hurricane irma (fema dr-4337) (florida em-3385) after ...€¦ · (aar) real world event: hurricane...
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Hurricane Irma
(FEMA DR-4337)
(Florida EM-3385)
After-Action Report /
Improvement Plan
(AAR / IP)
After-Action Report (AAR) Real World Event: Hurricane Irma
2
Project /
Event Hurricane Irma After Action Report
Date(s) December 18, 2017
Purpose
The purpose of this After Action Report / Improvement Plan is
to detail the preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation
activities, conducted by Citrus County Emergency Support
Functions / Policy Group / Operations before, during, and after
Hurricane Irma.
Mission Excellence in Public Safety
Sponsor Citrus County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Management
Participating
Organizations Emergency Support Functions (ESF) 01-18
Point of
Contact
Event Coordinator:
Captain David M. DeCarlo
Emergency Management Director
Citrus County Sheriff’s Office
3549 Saunders Way
Lecanto, Florida 34461
352-249-2738
Prepared by:
Chris Evan
Deputy Director of Emergency Operations
Citrus County Sheriff’s Office
3549 Saunders Way
Lecanto, Florida 34461
352-249-2703
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Hurricane Irma Event Summary…………..………..
Executive Summary……………………………....…
State of Emergency Declaration Timeline...….....
EOC Specific Procedures……………………....….
Analysis of Objectives & Core Capabilities…....
Summary of Core Capability Performance….…
Preparedness……………………………..................
Response…………………………………………...…
Recovery…………………………………………..…..…
Mitigation…………………………………………….…..…
Improvement Plan……………………………..…..…
Unusual Incidents During the Event………..………...
Summary…………………………………………....…..
Appendix:
1. ALERT Citrus Data……………..…………..
2. Shelter List……………..…………………..
3. Power Outages…………………………………
4. Flooding / River Data…………………..……
5. Federal Assistance……………………..…….
6. FEMA DSAT Summary………………………….
7. Debrief Participants…………………………
Supplemental Information:
1. ESF Staffing………………………………………..
2. Calls for Service………………………………
3. Mutual Aid……………………………………..
4. Citizen Information Lines (CIL)…………….
Photographs………………………………………..….
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HURRICANE IRMA EVENT SUMMARY:
(Source: NOAA 2017)
Hurricane Irma was a classic Cape Verde hurricane that will long be remembered
for its severity and wide-ranging impacts to several islands in the Caribbean Sea
and Florida. Like many of the most notorious Atlantic hurricanes, Irma began as a
weak wave of low pressure accompanied by disorganized showers and
thunderstorms which emerged off the west African coast on August 27th, near
the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season (Fig. 1). Such disturbances move off the
African coast every few days during August and September, however, most of
them fail to develop into tropical cyclones. This can be due to a number of
factors, including blasts of dry, stable air from the Saharan desert, strong upper-
level westerly winds, or a lack of the necessary atmospheric “spin” needed to
generate a counterclockwise circulation.
In late August and early September, however, the atmospheric and oceanic
conditions in the tropical Atlantic were favorable for tropical cyclone
development. Sea surface temperatures were above average (generally in the
lower to mid 80s F across the tropical Atlantic), and there was an area of light
winds in the upper atmosphere, which allowed the developing storm circulation
to grow vertically deep (Fig. 2).
Fig. 1 National Hurricane Center’s 5-day forecast probability for a tropical disturbance
emerging off the west African coast on August 27th. Image courtesy of NHC.
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Fig. 2 Upper-level flow (white lines with arrows), based on satellite estimates of 200 mb winds
(40,000 ft AGL). Image is vertical wind shear in knots, with black and dark blue being most
favorable for tropical cyclone intensification (i.e. light wind shear). Hurricane Irma shown using
red hurricane symbol. Image courtesy of UW CIMMs.
