Hurricane 'Scott' is bearing down on Florida's Space Coast. Damaging winds, storm surge and flooding are on the horizon. The time to prepare is past, but in Brevard County's Emergency Operations Center (EOC), it's calm, as it was before the storm.
And that's the point.
"We go through and simulate calls that we would receive here at the EOC," said Kimberly Prosser, EOC director.
With hurricane season on its way, emergency responders at EOC are preparing should a storm strike the Space Coast. The goal is for all of them to be on the same page when a hurricane strikes, Prosser explains.
That's why dozens of area public safety officials went through a mock hurricane situation at EOC in Rockledge Thursday. Officials discussed how to handle road closures, sand bags and helping kids stay safe. The EOC is the nerve center for emergency response during storms, linking state and local police, fire, city, county leaders and utility companies such as power and natural gas.
"It's highly unlikely we will go through a storm without some power outages, and we realize that our customers rely on us, so it's our priority to find a way to work with the local communities' EOCs to ensure that we are bringing them back. The traffic lights are on, hospitals have what they need," says Jennifer Schafer of Florida Power and Light.
All this work is to ensure the safety of residents and response teams. Prosser said that although this season is predicted to be another slow season, a storm has struck the state of Florida in 20 of the 27 past hurricane seasons.
"It only takes one to be a bad scene," she said.
Emergency leaders admit in hurricanes the high winds are dangerous, but storm surge is far more of an issue. In coastal areas, officials have to be mindful of the beachside population. It can require closing the Brevard's four causeways which link the mainland and the barrier island during evacuations.
All this to prepare for the worst, and hope for the best.
Hurricane season begins June 1 and ends November 30.