As the difficult task of cleaning up after the deadly Hurricane Charley continues, Southwest Florida Water Management District employees have mobilized to assist local governments clear roads and culverts, and transport and unload vital supplies.
District staff and equipment have been dispatched to Polk, Charlotte, Hardee and Highlands counties.
Polk County
Twenty-nine District employees, dispatched from the Bartow Service Office Incident Command Center, are working with Polk County Road Maintenance crews to clear roads and bridges in Fort Meade and Lake Wales. The District is also providing the use of a variety of heavy equipment, earth-moving machines and chain saws during the cleanup operation.
Six District employees are also assisting relief workers in Dundee by unloading supplies.
Extra staff is also on hand at the District’s Bartow Service Office to assist with field operations. A District mechanic is stationed there to maintain the equipment being used in cleanup operations. A District employee is clearing control structures. And a transport driver is also stationed there.
District staff also delivered 10 cases of bug spray to the Polk County Health Department.
Charlotte County
The District is sending two technicians to assist the city of Punta Gorda to do water quality sampling. The technicians will arrive in Punta Gorda tomorrow.
Hardee County
A District field response coordinator met with Hardee County Public Works personnel to do a ground assessment of the drainage systems in the Wauchula area and other portions of the county. A six-member crew from St. Johns River Water Management District will arrive tomorrow and operate under the supervision of the District field response coordinator.
Also, a District employee and bulldozer are assisting Hardee County to process the debris at the Hardee County landfill in Wauchula.
Highlands County
Six District employees are assisting with unloading supplies at three locations in Highlands County.
Statewide Tracking
Requests for assistance are being coordinated through the county Emergency Operation Centers (EOCs) and a statewide tracking system that acts as a database for relief efforts. The system was implemented after Hurricane Andrew struck south Florida in 1992. The goal is to more efficiently coordinate resources and needs. Each countyEOC lists its needs on the statewide database. Organizations like the District monitor the database and provide available assistance. The District monitors all transportation and public works requests for assistance.