Tropical Storm Irma formed in the far eastern Atlantic Ocean, just west of the
Cape Verde Islands, on the morning of August 30th. Over the following 30 hours
Irma intensified into a major hurricane with highest sustained winds of 115 MPH, a
category-3 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Such rapid
strengthening is unusual for storms in the far eastern Atlantic. Irma’s intensity
remained fairly steady for the next few days while moving into a region with drier
air aloft (Fig. 3)
Fig. 3 Water vapor image. Image courtesy of UW CIMMs.
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As Irma began to approach the northern Leeward Islands on September 4th and
5th, the hurricane rapidly intensified while moving over warmer water and into a
more moist atmosphere. The storm became a rare category-5 hurricane on
September 5th, with maximum sustained winds of 185 MPH. This made Irma the
strongest hurricane ever observed in the open Atlantic Ocean, and one of only 5
hurricanes with measured winds of 185 MPH or higher in the entire Atlantic basin.
Over the next few days Irma continued moving west, passing through the
northeast Leeward Islands, Virgin Islands, and just north of the islands of Puerto
Rico and Hispaniola, while maintaining its category-5 winds. While category-5
hurricanes are rare, it is even more rare for such storms to maintain this status for
such a long period of time. Irma was a category-5 hurricane for 3 days (Fig. 4).
Fig. 4 Satellite montage of Irma using GOES IR images and NHC advisories. Courtesy of UW
CIMMS.
While it will take time to realize all of the impacts from Irma, some were
immediately apparent, even from space. Fig. 5 shows the massive defoliation
across some of the Virgin Islands which were struck by Irma at peak intensity. The
islands, which used to appear green to the special satellite sensor due to their
dense coverage of plants and trees, are now brown.
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Fig. 5 NASA’s landsat-8 satellite images, before & after Irma.
The storm finally “weakened” to a category-4 hurricane on September 8th, but
still had devastating winds of 155 MPH while moving through the southern
Bahamas. Irma intensified to a category-5 level once again that evening, with
top winds of 160 MPH, as it approached the northern coast of Cuba. Irma moved
west along or just inland from the northern coast of Cuba on September 9th. This
interaction with land disrupted Irma’s structure a bit, as a hurricane requires plenty
of deep warm water beneath the storm’s center to maintain the extremely low
pressure and strong winds. Thus Irma weakened slightly to a category-3 hurricane
with winds of 125 MPH.
For many days Irma had been steered steadily westward across the tropical
Atlantic and Caribbean islands by a strong ridge in the mid to upper atmosphere
(10k to 30k ft AGL) to Irma’s north. The numerical weather prediction models,
which are used by forecasters to help them predict the future track and intensity
of hurricanes, had consistently forecast this ridge to weaken somewhere around
Florida. However, these models differed as to exactly when or where this would
occur, so that Irma’s forecast tracks ranged from just off the east coast of Florida
to the extreme eastern Gulf of Mexico. This breakdown in the high pressure ridge
finally began to develop September 9th, and Irma made its much anticipated
turn to the northwest, into the Florida Straits (Fig. 6).
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Fig. 6 Estimated steering currents for Hurricane Irma on the afternoon of September 9th. White
lines with arrows indicate direction of steering, image indicates forward speed. Note Irma’s
location over the north coast of Cuba, between the Bermuda ridge to the east and a ridge
over the western Gulf of Mexico. The mid-upper trough between these ridges steered Irma to
the northwest, then north. Image courtesy of UW CIMMs.
Resilient Irma made a final attempt to re-intensify while crossing the open waters
of the Florida Straits. The storm quickly reached category-4 intensity with 130 MPH
winds early in the morning of September 10th, while approaching the vulnerable
Florida Keys. Fortunately for much of the rest of Florida, Irma finally began to
encounter unfavorable atmospheric conditions for hurricanes. The shear, which
had been so light for so long, was rapidly increasing in Irma’s path as a trough of
low pressure developed in the Gulf of Mexico (Fig. 7). Additionally, dry air
associated with this trough was beginning to disrupt Irma’s inner core.
