DORAL, FLA. (WSVN) - Hurricane season is days away, and Miami-Dade County leaders are urging residents to have a plan and prepare ahead.
After Irma, the county has taken over the administration and management of shelters throughout the county for the 2019 season.
Approximately 3,000 employees have been trained to operate the hurricane shelters.
“We’ve identified over 80 of these schools that will be staffed by Miami-Dade County personnel and school personnel in order to open up– up to 100,000 slots,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez. “That’s what changed after Irma. What we did with Irma was actually on the fly. We only had a capacity of about 30,000.”
- Related: How to prepare for a storm
Residents in the county have been mailed a Hurricane Preparedness Guide with door tags included, where one side is colored green with the letters OK while the other side is red with the word “help.”
The door tag allows crews checking out damage after a storm to respond as quickly as possible, if needed.
Rescue crews will also use the fire department’s drone program to check for the red and green tags on the doors of homeowners, especially if communication lines are down.
Hurricane season begins Saturday, but residents can take advantage of a tax-free shopping week for necessary supplies starting on May 31 and ending on June 6.
“Now is the time to trim your trees and prepare your homes for hurricane season. If you have shutters, make sure that they’re in working order,” said Gimenez. “Make a plan. Know exactly what you will do and where you will go if a storm threatens.”
“Planning for where your family is going to be is important,” added City of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez. “Parts of the city were without reliable cellphone service, so our infrastructure does get hit when this happens.”
At least one gallon of water per person per day is recommended among the items listed for storm preparation.
“Go buy your water now. Go buy your canned goods now,” said City of Miami Police Chief Jorge Colina. “When hurricane season is over, drink your water and donate your canned goods to a food bank.”
Experts said people should stock up on supplies for at least 72 hours following the storm.
“You got to basically prepare yourself for a few days because you don’t know how long it’s going to take for someone to get to you,” said U.S. Senator Rick Scott, R-Fla.
“Be prepared as well as you possibly can. Have those supplies that will allow you to sustain yourselves for a period of 72 hours,” added City of Miami Fire Rescue Chief Joseph Zahralban.
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