MIDDLEBURG – While hurricane season is the primary focus of Clay County Emergency Management, the division responsible for preparing, alerting and coordinating recovery from a disaster stands ready all year for whatever man or Mother Nature brings.

Emergency Management Director Tim Devin joined Clay Behavioral Opioid Response Coordinator and SafetyNet Co-Chair Glenn East, as well as American Red Cross Community Disaster Program Manager Diane Gee, at the monthly Clay SafetyNet Alliance meeting to discuss the various levels of alerts, depending on the type of disaster.

SafetyNet is a collaboration of nonprofits, government agencies, faith-based and community groups that work to identify and address everyday needs. The meeting on Thursday, June 26, focused on how emergency groups prepare for storms.

“So, how many people have truly been through a hurricane – I mean, a direct-to-hit hurricane? Keep your hands up for a second,” Devin said. “How many of those are above a Cat (Category) 3? Andrew? Katrina?

“The reason I'm asking those questions is that the flooding that we saw in 2017 was just a tropical storm for Clay County. It has been over 60 years since the only, and you're going to hear me say only a lot, (Category) 1 (Dora in 1964) hit us.

“People who live here are not prepared for the impact. A severe storm has not shed our tree canopy. Most of our power lines are above ground. So, when I go out and speak like this, I just want to emphasize that I'm not a doomsdayer. I'm not talking about a Category 4 or 5. I'm more focused on just (a Category) 2 or 3. The impact’s going to be tremendous.”

From left, Emergency Management Director Tim Devin, SafetyNet Alliance Co-Chair Glenn East and American Red Cross Community Disaster Program Manager Diane Gee addressed the Clay SafetyNet Alliance on Thursday, June 26.

STAFF PHOTOS BY DON COBLE

For those reasons, Devin, East and Gee explained how the county prepares year-round.

“We secured some grant funds to put on a full-scale exercise to test different MCI Exercise components,” Devin said. “Part of those components is like family reunification, which is going to be Day 2. We have a Day 1 that we're doing some tactical operational pieces with the sheriff's office and the fire department.”

Alexandra Reinhardt, Community Liaison with Baptist Hospital Clay and SafetyNet Co-Chair, stated that the county requires volunteers to stage a full-scale exercise at the Clay County Fairgrounds on July 9 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The exercise will be a reenactment of a mass disaster response. One of the grant's requirements is that volunteers must be at least 18 years old. Reinhardt said the county needs at least 74 volunteers to play a series of roles.

“Some will be asked to play victims, and some will be wearing ‘blood.’ You might be getting a little dirty,” she said. “You’ll be part of the scenario, part of the crowd, asked to react as the scenario unfolds."

“It’s interesting to be a role player because you get to see it from a different aspect,” Devin said. “It changes how you do things within your organization.”

To register, visit volunteer.claycountygov.com and hit the volunteer tab on the left rail.

Devin also shared other information about the Emergency Operations Center that’s rarely shared. When Tropical Storm Debby approached last year, Keystone Heights Elementary and Orange Park High were opened as general population shelters, while Lake Asbury Junior High housed residents with special needs.

Devin said the county has more than 20 shelters at its disposal, if needed, including ones equipped with generators for patients who require dialysis, oxygen and other life-sustaining services.

Others allow pets, and one must be available for those deemed “predators” since they aren’t allowed to be incorporated into the population, particularly with minors.

The number of people at the EOC is another indication of the disaster's severity. If all 110 seats are taken, residents should either be evacuated to a safer location or sheltered.

New this year is the establishment of an 18-person call center, where residents can receive real-time answers to their questions. Of course, Devin said all residents should register with AlertClay at claycountygov.com/community/emergency-management/alert-clay and SaferWatch at claysheriff.com/personal-safety/saferwatch/ to receive time-sensitive updates from emergency management and the sheriff’s office.

And for those who want to help, Gee said the Red Cross offers free shelter training.

“We talk to people about what to include in your (disaster) kits,” she said. “We push the message that when the evacuation orders are given, you need to evacuate. If you call us (North Florida Region office at 904-760-9153), we can set you up with these courses.”

All said the time to prepare is now, because once the seas start to churn and the winds howl, it may be too late to do the early prep work.