Bay area hospitals and city leaders stress preparedness as hurricane season begins
TAMPA, Fla. - Thursday marked the start of the 2023 Hurricane season, but local leaders say plans to get ready have been in place for months.
"We're always prepared for the worst. We always want to prepare for that and then if things aren't as bad, we're able to pull back," Dr. Meghan Martin, Disaster Preparedness Coordinator with Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital said.
The hospital has hurricane-resistant technology to ensure the hospital is ready in case of a storm. That includes an emergency power system and the ability to quickly evacuate patients in case of an emergency.
"So, this is one of the very few rooftop pads in the state of Florida, the only one in the peninsula region that can handle the largest Coast Guard and military aircraft," Julie Bacon, Chief Flight Nurse said. "So in the unlikely event that we would have to evacuate, we would be able to sit down and not take one patient, but maybe five or ten at a time."
To kickoff the 2023 Atlantic Hurricane Season, St. Petersburg Fire Rescue hosted a Hurricane Preparedness Expo for residents. They distributed items for hurricane kits and other resources. Leaders say now is the time to get prepared.
"Know your risk. You have to know what you're preparing for. You know, are you at risk of surge at wind? Do you have kids? Do you take care of parents? Do you have pets? There's so many things that, you know, we have to look at," Amber Boulding, St. Petersburg Emergency Management manager said.
Officials say this is a good time to sign up for storm alerts for your county, know your evacuation zone and identify the locations for local shelters.