Local state of emergency for Tropical Storm Halene
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The county’s agenda for Board of County Commissioners, Sep 24, 2024
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The county’s minutes for Board of County Commissioners, Sep 24, 2024
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What was said
Machine transcription of 60m of recording, with speaker names inferred from voice matching. 91% of 342 lines carry a name. It shows what was said, not what was decided, and both the words and the names can be wrong.
Passa. Mr. Fossett, Director of Emergency Management. Presentation. Good afternoon,
Commissioners. Uh we're here today because of Tropical Storm Halene. Um it's a very large storm. It really hasn't even formed into a known hurricane yet. But it is gonna come up our way and it is gonna be it's gonna do some severe damage to our coastline. So we've put together a presentation today from our 1250 1230 stakeholders call with the state. Currently the projected path as you see up there now it has shifted
um a little bit, actually eight miles to the west, but it is expected to shift back with a high pressure system that is coming down. Regardless of where that storm lands, it's not going to be a direct impact on us, but we are going to have severe storm surge, heavy rains, and tropical to hurricane force winds. As you can see, all the probabilities are in the high zone. The surge is our is our biggest factor. We're expected up to 10 feet of surge as
of right now. But any more wobble to the east and our in our surge is gonna go even higher.
There's a storm right there. As you can see, it's still trying to form. It still is just south of Cuba, moving north-northeast.
We are right now under a hurricane watch. for the the enti almost the entire west coast. So we will be feeling the impacts of this storm. Uh there's the projected track. The models are lining up nicely, so unless something drastic really happens, if that front really pushes down from the northwest, uh that's most likely gonna be the current uh Track on it. It was projected yesterday just to pass by us by a cat one, cat
two. Um today we were told that it's gonna pass bias, it's gonna be a cat three. So when Idalia came by us, it was a weak, very weak category two and we got five to six feet of surge on the coast. With it passing us as a three and th the size of this storm, the ten footer surge is almost definite.
There's our earliest times for arrival. We're looking at right now anywhere early Thursday morning, starting Thursday morning around 3 o'clock. And the most likely arrival is around 9 a.m. on Thursday. So that's when we will start seeing this sustained tropical storm force winds, and we'll start seeing the heavy rain bands come through. Rain is gonna be anywhere from three to six inches with pockets up to ten. Um along the coast we're looking anywhere from four
to six and those will come through with the bands
Our storm surge warnings, like I said, we are at at six to six to ten feet. Our winds were anywhere from they're predicting 39 and 73 miles an hour. Sustained, we're looking at about 40 to 45 miles an hour. Flooding, we have that possibility of coastal flooding, and as you know, we're already combating Zephyrhills with the flooding out there. And most likely with Worthington Gardens going back into a minor
flooding again as of today, supposed to remain that way for the next three days. We're most likely gonna see additional flooding back in Zephyrhills also.
Chairman
M and then
a question too. Yes,
ma'am. Hey Andy?
Didn't
With No one's more of a wind event than and storm surge event. Was the people at Zephyrhills they shouldn't get that much rain compared to
The coast will get the majority of the rain, but there will be bands that pass through there that will dump some heavy rain back in Zephyrhills again.
Uh my my question is this, looking at your storm surge map It's different than the one the Hurricane Center has out. And and that is in in Pasco County they have They have it like a different co a color for Pasco and then it then somewhere up in citrus it starts the purple. Has something changed in the last hour?
So they might be using different um uh coloring schemes that I know of. This is the one from the state um and they get theirs directly from NWS. So whether if I don't know if NHS and NOAA is using a different color scheme But I know we are in the red. And the red is six.
Well that that says we're in the purple. That's my question. Because it changed. We were in the red and now we're in the purple. See that's the one I was looking at.
Yeah, that's the one that we are going by.
The one you're showing. am I am I colorblind? Wait, uh
it's a big difference to the people in Gupp Harbor's.
Is
Yeah, shows purple.
We're going off by the NWS one. Which is what, this? National Weather Center. No, the one this is this is the one the state puts together. This comes from the state. This is their product with their meteorologist. Um we're gonna use the one from NWS from the National Weather Service that we brief on daily, twice a day.
So it's the other map. Yes. Okay.
As you see, we're also at a slight risk of tornadoes. That's possible over on the right side of the storm, and that usually is the one that produces our tornadoes.