Fig. 7 Upper-level flow (white lines with arrows), based on satellite estimates of 200 mb winds
(40,000 ft AGL). Image is vertical wind shear in knots, with yellows and reds being unfavorable
for tropical cyclones (i.e. strong wind shear). Note Irma’s location over southwest Florida on
the afternoon of September 10th. Image courtesy of UW CIMMs.
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The major hurricane made landfall near Marco Island in southwest Florida around
3 pm EDT on September 10th, as a category-3 storm with 115 MPH. Naples, Florida
reported a peak wind gust of 142 MPH. Irma moved quickly northward, just inland
from the west coast of Florida on September 10th and 11th. When Irma first
developed in the far eastern Atlantic, despite its strength, its wind field was quite
small. As the storm approached Florida, however, its wind field expanded
dramatically. As Irma hit Florida, tropical storm force winds extended outward up
to 400 miles from the center, and hurricane force winds extended up to 80 miles.
Hurricane force wind gusts (i.e. 74 MPH or more) were reported along much of
the east coast of Florida, from Jacksonville to Miami. In addition to the long
periods of heavy rain and strong winds, storm surge flooding also occurred well
away from the storm center, including the Jacksonville area, where strong and
persistent onshore winds had been occurring for days before Irma’s center made
its closest approach.
By the time the minimal hurricane reached northwest Florida (on the morning of
September 11th), the wind gusts across south Georgia and northwest Florida were
generally in the 45 to 60 MPH range (Fig. 8). Conditions improved rapidly once the
storm center passed by as strong, dry southwest winds aloft made the system
asymmetric, with nearly all of the rain and most of the strongest winds being along
and north of the poorly-defined center. Irma weakened to a tropical storm in
south Georgia in the afternoon, and further into a tropical depression while
moving north across central Georgia in the evening.
Fig. 8 Measured local wind gusts associated with Irma.
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The residents of northwest Florida and south Georgia were fortunate compared
to much of the rest of Florida. Had Irma taken its turn to the north slightly later, the
center of Irma would have remained offshore the Florida west coast. Irma would
still have weakened due to the increasingly unfavorable atmospheric conditions,
but this weakening trend may have been slower with the center still over the warm
waters of the eastern Gulf of Mexico. A slightly more western track could also have
allowed for a brief period of onshore winds in Apalachee Bay, increasing the risk
for storm surge. Irma’s track to the east of Tallahassee resulted in a prolonged
period of strong offshore winds, which actually kept the tides in Apalachee Bay
lower than normal for much of the event.
Fig. 10 Satellite IR image showing Hurricane Irma, one of the strongest hurricanes ever in
the Atlantic basin, near peak intensity on the afternoon of September 6th, just north of Puerto
Rico. Maximum sustained winds are 185 MPH, and central pressure is 914 mb on the 5 pm EDT
NHC advisory. Image courtesy of UW CIMMs.
Coldest clouds are shown in white, warmest surface temperatures in blue. Note
the perfectly circular cloud pattern, the warm spot (the eye of the hurricane,
where the satellite sensor can “see” to the warm ocean surface) surrounded by
the symmetrical ring of extremely cold (tall) thunderstorm cloud tops, and the
fanning out of thin, high-level clouds indicative of air being evacuated from the
core of the storm. This is a textbook image of how an intense hurricane appears
in a low shear, moist atmosphere with very warm water below.
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Fig. 11 Satellite IR image showing the center of Hurricane Irma, as a minimal hurricane, along the
northwest Florida coast just inland from Cedar Key early in the morning of September 11th.
Maximum sustained winds are 75 MPH, and central pressure is 965 mb on the 5 am EDT NHC
advisory. Image courtesy of UW CIMMs.
Note how the coldest cloud tops (white) are north and east of the storm center.
