But, it only takes one to affect the community
Osceola County Emergency Management Director Bill Litton has just returned from the state’s annual hurricane conference, and addressed the County Commission Monday with news — and some of it is potentially good.
While he couldn’t say that Florida is not participating in the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season — which starts in just two weeks — the outlook from researchers is that the season is expected to have below-average activity, thanks to an expected el Niño in August and September. Dr. Phil Glotzbach has predicted 13 named storms (would take us to the ‘M’ storm), six hurricanes and two major hurricanes (Category 3-5) to form this season, slightly below the average since 1995.
“We don’t want to get caught up in the numbers. It only takes one to adversely affect a community,” Litton said. “And, heading into an El Niño forming, does have a chance to fuel brush fires and tornadoes in the winter. But, it’s good news for hurricanes.”
New partnerships with local water management systems should help with this and future storm seasons, especially in the case of a massive rain event like Hurricane Ian, which dumped up to 17 inches of rain on Osceola, and areas to the north managed by St. John’s Water Management District, which sent water flowing south into the South Florida Water Management District. Litton showed the effect those water partnerships had in Ian.
“We had about 1,700 structures flooded,” he said. “Without the partner agencies working with us, it would have been well over 12,000. Just to see the new mapping around East Lake and having pump plans in place is going to be good.”
Commissioner Ricky Booth, who toured areas around Lake Ajay and East Lake Toho during the worst of Ian’s flooding, thanked Litton, “and your team for all the work you did during Hurricane Ian.”
The county now has 11 WeatherSTEM stations, up from three, bought with a grant. The EOC now has access to real-time weather data at points across the county, from Reunion to Poinciana to Kissimmee to Holopaw to Yeehaw Junction. The data can be accessed at Osceola. weatherstem.com.
“It allows Emergency Management, our responders and our partners to see this data live,” Litton said, noting some stations have lightning detection, helpful for big public events like the fair and Country Thunder.
In March, Osceola County was selected to bring a contingent to the Integrated Emergency Management Course in Maryland. Being wellversed in hurricane response, the team of 55 or so drilled on tornado response — more why that could be important later in this story — leading to even more forged partnerships helpful in future responses.
Saturday the EOC will host its annual free hurricane expo, “2023 Before The Storm,” at the Kissimmee Civic Center from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. to highlight preparation, as the upcoming hurricane season gets started on June 1. The event will feature preparation and response information, a Touch-a-Truck outside event for the kids, and food trucks.
Alert Osceola! Will be featured at that as well, and Litton encourages everyone to sign up for real-time alert notification system — and get a NOAA weather radio.
