Eugene Henry, manager in hazard mitigation for the Hillsborough County Public Works department, tells a group about plans for a new interactive website to aid homeowners with disaster plans, if passed by the county and state.
Penny Fletcher photo.
Disaster information to be available by specific address
The second of two meetings on flood-plain management was held at the Bloomingdale Branch Library, Oct. 13, and while the turnout was small, the information given was larger than life.
In fact, someday it very well could save your life.
South County areas including Apollo Beach and Ruskin are prone to flooding during storms, but other areas — especially those near rivers and lakes — may also be affected. That’s why county managers of flood plains say you should learn your risk and stay abreast of weather conditions.
Eugene Henry, the manager in the Hillsborough County Public Works department who heads up the Hazard Mitigation program’s Engineering and Construction Services, recapped the first meeting held in the beginning of summer, and then told residents how the county had taken residents’ suggestions to heart.
“We listened, and we’ve come up with a plan for an interactive website using many of your suggestions,” Henry said. “One thing that slapped us upside the face was when folks said they couldn’t use the maps we had online because they couldn’t zero in on conditions affecting their exact property location.”
Since 40 percent of the county is in a flood zone, and that is different from what’s termed the “emergency zone” should a major disaster strike, Henry was accompanied by Bill Twaite, contracts manager for Public Works, and Michael Rimoldi, senior planner.
The new interactive website plan they unveiled will allow residents to zero in on an address and get various types of information, including any potential dangers associated with the property.
Some in the audience said that was especially important before buying a home, rather than after.
“You’ll even be able to put in an address and get a report of suspect soils,” Henry explained. “Suspect soils are areas that aren’t necessarily sinkholes but could be cause for some sort of problem — including a sinkhole — at some point.”
The county’s new website will include facts about things that have been done to “shore up” suspect areas as well, added Henry.
“We’re going to make a digital document for the State and FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency),” he said. If passed, this would make the county in compliance and therefore eligible for disaster funds, if needed.
At this point, the document is about 70 percent completed, and there should be a public hearing on it in either January or February before the department presents it to the County Commission for a vote. Then the state should receive it by June 30 to ensure it meets state guidelines as well.
“If it isn’t approved, we’ll have a noncompliant document and won’t be able to get funds for disasters,” Henry said. “But it’s a pretty sure thing they’ll approve because of the tremendous effort to make everything safe and in compliance.
“The public said loud and clear at the first meeting they didn’t like the static maps we have on the county site and wanted something they could interact with. That they could ask questions of,” he said.
The new site will be generated by the facts on the document and will be interactive.
Rather than reinvent the wheel, those working on the project will connect to other sites that have information, including the Office of Emergency Management and disaster preparedness sites, including where to get materials, and to post disaster plan sites.
Social hazards, like civil unrest and terrorist attacks, will be built into the disaster plans along with fire, disease, storms and flooding.
This is an update of the FEMA Disaster Act plan of 2000, and will be continually updated once it goes live.
For further information on the county’s flood maps, flood insurance and flood safety, visit www.hillsboroughcounty.org/floodmaps.
For information on evacuation zones and risk of storm surges, visit www.hillsboroughcounty.org/emergency and select “The Hurricane Assessment Tool (HEAT)” link.
Questions about county services may be directed to the information line, 813-272-5900.