SEARCH AND RESCUE.
YOU HAVE SOME CREWS OVER THERE.
HAVE THEY CHECKED IN?
WHAT HAVE THEY FOUND?
>> WE HAVE CREWS OVER THERE.
WE HAVE ABOUT 30 PEOPLE FROM THE
BROWARD SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAMS
THAT ARE OUT THERE THAT ARE
HELPING PEOPLE.
DEVASTATION ON THOSE BARRIER
ISLANDS.
ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS WE’RE
DOING IS OUR BROWARD TRANSIT
DEPARTMENT IS ACTUALLY BUSSING
WORKERS OVER THERE THAT CAN GO
WORK DURING THE DAY AND THEN BUS
THEM HOME IN THE EVENING.
REMEMBER, THERE’S REALLY NOWHERE
FOR THEM TO STAY WHEN THEY’RE
THERE, BUT THEY DO NEED PEOPLE
THERE WORKING WITH FDOT, OUR
DIFFERENT ROAD CREWS AND
DIFFERENT PEOPLE THAT CAN HELP
TO GET THEM UP AND OPEN, YOU
KNOW, AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
SO IT’S REALLY BEEN AN ALL HANDS
ON DECK FROM ALL OF THE
DEPARTMENTS WITHIN BROWARD
COUNTY.
THINGS THAT YOU DON’T EVEN
REALLY THINK ABOUT, OUR VISIT
LAUDERDALE TEAM IS REACHING OUT
TO OVER 500 HOTELS ON THIS COAST
TO MAKE SURE THERE ARE PLACES TO
PUT PEOPLE IF PEOPLE ARE COMING
OVER HERE TO GET OUT OF THE WAY
OF CLEANUP, IF THEY’VE LOST
THINGS, WHATEVER IT MAY BE.
IT’S AN ALL HANDS ON DECK FOR
BROWARD COUNTY.
INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, THE COUNTY
ADMINISTRATOR OF LEE COUNTY WAS
A FORMER BROWARD COUNTY
ADMINISTRATOR.
OUR PROFESSIONAL TEAM IN BROWARD
COUNTY HAS WORKED WITH A LOT OF
LEE COUNTY PROFESSIONAL TEAMS.
NOT ONLY IS IT THE RIGHT THING
TO DO FROM A HUMAN LEVEL, FROM A
PROFESSIONAL LEVEL THERE ARE A
LOT OF PEOPLE DEEPLY AFFECTED BY
THIS.
>> DO YOU THINK PEOPLE WILL
DEEPLY AFFECTED BY IT BECAUSE
YOU HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE ON THE
MIRRORING COAST SAYING THERE BUT
FOR THE GRACE OF GOD OR WHO EVER
YOU BELIEVE IN GO I.
>> IT COULD HAPPEN.
WE’VE TRIED IN BROWARD COUNTY TO
DO WHAT WE CAN TO BUILD MORE
RESILIENT BUILDINGS.
WE SAW WHAT HAPPENED COUPLE
DECADES AGO OBVIOUSLY WITH
HURRICANE ANDREW, WHICH SHAPED
THE SOUTHEAST FLORIDA COMMUNITY.
THESE STORMS CAN COME ANYWHERE.
THEY CAN DO DAMAGE WHEREVER THEY
HIT LANDFALL.
THAT’S WHY I THINK YOU SEE AN
OUTPOURING OF SUPPORT FROM THE
ENTIRE STATE OF FLORIDA.
SOUTHEAST FLORIDA, EVERYWHERE.
BECAUSE EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT COULD
HAPPEN TO THEM.
I’M GRATEFUL FOR ALL OF THE
BROWARD COUNTY RESIDENTS,
EMPLOYEES AND EVERYONE WHO STEPS
UP TO THE PLATE TO HELP OUT.
WE HAVE SET UP THINGS WITH OUR
PAYROLL DEDUCTION SO THAT
EMPLOYEES CAN DEDUCT FROM
PAYROLL TO SEND OVER THERE.
I KNOW THE VISIT FLORIDA.ORG
WEBSITE IS UP FOR PEOPLE WHO
WANT TO VOLUNTEER, PEOPLE WHO
WANT TO DONATE.
THERE’S A LOT OF WAYS TO HELP.
OUR LOCAL SYNAGOGUES, OUR LOCAL
FAITH BASED COMMUNITY IS
STEPPING UP.
I THINK REALLY IT’S GOING TO BE
A LONG LONG TERM RESPONSE TO
THIS.
SOMETIMES, YOU KNOW, IN THE NEWS
CYCLES, WE KIND OF FORGET
QUICKLY.
I THINK THE MESSAGE THAT WE
SHOULD BE SENDING TO SOUTHWEST
FLORIDA IS WE WILL BE THERE FOR
THE LONG HAUL.
THEIR NEIGHBORS IN SOUTHEAST
FLORIDA, BROWARD, MIAMI DADE,
PALM BEACH, WE’RE GOING TO BE
ABLE TO HELP AS THIS MOVES
FORWARD.
>> THIS MAY BE A BIT PREMATURE.
WATCHING WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE
SORT OF EVACUATION ISSUES THAT
THEY HAVE THERE AND THE STORM
TRACK AND THE PROTOCOLS THAT WE
SEE PROBABLY DIDN’T REALLY MATCH
UP AT THIS POINT.
DO YOU FORESEE BROWARD COUNTY
RETHINKING EVACUATION ORDERS OR
LEARNING A LESSON IN HANDLING
THAT MAYBE A BIT DIFFERENTLY
BECAUSE OF THIS?
>> WE HAVE A FANTASTIC EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT TEAM IN BROWARD
COUNTY.
WHAT WE DO, WE CONSTANTLY TABLE
TOP THESE TYPE OF EXERCISES.
WE CONSTANTLY LOOK TO MAKE THESE
PROCEDURES BETTER AND TO MAKE
THESE PROCEDURES FASTER AND MORE
PALLETABLE TO THE PUBLIC.
EVACUATING, SHELTERING PEOPLE IS
ALWAYS A VERY COMPLICATED AND
COMPLEX PROCESS.
THAT’S ALWAYS BEING STUDIED BY
THE EXPERTS TO SEE HOW WE CAN DO
IT BETTER.
PEOPLE IN MANY CASES DON’T
ALWAYS TAKE THESE WARNINGS AS
SERIOUS.
PEOPLE GET COMPLACENT.
BUT WE SEE, IF YOU’RE IN A VERY
VULNERABLE SITUATION, IT’S SO
IMPORTANT TO LISTEN AND TO
FOLLOW LOCAL EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENTS.
IN BROWARD COUNTY, WE HAVE A
VERY ROBUST VULNERABLE
POPULATION THAT SIGNS UP EVERY
-- BEGINNING OF EVERY HURRICANE
SEASON, SO WE CAN MAKE SURE
THEY’RE PROPERLY TAKEN CARE OF.
WE TRY TO DO AS MANY PUBLIC
SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS AND PUSH
AS MUCH STUFF OUT TO THE PUBLIC
AS FAR AS PREPARATION.
OH BY THE WAY, WE’RE STILL IN
HURRICANE SEASON FOR ANOTHER
MONTH.
>> I WAS ACTUALLY JUST GONNA SAY
THAT.
WE’RE STILL IN THE THICK OF IT.
ALL HANDS ON DECK.
ON THAT NOTE, I WANT TO THANK