This is due to strong wind shear (from strong southwest winds in the upper
atmosphere), and dry air in the mid and upper levels of the atmosphere wrapping
into the storm, and the fact that the hurricane’s center had been over land for at
least 12 hours.
https://www.weather.gov/tae/Irma_technical_summary (2017)
NOTE: (Inserted with no grammatical corrections from original posting)
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Citrus County, Florida, was one of the many Florida counties impacted by
Hurricane Irma. In response to this severe weather event, the Emergency
Operations Center eventually stood up to full activation. During the time of
activation, Emergency Support Function (ESF) personnel staffed key positions. The
policy group, led by Emergency Management Director, Captain David DeCarlo,
met multiple times in preparation for the storm. (See associated supporting data and SITREP’s in
WebEOC)
Hurricane Irma prompted a local state of emergency and mandatory
evacuations of the following areas: West of Hwy 19, 1.5 miles east of Hwy 19
excluding Sugarmill Woods Subdivision, the City of Crystal River, all low lying areas
of the county and persons residing in mobile homes, manufactured homes and
all unsafe structures throughout the county.
The evacuation of south Florida placed stress on the roadways and fueling
stations throughout the state. Many Citrus County fuel stations ran out of fuel.
Residents were not able to obtain fuel, which made it even more challenging for
emergency and utility personnel to maintain adequate fuel onboard to respond
to normal calls for service and needs. The state of Florida was providing law
enforcement fuel escorts however these were going to the lower portions of the
peninsula or larger cities. That response did not account for smaller counties or
cities that were taking the brunt of the evaluation traffic through their jurisdictions
and the fuel demands. Whenever a fuel station refueled, it was empty a short
time later.
The Alert Citrus system, provided by the State of Florida and supported by
EverBridge, was used a total of 17 times and was a valuable asset for notifying
residents and businesses of evacuations, situations and general updates before
and after the impact of Hurricane Irma (Appendix 1).
Shelters, including general population, pet friendly and special needs were
opened as mass care was required (Appendix 2). Due to lack of American Red
Cross personnel, the shelters were opened and operated by the Citrus County
School District, with the exception of the College of Central Florida where it was
operated by college staff and members of Citrus County Community Emergency
Response Team (CERT). Thanks to the Florida National Guard, troops were
dispatched to some schools to assist with shelter operations. The Florida
Department of Health operated the Special Needs Shelter. Many more people
than those who had previously registered showed up at the Special Needs Shelter,
causing serious strain on space, equipment and personnel. The Pet Friendly
shelter was unable to maintain the inflow of animals so they were displaced to
other overflow areas. Equipment to house the animals was scarce.
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Citrus County was expecting to see hurricane force winds strike its jurisdictional
boundary. Fortunately, there was a dry front that moved in to the west side of our
coastline, matching it almost ‘perfectly.’ The hurricane force winds moved north-
northwest towards the east county boundary, causing this ‘sandwich’ effect.
Overall, Citrus County fared well, with almost no significant winds, with the
exception along that eastern boundary. The east side, which included Floral City
and Inverness, experienced winds that were more significant. In the end, many
trees fell.
Based on a significant threat of dangerous winds, Law, Fire and EMS ceased
response at a certain point due to the risk to emergency responders. This risk was
ascertained from the monitoring of National Weather Service information, wind
gauges and field reporting.
Power was lost to many homes and businesses (Appendix 3). Several homes and
structures did receive damage from trees striking or impaling the structure. There
were no reports of homes, businesses or structures that were collapsed or
destroyed due to high winds. A portion of Turner Camp Road was washed out
and county officials had to respond along with supporting state agencies. It
should be noted that very few people reported information to Emergency
Management regarding damage. Unlike a flood or surge event where the areas
are quite clear, the damage was so sporadic that pinpointing specific areas was
challenging.
Excessive rainfall from Hurricane Irma caused the Green Swamp to overflow its
boundaries. That water flowed into the Withlacoochee River. It took over two
weeks after Hurricane Irma passed for the water to flow from the Green Swamp
to Citrus County along the river. Several homes in the Istachatta area, Turner
Camp Road and Arrowhead community were inundated with floodwaters. It
took almost two and a half weeks after the peak of the flooding, well over nine
feet at Arrowhead, to recede (Appendix 4).
