Weather

Practice run helped Islamorada weather storm

Fay response wasn't perfect, but city leaders said planning helped

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By David Ball

dball@keysreporter.com

Posted - Monday, August 25, 2008 04:38 PM EDT

In June, Village of Islamorada officials gathered in their emergency operations center to prepare for a storm barreling north across Cuba with a direct path through the Lower and Middle Keys.

That storm was Hurricane Zeke, a Category 4 monster with 150-plus mph winds and a double-digit storm surge. As it passed the Keys, Zeke toppled buildings and communications towers and left casualties lying in roadways and outside of flooded homes.

Inside the EOC

Islamorada emergency officials talk about storm response in the emergency operations center on Monday.

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But that storm and its damage never actually occurred. It was part of a training scenario used to prepare village staff for the 2008 hurricane season.

Two and a half months later, a real storm was following nearly the exact same path as Zeke and was hours away from making landfall.

Practice, it turned out, didn't make perfect for Islamorada's preparation for Tropical Storm Fay, but city leaders said it certainly helped.

"Here in Islamorada we take [things] very serious with our training," said Fire Chief William Wagner, who added that all essential staff members at the EOC are certified in the National Incident Command System used during emergencies.

"The annual hurricane drill simulates the conditions that we're going through right now," Wagner continued. "The staff is really on top of things, everybody is very calm and cool and I think we're really prepared."

Some boaters remain aboard

But issues still arose. During a rundown with staffers in groups handling logistics, planning, administration and response, Parks and Recreation Director John Sutter said there were still five boaters docked at Founders Park even as hurricane-force gusts began to blow.

"They got to get out," said Village Manager Ken Fields, noting Islamorada's liability of allowing the boaters to remain. Sutter said they simply refused to go to the nearby shelter at Coral Shores High School. At that time, five people were staying at the shelter.

"They can refuse in their own house, but they can't refuse on our property," Wagner said.

Islamorada Mayor Cathi Hill said evacuation at marinas might need to be better enforced during future storms. She also said she would like to see better communication to residents.

"As of yesterday [Sunday], garbage was being picked up. But at 7 a.m. [Monday] that had changed," she said. "We're thinking about having manned phone lines for residents to call in the future to get that kind of information quickly."

Hill was later interviewed by Fox News Channel and talked about how the village's constant training, including the annual hurricane drill, has made staff well prepared.

"Actually, this [Fay] is really a stepped up drill, as we've been fortunate in the direction and intensity so far," she said. "The staff run seamlessly because of all that training."

Hurricane