Understanding hurricanes: St. Johns County Chamber members encouraged to be prepared, know risks

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On Sept. 19, as the Carolinas began their walk down the long road to recovery following the devastation incurred by Hurricane Florence, St. Johns County Emergency Management Deputy Director Jeffrey Alexander encouraged local members of the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce to stay vigilant.

“The tropics are quieting down after having six storms out there all at once, and we’re looking like we’re going to get a bit of a respite from it, but it’s coming back,” he warned the attendees of a luncheon for the Ponte Vedra Beach Division of the Chamber at Sawgrass Country Club. “Don’t think that we’re out of the woods, because hurricane season runs all the way to the end of November.”

Alexander, who recently served as the operations and logistics chief for St. Johns County during Hurricanes Matthew and Irma, said it is imperative that residents obey mandatory evacuation orders when they are issued.

“This is really all about keeping people alive,” he said. “We can’t save your property, we can’t save structures … but we can save lives. Everything else we can replace or repair.”

As 90 percent of those who die during hurricanes are killed by water, Alexander explained that evacuation zones are determined according to the level of storm surge an area is projected to experience. Noting the damaging impacts of Matthew and Irma, he added that a direct hit from a full-force hurricane could leave much of St. Johns County underwater.

“Keep in mind folks, Irma and Matthew were big hurricanes, mean hurricanes, nasty hurricanes that didn’t touch us,” he said. “We were on the periphery edge of Irma as she disintegrated, and Matthew — a Category 4 that for four days was pointed literally at downtown St. Augustine — took a 1 degree turn before it hit us, which meant it passed 30 miles off of our coast. … Because the storm turned and we got the periphery edge of Matthew, we had tropical storm conditions, not hurricane conditions, and we did OK.” 

While Alexander acknowledged that evacuating can be a hassle, he urged residents to remember that they don’t necessarily have to go far. 

“You don’t have to go thousands of miles to get away from a hurricane, you just have to get out of the hurricane evacuation zone,” he said. “Step over the line; that’s all you have to do.”

Stressing the importance of being proactive, rather than reactive, Alexander also encouraged both residents and business owners to have a line of credit ready and make sure they have flood insurance.

“Folks, you live in Florida,” he said. “Florida’s a swamp, it’s always been a swamp and it will always be a swamp. You can flood, no matter where you live.”