Warnings were broadcast along the lower section of the Withlacoochee River
due to increased water turbulence and flow. No reported damage or injuries
occurred. Boat ramps and entry points were closed.
After the storm passed, Citrus County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Management
made direct request through the State of Florida for Federal Assistance. Citrus
County, along with many other Florida counties, were immediately made eligible
for both Individual (IA) and Public Assistance (PA) through FEMA (Appendix 5 &
6).
Due to the overwhelming nature of the storms impact on the state of Florida and
ongoing disasters throughout the United States, FEMA personnel staffing for Citrus
County was limited. For example, a fixed Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) was
requested immediately post storm, however, it was not deployed. Subsequently,
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a FEMA Mobile DRC was dispatched and established at the Citrus County
Resource Center, but only until the beginning of November, well past post storm
time. This did not preclude residents in the county from signing up for disaster
assistance. The DisasterAssistance.gov web address and toll free number were
provided by several media methods to residents and business owners right after
the storm. Presentations to citizens and businesses were conducted to get the
word out. The Citrus County Sheriff’s Office and Board of County Commissioners
had computer work stations set up in county libraries and CCSO offices to allow
citizens to come in and make application to FEMA. DSAT teams also assisted at
several events to provide sign up capability along with in the field contact.
In response to that request, Citrus County received the following Federal
assistance:
1. FEMA DSAT or Disaster Assistance Survivors Team (Deployed September 21,
2017) (Statistics – see Appendix 1)
2. FEMA Blue Roof Team (for temporary roof coverings)
3. FEMA Mobile Disaster Recovery Center (DRC)
4. FEMA Individual Assistance (IA) and Public Assistance (PA) granted along
with Small Business Association (SBA) loans.
5. Food for Florida Disaster Food Assistance Program (USDA and Florida DCF).
6. USDA Farmers and Ranchers Assistance Program.
Social media outlets was utilized heavily before, during and after the disaster.
Static information, along with live streaming to keep the citizens informed, were
utilized. Sheriff Prendergast did appear on radio stations discussing Hurricane
Irma.
One operation and one community outreach were conducted in response to
Hurricane Irma. The operation was performed in Arrowhead, where Sheriff’s
Volunteers and Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) went door to door
informing residents of the impending flooding of the Withlacoochee. The
community outreach was conducted in Arrowhead after the flood waters
receded. Members of CCSO Emergency Management and Community
Emergency Response Team (CERT), along with the American Red Cross and FEMA
distributed 280 American Red Cross cleanout kits.
The Salvation Army, churches and not for profits provided food, water and other
basic necessities for Citrus County residents who did not have power or the ability
to go to work to earn a living.
On October 27, 2017, a Post Hurricane Irma Debrief was conducted at the EOC
in Lecanto, Florida, to discuss the four main objectives (Appendix 7).
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STATE OF EMERGENCY DECLARATION TIMELINE
September 4, 2017 State of Florida declared by Governor Rick Scott
September 5, 2017 Citrus County federally declared for Category A and B
September 6, 2017 Citrus County declared a Local State of Emergency by
Citrus County Board of County Commissioners
September 10, 2017 Citrus County BOCC declares a curfew
September 13, 2017 Citrus County federally declared for Individual
Assistance and Small Business Administration Assistance
EOC SPECIFIC PROCEDURES
The Citrus County Emergency Operations Center moved to the following levels in
response to the storm: (Level 1 Full) (Level 2 Partial) (Level 3 Monitoring)
To Level 2: September 8, 2017 14:00 hours
To Level 1: September 9, 2017 06:00 hours
To Level 2: September 11, 2017 22:00 hours
To Level 3: September 12, 2017 18:00 hours
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Analysis of Objectives & Core Capabilities
Objective
Addressed
in Current
CEMP?