Andy's is um that path we're seeing, how wide is that? 'Cause if that shifts a little bit then that that if it shifted right a little bit it would change over.
That cone of uncertainty um It's it's a modeling tool. I wouldn't be dependent on that cone because that storm could shift anywhere with inside that cone. Within that.
Okay. Yeah. Yeah.
Mm okay.
So as I was saying, there's our arrival times. Um So we're looking at for Pasco County. Um we're looking anywhere early Thursday morning starting around three o'clock and then feeling severe impacts around eight thirty, nine o'clock in the morning.
There's our windfields. With our wind fields we're looking at tropical storm force winds on the coast extending inward. It's going to be dependent how wide the storm actually gets. And it's you know as we know hurricanes are lopsided, so everything is usually on the right side of the storm. So if it depends how large that side of the storm gets, that'll be dependent on our windfield.
And there's our storm surge watch. Yeah. And six to eight, six to ten feet, um, ten to fifteen feet just north of us, starting about in Citrus County going north. If that storm shifts anymore to the east, We're b probably gonna see that ten to fifteen feet dip down into our area. As you know, we're a very shallow shelf in Pasco County. Our floor extends very much very very far out into the Gulf. That's one of our downfalls.
I have a
question. Yes, ma'am.
Um how long will it take for the storm to be out of Lake Pasco County? I heard it was moving quick.
If it's moving fast, it'll be out by late Friday evening, probably around ten thirty, eleven o'clock. Okay.
Any question? Um So the red Is six to ten feet. Yes. But when I look up at the key, it says twelve feet. So which is it?
What do you see, 12 feet? The key
up
top. Oh that's that that that's a state, that's an NWS thing. I don't have an answer for that. So I just know w we're being told verbally by the weather forecasters, six to ten feet. So That's what we're being told. Okay.
So will we be experiencing winds on Friday or is it just mostly rain bands?
It'll be rain bands. You might get some wind within the rain bands, but it shouldn't be that severe. You might get some strong gusts.
And that's rip currents. We really don't have to worry about rip currents on our side of the county, on this side of the coast. It's mainly on an east side event.
There's our rain for the next seven days. And we're looking anywhere of about five inches, six inches overall for the next five to seven days. Depending on the heavy pockets that also pass through.
On top of all the rain we got from Debbie and we're adding to it, so
Flood watch, we're all under a current floodwatch because of the storm coming by. Um Our rivers are are pretty good. Uh the Elfers River is pretty good. The only one, like I said, is the one at Worthington Gardens. Um that went back up in the minor flooding um yesterday.
I think the With Lakuchee Cody River too is not in great shape. They had flooding the other day just from rain. Okay.
At the
near like downtown New Port Richey. Okay.
Uh rainfall departures over 30 days. As you can see, we're in that nice dark purple and that's five to six inches over the last 30-day rainfall because we've had that little lull in there, thank goodness. Just try to dry out and get a new roof put on my house.
That's important.
Uh flood guidance. You see we're in the green, so we're we're pretty good. Um we do have some capacity on the east side of the county. I was talking with Barrett and Jason Mickle today. Uh Silver Oaks Golf Club. Um they've pumped down about three and a half foot of water. So in the event they still have some capacity to push it back up into the golf course again, if they have to.
But they're not pump
they're not pumping
now,
are they? No, they're don't act they're not doing any active pumping right now. Uh one of the reasons is because of the Worthington Gardens River going up again. And th th there's nowhere to put it. There there's no really good infrastructure to pump it to right now. Everything is pretty much full. There's our watches and warnings. I mean our watches were in for a minor impact for weather. Coming to Thursday, we
go to a slight. That's when the storm should be right on top of us and going by. And then on Friday, uh we still go back down to a minor chance of thunderstorm. That's because bands will still be passing through and has the uh possibility of dumping more rain on us. Coastal flooding um continues. Uh we're not really in that area. It's mainly up in that northeast side of the state. And that's our river gauges.
So we are pretty good with our river gauges. Um the only one that is is the Worthington Garden one that's in minor flooding right now.
And then St. John's River, of course, we don't have to worry about that one. That's way north of us. And then this is our for tornadoes. So we're in that marginal risk for tornadoes when the storm as it comes by us.
