Hurricane Facts: What if a major storm hits Orlando?

The National Hurricane Center reminds residents and community leaders to take precautions against an active hurricane season.

Orange County has the same message for residents as the June 1 start of the season approaches.

“From high winds to tornadoes and flooding, hurricanes can present a variety of severe weather,” Orange wrote on its website. “Your ability to plan ahead will be your best protection against injury and damage to your home and property.”

As Orange vocalizes its concerns of caution, county leaders practice what they preach and have an action plan ready in case “the big one” rips through Orlando.

To date, Orlando has never had the eye of a major hurricane pass over it since records were kept, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

A major hurricane is defined by the NHC as a Category 3 storm or greater, or a storm with winds stronger than 110 mph. The closest storm to do so was 2004′s Hurricane Charley.

While it made landfall in southwest Florida as a Category 4 hurricane and remained a major hurricane as far as Polk County with dangerous winds, it diminished to Category 1 strength by the time it entered Orange. The Orlando International Airport did record one gust of 105 mph.

Other storms have kept Central Florida residents on their toes, but fortunately, residents have not had to deal with the fallout of a major storm.

At the start of May, Orange’s emergency management chief, Lauraleigh Avery, began looking at the National Hurricane Center’s Atlantic forecast, just in case, an early storm should form before June 1. Avery officially accepted the emergency management position last June and has worked throughout the pandemic with the division on high alert with much of her day consumed by talking about how to prevent the spread of COVID.

Avery said she welcomes conversations about hurricane season. It’s a topic that deserves serious attention but also it’s not COVID-19, Avery said. Still, as the start of the season creeps closer, she’s working to make sure Orange is ready for the worst possible scenario.

“We always plan for a Category 5; the highest storm possible because we never know. Plan for the worst, hope for the best. We plan all year round,” Avery said.

Prior to a storm developing, Orange County spends time and money gathering disaster relief supplies year-round and stashing them in its giant storage unit otherwise known as the Orange County Convention Center.

The center’s 7 million square feet of storage space make it the ideal place for county leaders to place reserves of water, food and fuel. Its space is also used as a placeholder for out-of-town first responder ambulances, strike teams and coastal helicopter rescue teams.

However, these teams are only in place after a storm is projected to go over Orlando. At that point, Mayor Jerry Demings would issue a state of emergency.

Similarly, Orlando prepares for the upcoming season by maintaining special equipment necessary for storm recovery. The Orlando Fire Department logistics division provides one chainsaw with every engine to assist in unsafe situations, emergency calls and to remove trees blocking roadways. Should Orlando residents need to report a downed tree after a storm, they are encouraged to call the non-emergency number 407-246-HELP.

When a storm does emerge in the Atlantic with a projection over Florida, that’s when Orange’s Emergency Operation Center is activated. Although, all things being normal, the EOC would activate a 21-step procedure program in which first responders, law enforcement, public works, engineering, communications, energy companies and hotel and theme park representatives would meet at Orange County Fire Rescue headquarters to coordinate a plan of response as the storm looms closer.

However, since the coronavirus is in play, only essential personnel would be asked to come to the EOC to maintain social distancing.

Next, Orange would send OCFR firefighters to residents living in trailers or other locations that could be compromised by water and wind, advising them to head to shelter.

That’s something Orange has a surplus of, Avery said.

“We’re very fortunate, here. We have 200 partners (hotels) and we have a strong partnership with Orange County Public Schools in response to a storm,” Avery said.

However, because of COVID-19, space could become an issue. As a result, Avery and the county are asking residents to consider alternative means of safety before planning on hunkering down in an Orange shelter.

“We’ll take anyone who comes to us,” she said. “But we’re encouraging people to have backup plans. Don’t make the shelters your first choice. We want them to consider family members or friends. If they have to come to the shelters, we’ll make room. We always plan for the worst.”

As emergency management chief, Avery spends a lot of time thinking about worst-case scenarios. She said her No. 1 concern is whether Orange residents will take hurricane season seriously. Avery’s fear is residents may feel as though they have heard emergency information ad nauseam after two years of COVID updates. As a result, they may not want to hear about preparing in advance.

“People have been in COVID zone for so long. My biggest fear is that no one prepares,” Avery said. Florida offers a hurricane preparedness sales tax holiday begins May 28 and runs to June 10. It exempts sales taxes on most things residents would need to weather a storm.

Avery suggests filling up old water bottles now.

“We have great water from our sinks. That’s a good way to prepare now if a big storm comes,” she said. “There are little steps people can take. Don’t wait to the last minute.”