Performed
without
Challenge
s (P)
Performed
with Some
Challenge
s (S)
Performed
with Major
Challenge
s (M)
Unable to
be
Performed
(U)
Preparedness
(Activation, sheltering,
staffing, equipment)
YES X
Response
(Personnel and
Equipment)
YES X
Recovery
(Response & Assistance
from local, county,
state, federal partners)
YES X
Mitigation YES X
Ratings Definitions:
Performed without Challenges (P): The targets and critical tasks associated with the core capability were completed
in a manner that achieved the objective(s) and did not negatively impact the performance of other activities.
Performance of this activity did not contribute to additional health and/or safety risks for the public or for
emergency workers, and it was conducted in accordance with applicable plans, policies, procedures, regulations,
and laws.
Performed with Some Challenges (S): The targets and critical tasks associated with the core capability were
completed in a manner that achieved the objective(s) and did not negatively impact the performance of other
activities. Performance of this activity did not contribute to additional health and/or safety risks for the public or for
emergency workers, and it was conducted in accordance with applicable plans, policies, procedures, regulations,
and laws. However, opportunities to enhance effectiveness and/or efficiency were identified.
Performed with Major Challenges (M): The targets and critical tasks associated with the core capability were
completed in a manner that achieved the objective(s), but some or all of the following were observed:
demonstrated performance had a negative impact on the performance of other activities; contributed to
additional health and/or safety risks for the public or for emergency workers; and/or was not
conducted in accordance with applicable plans, policies, procedures, regulations, and laws.
Unable to be Performed (U): The targets and critical tasks associated with the core capability were not
performed in a manner that achieved the objective(s).
Table 1. Summary of Core Capability Performance
The following section(s) provide an overview of the performance related to
each objective, highlighting strengths, areas for improvement and / or general
information.
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[Preparedness] Shelters:
1. Further Department of Health involvement in Special Needs registry
screening.
2. Possible change of Special Needs shelter to Citrus High School.
3. Design a systematic procedure for the opening of shelters and tracking of
those in shelters.
4. Open shelters throughout the county, such as the east side, to
accommodate those living in those areas.
5. More staffing and support for shelter operations.
6. Better preplanning by Assisted Living and Nursing Homes for evacuation,
transportation and alternate locations.
7. Year round information provided to the community on preparedness and
shelter information.
General:
1. Use more public radio broadcasts for information.
2. Review traffic signal timing for protracted evacuations.
3. Review network for better data connection between EOC and Lecanto
Government Building (LGB).
4. Review the amount of sand bags that are handed out county wide for
possible flood / surge events.
5. Develop a ‘search’ capability for certain fields in WebEOC. (Complete)
6. Work with the utilities to develop an updated critical facilities list.
7. Ensure that the courthouse and other government offices are
communicated with regarding closings, etc.
8. Train personnel and utilize C-STAR.
9. Review ESF / Policy Group briefing schedule.
10. Maintain all tree trimming schedules and do not deviate.
11. Strategic placements of law enforcement at grocery stores and fueling
locations.
12. Develop contingency plan for additional fuel reserves.
[Response] General:
1. Reconfigure Citizen Information Lines room with more desk space and
phones. (Complete)
2. Better educate the community on non-functional traffic signals at
intersections (how to understand and drive safety).
3. Reminder that the FDLE agent assigned to the EOC is the state clearing
house officer for mutual aid for law enforcement.
4. Enhanced Emergency Support Function and WebEOC training.
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5. Review the expansion of radio interoperability in the county especially with
out-of-state resources.
6. Provide a way to mark downed power lines, poles, etc., to prevent
duplicate response to calls for service.
7. Need enhanced ESF transportation support at the EOC.
[Recovery]
1. Enhance the pairing of public works and power utility contractors in
clearing key areas.
2. Create working groups to provide solutions to issues including sleeping
quarters.
3. Explore the acquiring of resources, storage and transportation for Special
Needs shelter equipment.
4. Review potential enhancement to the documentation in WebEOC
regarding the ordering of resources.
