Charlotte County EOC in full swing to respond to Hurricane Milton

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The Charlotte County Emergency Operations Center spoke with WINK News to discuss its efforts to provide aid during and after Hurricane Milton.

WINK News reporter Annalise Iraola went to the Charlotte County EOC and spoke with Public Information Officer Todd Dunn about what’s happening within the EOC as Milton impacts Southwest Florida.

The Emergency Operations Center is where coordination of emergency response and recovery activities are planned and executed.

Dunn said that department heads of different county departments gather to expedite decision-making.

“Once [Milton’s] clear, one of the first things is gonna be, in concert, it’ll be Public Works and Law Enforcement, EMS. Public Works crews are going to get out there and do an initial push,” Dunn explained. “They’re gonna clear the main roads so that the emergency crews can get out there.”

A lot of planning and preparation take place so they can best provide aid for the community when a crisis occurs.

“911 calls are triaged and put on a list and prioritized, so when it’s clear, they’re gonna start working off that list,” he said.

Dunn also said that if you’re interested in seeing the power outages in your area, you can check out the Florida Light and Power’s outage map on their website.

Around 8 p.m., everyone sheltered in place due to the high winds; once the winds reached a sustained speed of 40 mph, the emergency services came off the road, and the building locked down.

But what comes next after the storm has passed?

“We’ve been planning, we pre-staged equipment; our agency partners, forestry, FWC, National Guard, they all have brought high-water vehicles, tractors … we’ve got our high-water vehicles lined up and ready to go, so as soon as it’s safe to go out there we’re gonna start assessing the situation,” Dunn explained.

He also urges people to resist the temptation to go outside and see the storm’s aftermath until emergency crews can clear the roads.

Reminder: A curfew is in effect from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. starting Wednesday and until further notice. Businesses are also prohibited from selling alcohol during those times. Violating the curfew is a misdemeanor.

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