Palm Coast, FL - The City of Palm Coast is putting up evacuation zone signs at 59 intersections throughout the City.
These color-coded signs will read "Evac Zone B, C, D or E" to increase the public's awareness of which evacuation zone they live in. The signs are posted below stop signs and the installation of the signs will take place throughout the summer. 4 out of the 6 evacuation zones are within Palm Coast city limits.
The idea for these signs came about after Hurricane Matthew. The Palm Coast Fire Department's After-Action Report stated that the City should make evacuation zones more clear to the public and communicate with citizens more clearly when a mandatory evacuation is in place.
(Evacuation zone sign photo courtesy of the City of Palm Coast)
“Evacuation zones are designated by a letter of the alphabet, and during the hurricane, we found that there was a lot of confusion about that and whether it relates to Palm Coast’s neighborhood sections, which are also informally named by a letter of the alphabet,” says Jerry Forte, Palm Coast Deputy Fire Chief. “The two systems are unrelated, but the fact that they are both done with an alphabet lettering system can be confusing." The zones are drawn up based on the National Weather Service's "Sea, Lake, and Overland Surges from Hurricanes” (SLOSH) modeling. These evacuation zones target citizens who live near bodies of water that connect to the ocean such as near Intracoastal Waterways, rivers and canals.
(Map of evacuation zones courtesy of the City of Palm Coast)
In the event of a tropical storm or hurricane, you are asked to be prepared to evacuate, whether it is voluntary or involuntary, if you live in one of the evacuation zones. “The ultimate goal here is safety during a storm, and preparedness is critical,” says Forte. “We urge all residents to educate themselves on whether they live in an evacuation zone and, if so, to evacuate when emergency officials determine it’s needed for their protection.” More information on the County's evacuation zones can be found in the Disaster Preparedness Guide available at several public facilities throughout the County or online here. If you have questions, you can also contact Palm Coast Customer Service at 386-986-2360. “These new signs being installed in our evacuation zones are one more step in educating the public so that they can be as prepared as possible when the next storm hits,” says Forte. Photo courtesy of ibreakstock and Shutterstock.com. Copyright Southern Stone Communications 2017.