[Mitigation]
The Citrus County Board of County Commissioners has a Local Mitigation Strategy
(LMS) Group that works to perform mitigation within the county, based on any
available funding. No information has been provided at this time. The LMS Group
will be meeting in 2018 and will review mitigation strategies based upon the
lessons learned during Hurricane Irma.
After-Action Report (AAR) Real World Event: Hurricane Irma
Improvement Plan
The Citrus County Director of Emergency Management will be responsible
for establishing and delegating authority to manage the following
committees to discuss improvements as determined by this AAR and make
recommendations:
Mass Care / Sheltering – to include high populations of special needs, pet
friendly and general population needs. In addition, the need for shelter
training and adequate personnel to facilitate shelter operations.
Housing – to include housing of citizens displaced in the future by
damaging storms.
Communication – to include interoperability.
Privacy / Media – to include HIPPA act and special needs.
Fuel / Power – to include providing adequate fuel and resources to operate
vehicles, generators and equipment.
Preparedness – to include sand bag and other preparedness exercises.
Technology – to include networking, printing and other technology issues.
Deadlines / Timelines to be set forth by the Director of Emergency
Management.
Kings Bay - Crystal River
Extreme Low Tide Experienced 19
After-Action Report (AAR) Real World Event: Hurricane Irma
Citrus County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Management FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Unusual Incidents During the Event:
1. Rainwater was driven into the EOC fresh air intake vents. This caused water
to enter the HVAC room, which in turn caused water to flow into one of the
ground floor rooms. This poses an issue for future storms.
2. Due to power failures, the main weather reporting sites within Citrus County
failed. Emergency Management utilized live feeds from independent
systems to monitor weather and wind speeds.
Summary:
Hurricane Irma was an unprecedented storm that caused death and destruction
to many parts of Florida. Citrus County fared well as we were sitting between two
weather fronts.
The members of local government, private and nonprofit groups such as
churches, did an outstanding job preparing and responding to the needs of our
community.
Many areas of improvement were identified and will be addressed, however
none negatively impacted the preparedness, response or recovery to Hurricane
Irma.
END OF REPORT
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After-Action Report (AAR) Real World Event: Hurricane Irma
Citrus County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Management FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Appendix 1: ALERT CITRUS DATA
Number of Alert Citrus
Messages Sent: 17
Number of Contacts
Sent to: 536,666
Total for all 17
messages (includes
repeats)
Appendix 2: SHELTER LIST
Shelter Total # of Persons Type
Lecanto Primary School 405 Pet Friendly Shelter
Lecanto Middle School 426
General Population &
Pet Overflow
Forest Ridge Elementary School 453 General Population
Central Ridge Elementary School 192 General Population
Lecanto High School 969 General Population
Renaissance Center 265 Special Needs
College of Central Florida 125
Shelter of Last Resort &
Pet Friendly
Citrus Springs Community Center Varied
Shelter Needs Transition
Location
Total number of pets at all shelters: 622
Appendix 3: POWER OUTAGES (Residential and Commercial)
Utility # Reported at Peak
Duke Energy Florida 46,697
Withlacoochee River
Electric Company & Sumter Electric
Company Combined 41,017
TOTAL: 87,714
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Citrus County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Management FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Appendix 4: FLOODING - RIVER DATA
The Green Swamp received an excessive amount of water during
Hurricane Irma. Excessive water from the Green Swamp flows into the
Withlacoochee River. Weeks following the passing of Hurricane Irma, Citrus
County received the excess flow causing flooding along the banks of the
river.
