Hurricane season 2022: Marion County emergency management director talks about storm readiness

[Editor's note: This story was corrected to give the correct name of the Marion Emergency Radio Team (MERT).]

Five years ago, about a month before Hurricane Irma roared north up the spine of Florida, Preston Bowlin was named Marion County's newest emergency management director and has been improving county plans ever since.

It was, as some people described it, a baptism under fire. But that statement doesn't quite fit Bowlin, who has spent his entire career working in public safety and rescue fields that more than qualified him for the role.

Bowlin said he is "blessed that I have a good, you know, leadership, here from the sheriff, also from our county commissioners and working partners like the City of Ocala."

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Also, Bowlin came into the position with an extensive background in nearly every field needed to respond to a natural disaster, especially hurricanes. The 2022 hurricane season is June 1 through Nov. 30.

"I was a paramedic and I worked in the hospital system, so I know the inner workings inside an ER and how to plan and prepare for large events," he noted. "I was also a firefighter and was on a task force that deployed for search and rescue."

He added that "it has helped me to be a better planner in emergency management." Part of being a planner is to expect the unexpected.

Marion County's Emergency Management Director Preston Bowlin talked about Hurricane Dorian in 2019.
Marion County's Emergency Management Director Preston Bowlin talked about Hurricane Dorian in 2019.

And even then, as each new crisis arises, he must deal with it and add it to the overall plan later. "I see it from a little bit different perspective because I've been on the other side and that helps me see what the needs are."

The comments came during an interview with Bowlin about the upcoming hurricane season, which is predicted to be another above-average year. Bowlin discussed many topics, from sheltering to damage assessment.

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Slowly, but surely, many schools have been fitted with shutters

Dating back four years, it became apparent that Marion County was lacking enough "hardened" shelters, or those built to stricter hurricane codes established after Hurricane Andrew. Many Marion schools needed proper shutters and sufficient generator power.

Bowlin said West Port High School is a special needs shelter and shutters have been installed. He noted "only roll up doors remain to be done."

One new plan is that animals of people with special needs housed at the West Port shelter can stay with their owners. During Irma, pets were sheltered at a different location than West Port and owners were upset about that separation.

Bowlin said Liberty Middle School will also be an overflow special-needs shelter during large-scale emergencies. That school has a full-size generator and access to a large capacity of fuel.

Though South Ocala Elementary is being transformed, it will not be ready for this year.

"But we have gotten drawings complete and expect to start shutter installation in mid-May," Bowlin said.

About 200 people stayed at the Lake Weir High School hurricane shelter during Irma in 2017.
About 200 people stayed at the Lake Weir High School hurricane shelter during Irma in 2017.

There are many more shelters. Bowlin's team will issue a release about which ones will be open, depending on the event. Every emergency is different, which means not all shelters will be open during every event.

In some cases, shelters are opened to lodge people coming from the coast. Other times only regional shelters may be opened because of a forest fire. So during each emergency, look for shelter information.

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Marion County Emergency Management also purchased 20 iPads that have cellular capability. Those will be for the the Property Appraiser's Office to use in the aftermath of a hurricane, tornado or other disaster.

"So when we start doing damage assessment, (Marion County Property Appraiser) Jimmy Cowan's staff can do all their damage assessment on their iPads and can actually send it back to the office," Bowlin said.

A large oak tree fell on this Honda CRV at the Paddock Oaks Apartments in 2017 during Hurricane Irma.
A large oak tree fell on this Honda CRV at the Paddock Oaks Apartments in 2017 during Hurricane Irma.

He noted that "in the past, they were doing everything on paper and then they would take those reports and input those into the computer."

"So we're able to save a lot more time," Bowlin said. "And we will be able to get reports to Tallahassee, and to our county commissioners, much faster." He said that will mean real-time reporting to the state, which could mean faster state emergency response.

Bowlin said those iPads just arrived and were not available for the tornado that struck Marion County in March.

Better phones, backup location in case operations center damaged

Bowlin said that aging computers in the Marion County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) have been replaced and a citizen information hotline has been upgraded to handle more calls.

Emergency Management Director Preston Bowlin talks about Hurricane Irma during the first meeting of the EOC as Marion County prepared for the impact of Hurricane Irma in 2017.
Emergency Management Director Preston Bowlin talks about Hurricane Irma during the first meeting of the EOC as Marion County prepared for the impact of Hurricane Irma in 2017.

"We also now have a fully functioning backup EOC ready in case the main one ever caught fire, had a flood or had a catastrophic infrastructure failure," he noted. "This backup EOC is not anywhere close to the size of this one (main one)."

Officials said the backup center is at an undisclosed location within five miles of the main EOC, which is located behind the Marion County Sheriff's Office headquarters on Northwest 30th Avenue.

Ham radio operations another key to help with communications

Bowlin said amateur ham radio operators are key in keeping Marion County ready in case of a communication failure at the EOC or or a specific area of the county that is larger in size than Rhode Island.

Local ham operators belong to a group called the Marion County Amateur Radio Emergency Service, which has been testing equipment. In fact the group conducts a shelter communication check every week.

Motorists make their way through the flooded waters along Southeast 36th Avenue near Belleview in 2017 during the aftermath of Irma.
Motorists make their way through the flooded waters along Southeast 36th Avenue near Belleview in 2017 during the aftermath of Irma.

Ham operators can communicate with many surrounding counties, the hospital and other vital services.

"We also now have (radio) programs so that our ham operators can send emails, and again that's tested weekly," Bowlin said.

Bowlin said "all of our shelters with ham radios and antennas are being checked to make sure that they're able to communicate back to the EOC."

Marion County also has a very active community-led Marion Emergency Radio Team (MERT) and Citizen Emergency Response Team (CERT). Bowlin said many members of these citizen groups are also taking SKYWARN classes.

SKYWARN is a volunteer program through the National Weather Service. The group has 400,000 trained severe weather spotters throughout the nation.

County holding chainsaw classes for law enforcement officers

Bowlin said that immediately after a storm many trees are leveled and some of those fall across busy roadways. The Marion County Sheriff's Office used deputies during Irma to cut trees in the immediate aftermath.

"We've already conducted chainsaw classes for the specialty police units in the City of Ocala and the sheriff's office," he noted. "We utilize them to assist with clearing major roads, highways and state roads."

Area forest service employees use their staff to teach chainsaw classes.

Marion County emergency officials monitor Hurricane Dorian in 2019.
Marion County emergency officials monitor Hurricane Dorian in 2019.

"They go out into a field back here (behind the sheriff's office headquarters), where we bring in trees and put them in a scenario for them to clear a road," Bowlin said. "The training is open to all agencies here in Marion County."

Bowlin said the sheriff's office uses its SWAT and other specialized teams to be on chainsaw duty during a tornado or hurricane.

"We got plenty of chainsaws for them to go out to assist," Bowlin said.

Joe Callahan can be reached at (352) 817-1750 or at joe.callahan@starbanner.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoeOcalaNews.

This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Hurricane season 2022: Emergency officials look at storm readiness