Preparedness and Communications

If Hurricane Dorian, now projected to be a Category 3 storm when it reaches the U.S. coast over Labor Day weekend, should veer South Florida’s way, the county is unsure it will have enough workers to staff the shelters.

Puerto Ricans, still recovering two years after Hurricane Maria, have been stocking up on supplies since Monday morning, preparing for the worst. Puerto Rico’s governor also declared a local state of emergency Monday night.

StreetLight Data analyzed 100 communities and compiled a list of areas in the country with limited evacuation routes. The data is free and can aid neighborhoods in planning for evacuation or developing infrastructure.

Walk-through metal detectors and “security ambassadors” are in place in some high schools and will be put into more high schools and some middle schools. Also, middle and high school student ID badges have been distributed.

After a recent test with 350 agencies that included Miami Beach, Fla., the social media giant Facebook is making its emergency alerts tool available to any government page that wants to use it.

Forecasters had correctly predicted that Barry, which briefly reached hurricane on July 13, would form in the Gulf a week earlier. But complex weather patterns made it difficult to explain its threats to the public.

As Tropical Storm Dorian brews in the Atlantic, it’s still too early to say what effects, if any, could be felt here in South Florida. But it’s not too early to start getting ready with a well-stocked hurricane kit.

The city-owned utility has rolled out a new Damage Assessment Restoration Toolset ahead of hurricane season. The real-time software will deliver "quicker information, better information and more accurate information."

The San Francisco Department of Emergency Management is evaluating when and how to alert Bay Area residents in the event of an earthquake as proximity to San Andreas and Hayward faults make timing tricky.

Louisiana, of course, has a long history of natural disasters, although anyone who lived in New Orleans when Katrina hit 14 years ago will tell you that it would have been a non-event if the federal levees hadn’t failed.

Dane County, Wis., this year allocated $23.8 million for flood-related expenses, including sand-bagging machines, temporary barriers and pumps. Other expenses are for preventing future floods.

Redfora, a San Francisco company that sells earthquake bags, said it went from selling hundreds of kits to thousands in one week after the recent quakes. Earth Shakes in Burlingame, which operates a small store and a website, also saw sales spike.

Just one named storm — Hurricane Barry — has formed since the official start of hurricane season. That lack of tropical cyclones between June 1 and mid-August hasn't happened in two decades.

How the Medical University of South Carolina, a 700-bed medical center with six colleges, honed its crisis communications strategy and methodology and was able to continue operations during Hurricane Florence last September.

This small town of 5,600 holds a large county fair annually and garnered a $15,000 FEMA Homeland Security Grant to stage a full-scale mass-casualty drill where a suspected gas leak turns into a massive, chaotic accident.