And then that's this other system that's out there. That's another system that's out there that's not going to affect us. It's going to make that right hand hook. And then that's really about it. And then there's one other slide that I had that I had sent to Stefania. It was the flood slide.
Can you blow that up a little bit?
That's all our coast on Pasco.
That's all our coast on Pasco. So anything is red, that's that ten foot surge mark. And as it rolls backwards it drops down. Uh the orange is six foot and then the yellow is I think believe th uh four foot. Can you can you
also show the rest of the case? Yeah, I
was
gonna say can you scroll like
'Cause I can't see my area either. Down more.
Keep going.
Okay,
thank you.
So the orange
It's six feet.
I'm one house away from being yellow.
Yeah. Okay. Um so
the orange is six
feet. Yeah.
So as you see we we are gonna be impacted heavily if this storm
Can you can you go back and want to see the river the uh into New Port Richey? So I was looking at too. Um where is that red where it's all red? Which part were getting River? North of Sis Cecilia. Yeah, where's all that? Let me think.
That is I believe downtown Main Street. That is the Pitluscode River coming in, I believe.
Oh you have it That's south of downtown. That's here's Gulf Boulevard. Is that like Great Preserve and over there? Someone who knows more than me.
Yellow I believe is four feet.
Well isn't isn't gray at the end of Plath and Ron?
Mm Plath and Maroon, yes. So where I think where it says where it says north of Bailey.
It's just Dakota West.
Dakota River.
So but as you see, we are going to be impacted heavily. Um dependent on how when the surge comes in. How much wind that we have pushing on it It's gonna be dependent how much water exits when it goes tries to go back to low tide. If we have continuous winds it's gonna hold that water in. And then when our next high tide comes around, it's just gonna build on top of that.
So mandatory for A starting when?
Tomorrow morning.
So
we're gonna give them
one day. To pack up and leave.
Why aren't we say saying it today or this afternoon and just
W was discussed and then and the consensus of the discussion was to start the first thing in the morning.
Is that gonna be a problem with our roadways if Hillsborough and Penellus are doing the same thing?
So no I I don't believe so. Um historically it has shown the only other storm that we really had that had a major impact on our roadways was Irma back in 2016. And that was because it was going to be a direct hit on us. Historically it has shown we order evacuations in Pasco County. The people don't move. They don't listen.
They don't.
We just had we had idealia and we opened shelters up. I ended up with Uh fifteen people in special needs. And I think we had twenty people in uh general population. Yeah,
I think this is a whole different animal though. Friend Debbie.
They won't they won't act. It is a different animal, but they'll
still think it's
a big thing.
They they are complacent. We I preach it to them blue in the face and the citizens of Pasco County are complacent. And I would like to see that change. I wish there were ways we could make a change. but unless it happens to them, they don't listen.
So what time d
is
the weather gonna deteriorate around Thursday?
Uh be early Thursday morning, probably about three o'clock. So they have all day tomorrow. Um and t into tomorrow evening to go ahead and make their move. Shelters are opening at four o'clock. Um we have five schools that we've opened up. Uh the Fasano shelter is being opened up for special needs at 9 a.m. And we opened that one up super early because it involves transportation with ambulances and things like that. Wiregrass High School is also going to be used as a special needs, but
unfortunately with the discussion with the school board today, they are very adamant on continuing classes because of school hours and early speaking. I tried for early dismissal today and and they would not even budget that. So we had to wait till four o'clock. So but we do have ample time. It's seventeen hours when we do an evacuation for zone A, and that's the mandatory one. B and C we put in there because of the possibility of water getting that far inland. Is
that gonna happen? Most likely not. But as a a precautionary measure, absolutely we're gonna ask for it.
Are you showing the zones? Do we have a map of the zones here?
Yeah.
No, I do n I don't, but we could pull it up on the website.
And um what so if you want if you start evacuation tomorrow What does that mean? You have till the sun goes down or till midnight or when do you want people out by
So when we order the mandatory evacuation, we want them to start moving then. So it is being it is on the the count um the media our multi our media relations group is messaging that out. They are putting out that the evacuation will start tomorrow morning. Um they've already put out what schools we're gonna open up, the shelters we're gonna have open for tomorrow. Uh we're gonna open up an employee shelter at PHSC as we always do. All the shell tools will be pet friendly. Um so
so schools are gonna be open even though you're having the emergency order.
