Month: May 2017

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Hurricane Season-Preparation Tips

2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season – Preparation Tips

 

The Atlantic Hurricane season begins June 1, 2017 and runs through November 30, 2017.   The following information is being provided in advance of this year’s season to assist our community with preparation efforts should a Tropical Cyclone event threaten our City.  Last year Hurricane Matthew impacted our City and that storm should serve as a reminder that Tropical Storms are highly unpredictable and they can pose a serious threat to our community.

 

Family Preparedness Tips

  • To begin preparing, you should build an emergency kit and make a family communications plan. Don’t forget a plan for your pet(s).
  • Cover all of your home’s windows. Permanent storm shutters offer the best protection for windows.  A second option is to board up windows with 5/8” marine plywood, cut to fit and ready to install.  Tape does not prevent windows from breaking.
  • Be sure trees and shrubs around your home are well trimmed so they are more wind resistant.
  • Clear loose and clogged rain gutters and downspouts. Reinforce your garage doors; if wind enters a garage it can cause dangerous and expensive structural damage.
  • Plan to bring in all outdoor furniture, decorations, garbage cans and anything else that is not tied down.
  • Determine how and where to secure your boat.
  • Install a generator for emergencies and test the generator before a storm.
  • Get any cash you may need before banks close (ATM’s may not work due to loss of electricity).
  • Locate and place important documents in a waterproof container.
  • Charge your cell phone battery as well as camera battery in case you need to take pictures of property damage. Keep a cell phone charger in your vehicle.
  • Fill up your vehicle’s gas tank because if there is a power outage in your area, gas pumps won’t work.
  • First sanitize and then fill your bathtubs, sinks and other containers with water for sanitary usage.
  • To keep food fresh, turn the settings on your refrigerator & freezer to their highest settings in case of a power outage.
  • Turn off and unplug any non-essential electrical equipment in your house.

 

Know a Safe Place to Take Your Pet(s)

  • Local and State health and safety regulations do not permit the Red Cross to allow pets in disaster shelters. (Service animals are allowed in Red Cross shelters.)
  • Contact hotels and motels outside your local area to check their policies on accepting pets and restrictions on number, size and species. Ask if “no pet” policies can be waived in an emergency.  Keep a list of “pet friendly” places, including phone numbers, with your disaster supplies.
  • Ask friends, relatives or others outside the affected area whether they could shelter your animals.
  • Make a list of boarding facilities and veterinarians who could shelter animals in an emergency; include twenty-four (24) hour phone numbers.
  • Ask local animal shelters if they provide emergency shelter or foster care for pets during a disaster.

Should you have any questions about the tips listed above, please feel free to contact Chief Doughney at (386) 517-2020.

Additional Hurricane preparedness information can be obtained by accessing any of the following websites;

FEMA website:  http://www.fema.gov/

FEMA for the Disabled & Elderly: http://www.fema.gov/news-release/2006/05/03/disabled-elderly-need-prepare-hurricanes

Red Cross website: http://www.redcross.org/prepare/location/home-family

Humane Society: http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/animal_rescue/tips/pets-disaster.html#.U2vnPNTD-70

 

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Legal Weed

Public Service Announcement

 May 17, 2017

 “Legal Weed – Scam Alert”

 

“LEGAL WEED” Scam Sign

 

Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly issued a news release yesterday in reference to a “scam” that is active in our County.  According to Sheriff Staly the City of Palm Coast has been peppered with signs indicating “LEGAL WEED.”  According to Sheriff Staly’s news release the “scam” occurs as follows; the person answering the call informs the caller they can issue a license to legally purchase Medical Marijuana.  They will ask for your credit card and Driver’s License information to issue you a license to purchase medical marijuana.  A license is not required to legally obtain Medical Marijuana, but you do need a valid prescription.

 

As of this afternoon there have not been any of the “LEGAL WEED” signs located in Flagler Beach.  This Public Service Announcement is being issued to alert residents, business owners and visitors of Flagler Beach about the “scam” and to provide a unified Countywide Law Enforcement message to our community regarding this active scam.

 

Additional information regarding Medical Marijuana can be located at the following website at: http://www.floridahealth.gov/programs-and-services/office-of-compassionate-use/

 

If you locate any of the “LEGAL WEED” signs in Flagler Beach, please report them immediately.  The non-emergency phone number to report this signage is (386) 313-4911.

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Sea Turtle Nesting Season

“Sea Turtle Nesting Season”

 

Sea Turtle Nesting Season starts May 1st and continues through October 31st.  The following information is being disseminated in advance of the upcoming season in an effort to proactively provide valuable information to the public in regard to City Ordinances and State Laws designed to protect our Sea Turtle population.

 

Flagler Beach City Ordinance 9-20 governs “Open Burning” in our City and subsection (b) (4) specifically addresses fires on the beach during turtle nesting season.  The City Ordinance states that “during the period between May 1 and October 31, due to sea turtle nesting season, campfires and bonfires are prohibited from dusk until dawn”. 

 

Sea Turtles are a protected species and Florida State Statute 379.2431 states that “Any person, firm, or corporation that illegally takes, disturbs, mutilates, destroys, causes to be destroyed, transfers, sells, offers to sell, molests, or harasses any marine turtle species, or the eggs or nest of any marine turtle species as described in this subsection, commits a third degree felony”.

 

Along the coastlines of Florida, Sea Turtles annually make between 40,000 and 84,000 nests.  Sea Turtle eggs have an incubation period of about two (2) months.  Sea Turtles have existed for over one hundred million years and scientists estimate that only 1 in 1000 to 10,000 babies will survive to adulthood.

 

Your assistance in helping protect our Sea Turtles is greatly appreciated!  If you have any questions about the information listed above, please feel free to contact Chief Doughney.  For additional information regarding Sea Turtles, please visit the following websites;

 

http://www.leg.state.fl.us/STATUTES/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0300-0399/0379/Sections/0379.2431.html

http://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/managed/sea-turtles/

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