Green Swamp WMA consists of 50,692 acres in Lake, Polk, and Sumter counties. Also known as Green Swamp East, this area is part of the approximately 110,000 acres purchased to protect the land and water resources of the Green Swamp Basin. Green
Swamp is a critical recharge area for the Floridian aquifer as well as the source of the Hillsborough, Withlacoochee, Ocklawaha, and Peace rivers. Most of the landscape is pine flatwoods, cypress domes, and hardwoods swamps. (FWC 2017)
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Withlacoochee River at Dunnellon
Rainbow River near Dunnellon
After-Action Report (AAR) Real World Event: Hurricane Irma
Citrus County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Management FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Withlacoochee River at Holder
Withlacoochee River at Croom (Hernando County)
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After-Action Report (AAR) Real World Event: Hurricane Irma
Citrus County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Management FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Appendix 5: Federal Assistance Program Total
Operation Blue Roof
53 Right of Entry Forms Completed
32 Assessments
27 ‘Blue Roofs’ Provided
Temporary Housing Assistance
# of Registrants Eligible: 4,545
# of Households ‘Checked In:’ 90 persons
# of Persons in Extension Period: 96
# of Persons still checked in as of 12/15/2017: 9
# of Persons Checked Out: 81
Individual Assistance (IA) Total Number of Applicants for Federal assistance:
14,335
Total of amount of money paid for Citrus County as of
12/20/2017: $4,334,130
Disaster Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (D-SNAP)
Pre-registered applications: 6202
Pre-registered approved: 6171
Pre-registered denied: 31
APPENDIX 6: FEMA DSAT SUMMARY
Homes Visited 3650
Survivor Interactions 4118
Survivor Registrations 158
Case Inquires 87
Case Updates 21
Whole Community Referrals 93
Unresolved Needs 0
Community Locations Visited 274
Private Sector Visited 50
Rental Resources Provided 0
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After-Action Report (AAR) Real World Event: Hurricane Irma
Citrus County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Management FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
APPENDIX 7: EVENT PARTICIPANTS (DEBRIEF)
Participating Organizations
Citrus County
Florida Department of Health in Citrus County
Citrus County Sheriff’s Office, Emergency Management
Citrus County Board of County Commissioners
Citrus County School District
Citrus County Sheriff’s Office
Citrus County Clerk of the Court
Citrus Memorial Hospital
City of Crystal River
City of Inverness
Florida Department of Law Enforcement
Duke Energy Florida
Citrus County Fire Rescue (Formerly Citrus County Sheriff’s Office Fire Rescue)
Nature Coast EMS
Citrus County Clerk of the Court
Nature Coast Volunteer Center
Citrus County Community Emergency Response Team
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After-Action Report (AAR) Real World Event: Hurricane Irma
Citrus County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Management FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Supplement 1: ESF Staffing During Hurricane Irma
Emergency Support Functions Staffed
ESF 1 Transportation Yes
ESF 2 Communication Yes
ESF 3 Public Works Yes
ESF 5 Information and Planning Yes
ESF 6 Mass Care Yes
ESF 7 Logistics Yes
ESF 8 Health and Medial Yes
ESF 9 Search and Rescue Yes
ESF 10 Hazmat Yes
ESF 11 Food and Water Yes
ESF 12 Energy Yes
ESF 13 Military Support Yes
ESF 14 Public Information Yes
ESF 15 Volunteers and Donations Partial
ESF 16 Law Enforcement Yes
ESF 17 Animal Service Yes
ESF 18 Business, Industry and Economy No
Supplement 2: Calls for Service Date Law Fire EMS TOTAL:
09/10/2017
(Pre Storm) 259 71 63 393
09/11/2017
(Post Storm) 798 346 97 1,241
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After-Action Report (AAR) Real World Event: Hurricane Irma
Citrus County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Management FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Supplement 3: Mutual Aid
Team / Unit Location Situation
Sheriff’s SMART
(Sheriff’s Mutual Aid
Response Team)
Collier County
Santa Fe River flooding
between Columbia
and Alachua
Counties.
Tanker 7 (Fire Rescue) Naples, Florida
Key West, Florida
Fire and Rescue
assistance.
Supplement 4: Citizen Information Lines Number of Calls Received Approximately 7,000
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After-Action Report (AAR) Real World Event: Hurricane Irma
Citrus County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Management FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
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After-Action Report (AAR) Real World Event: Hurricane Irma
Citrus County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Management FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
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