Town looks at emergency management plan
The Town of Fort Myers Beach is updating the way it responds to emergencies.
During Thursday’s Management & Planning meeting, Town Council had a good discussion about proposed updates to the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan.
Town Manager Roger Hernstadt said the town hadn’t done much to update its plan for years. The existing plan was adopted in 2006 and updates should be done annually so staff can examine best practices and see what other towns and cities have done that may be appropriate to incorporate.
“It’s a living, breathing document that needs to be reviewed annually based on what happens here and what we learn from others,” Hernstadt said.
Councilmember Rexann Hosafros asked if they could do a dry run to make sure the plan would work. Hernstadt said much of what happens is done through Lee County, but the town also needs to do its part.
Following Hurricane Irma, staff, with the assistance of Early Alert, updated the CEM Plan. A draft plan was distributed to Town Council for review on April 4. Council will be asked to approve the plan at a future meeting.
After Irma, the main priority was to get gas stations open so people could get fuel to run their generators, Hosafros said, adding that the town needs to do a better job getting information out to the public, not just during emergencies, but in general.
Hosafros also added that the plan had too much “aspirational language” where you have to read what you hope to do before getting to the nitty gritty of what the plan calls for getting done.
Mayor Anita Cereceda suggested a structural team, like Sanibel has, to be proactive in tackling situations such as power failures and other emergencies before they have impact in the aftermath. An example would be tree limbs that cut out transformers.
She also asked if there is a way for the Town to know who is on island and who left, who came to the aid, what services went out first, and the like. Hernstadt said he could come back with an update.
Other ideas included having sandbags ready in advance so people can get them when needed rather than residents having to fill them.
The full, draft plan is available from the Town Clerk’s office. Once the plan is adopted by Town Council, which is expected to bring it to a vote on June 3, it will be posted to the town’s website.
Also, Rae Burns, Environmental & Stormwater technician, talked about an ordinance designed to ban the use of glyphosate to kill weeds in town.
Chemical seepage into the water would impact the organisms living there, she said, adding studies have been done throughout the world and it has been linked to red tide and could kill seagrass and other reef organisms.
Councilmember Bruce Butcher said he’s surprised that something that has been said to be cancerous is still being used.
Burns said the chemical has not been thoroughly tested for cancerous properties.
Most council members said that the vast majority of residents in town have Round-Up and other herbicides.
Cereceda said she did not want another “aspirational” ordinance, rather to list the item, tell them what the chemical does and tell them it is now an ordinance, a law.
Hernstadt said it would be difficult for the town to play lawn police, but they could champion water quality and encourage continued stewardship on the island.
“I think it’s imperative to be good environmental stewards. I think we need the data behind it and the tie-in to our fertilizer ordinance,” said Councilmember Joanne Shamp. “We need to inform the commercial companies of the ban as well.”
The Town Council also discussed changes in the street performer ordinance and reviewed the Newton Beach Park strategic plan.