The 2013 Atlantic Hurricane Season starts June 1st. Florida officials are getting ready with an annual hurricane drill to test the state’s storm preparedness. Drill participants weren’t given an easy test either; the drill included two hurricanes that affected the entire state.
The last time a major hurricane hit the Sunshine State was almost eight years ago and some fear that might leave Floridians unprepared for a major storm in 2013. That’s why Director of Florida’s Division of Emergency Management, Bryan Koon, said officials are leaving no stone unturned, or area untested in this year’s drill.
“The majority of the state will be impacted this week and its really designed to stress our system to determine what capabilities we have in the state to deal with this kind of situation, what resources we may need to bring from other states or from the federal government, to make sure we’re as prepared as we can be for the 2013 hurricane season and identify anything we need to do in the short term to shore up some of those needs,” Koon iterated.
During the drill participants have more than just storms to worry about; the emergency crew also has to solve three chemical and radiological spills that were a result of simulated storms. Koon is confident emergency management will be up to the task of dealing with the upcoming hurricane season.