'It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when'

SARASOTA — With already two named major storms and experts predicting an even worse hurricane season later this year, Sarasota County Schools district staff have focused their attention on upgrading their emergency response plans.

During Tuesday’s SCS Board workshop, Chief Operating Officer Mike Kemp related 2024 hurricane predictions made by NOAA, stating the threat of being hit is more than just a possibility this year.

“It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when,” Kemp said.

Facility Services Executive Director Jody Dumas said the district will implement a three-step process to combat extreme weather this year, including pre-storm prep, shelter operation during storms, and a recovery phase to accelerate the re-opening of the district for staff and students.

Phase 1 will include a review of shelter-zoned schools to make sure equipment like generators are working and food transportation and storage processes are more easily accessible.

Currently, SCS has 14 schools as designated shelters, with five located in South Sarasota and three special needs shelters for those with pets and medical disabilities.

With an updated three-tier support system consisting of the School District, the Florida Department of Health and Sarasota County, Dumas said increased staff support at shelters are now in place for the 2024 hurricane season, though staffing is still limited to only county and district employees.

Emergency medical response staff will be dispersed by the county for the first time this year to assist with Phase 2, according to Dumas, assisting with the overflow of medical needs school nurses have not been able to handle alone in the past.

The district also explored three possible locations to set up operations during hurricanes this year, including The Landings, Oak Park School and Suncoast Technical College.

Board member Timothy Enos recommended Oak Park, with Landings’ history of flooding and STC’s current lack of an A/C generator, the latter which emergency services management said is a current problem for some district shelters as well.

Currently, seven shelters have only safety lighting generators, which only supplies power to selected lighting circuits within the building and not the central air circulation system.

After experiencing the catastrophic effects from Category 4 Hurricane Idalia, Dumas said, the district decided to invest in automatic insurance coverage that will kick in right after a storm and a response team from the insurance to review and assist in submitting damage claims as part of Phase 3.

Kemp stressed returning to normalcy is critically important to the district after a major storm, stating district support is a “life boat, not a love boat.”

Kemp noted the swell in people and pets staying at SCS shelters during the last major hurricane to sweep through Sarasota County, an event which Dumas said required a “major cleanup.”

According to Kemp, a record number of 18,000 people resided in shelters during Hurricane Irma in comparison to the usual “couple thousand” for past storms.