The evacuation, yep. Because there's none I can't move it any other way. I if I tried to get the schools, uh Mr. Crumb and Brantford and Mike were on the line with me, the the school board would not budge. And and it's all tied and I understand their angst because it's tied to state statute and school hours. So they can't make those hours up once they lose them. So I'm at tied at the hands of them.
Um so can you go over what the different zones are here? So
red is zone A. Um that's our coastline and then we have some interior portions that are along rivers that we that get heavily flooded. Um yellow is zone B, uh and then we go zone C is um uh the green and D is is the the blue um and then we have e uh which I believe is purple but we really don't have that many on purple. What's the orange? The orange is B.
Okay, you said yellow was B. So
Orange is B. Red, oh orange is B, yellow is C, green is D, blue is E. Okay.
That's easy for you to see.
Um should we should we um have something like this with those numbers letters on it so that we could put it in our you know, email blasts or newsletter or whatever.
So it is in our disaster guide.
Yeah,
but I can't mail out the I can't do that in a email blast in a moment when
Uh we can provide you a product like that that shows those.
Yeah. I need that PDF, right?
I think the other map that showed where the flooding's gonna be is is probably even more relevant though.
Both of them.
I think the I think well I think both is good, but I think that other that other one's gonna show you actually what this is going to do.
Yeah. So that other graphic I just s showed you That graphic is gonna change. So it's gonna change with the track of the storm so what What might be all red might turn to a little bit of oranges. What's oranges might turn to red. It's going to be dependent when the storm emerges in the Gulf. has a definitive eye and we get an actual direction of where that center of that storm is because right now it's just a blob. They know where the center of the blob is at. but they can't pinpoint
the exact center and where it's gonna emerge over the Cuban coast.
There there was a lot more red in Gulf Harbors yesterday than there is today. So I think that little wobble and maybe the speed helped a little bit.
But then again, check the five fifteen. Yeah. Because the times change
significantly on arrival. The times changed
when they're and it's gonna do that. And that's was one of the concerns was that this morning it was in the exact same place it was last night. It didn't move. And the uh and NHS and NOAA w they have a high pressure system that's up in the northwest United States that's starting to shift down. And their concern is that we have to do that. High pressure systems gonna shift down low enough. to direct that storm more east. So
until it emerges over the coast and starts getting that forward momentum It's going to be influenced by both high pressure systems that are out there.
And when do you anticipate when will we know that? When tonight? Uh sometimes.
It could be tonight. It could be in the morning. I mean, I'm checking the 11 o'clock forecast. I'm getting up at the crack of dawn doing the six o'clock forecast and a seven o'clock. So you can reach out to every media outlet and everybody's gonna tell you something different.
Yeah.
I listen to two people. I listen to the NWS and I listen to the state because they're always working and they have representatives in each other's office.
They're not reliable. They want you to they want to paint a picture that they want you to see. So that's why I use the two reliable instruments that we have. Mr. Chairman
Mariano. Yes, sir.
So I I think this broadcast this uh meeting should be broadcast out so it can keep on running on our own government page. Uh in and when we update we update, but especially the current tur current maps. Um I think it's critical for people to see this. And just for like you said, we're not talking about advertising what people don't believe. the things because they think of just trying to sell advertising, keep watching the channel. So I think what you've got here is something real good. And if you can keep updating your map to say, here's what it looks like, here's what it looks like, that would be a great help. I got a few ideas. Um
We've talked to a U-Haul over on State Road 52 that sits up fairly high for being right along nineteen. Uh they're they're making a 150 parking spots available for those on the coast that can park over there. I think we should be looking at opening up all our libraries, uh all of our government centers during the storm with people that especially on the coast can park their cars there because that might help them even to leave if they're gonna get out. Um Having said that, um, you know, I was talking with Licuci today about, you know, the possibility of sh if the storms
come in you know, shutting down power. They've got a lot of control where they can do a lot of things and they can do it a little bit late in the day, uh late in the game, and do it safely. But I think if this storm's coming in I don't want to see Witlacucci out in the weather again. where they're in danger. I don't want to see our people having to go down these roadways to try to rescue people coming out. I think if the message gets out that if this storm does come and these storm surges hold the case, we're gonna be looking real closely to shutting down power, shutting down water and
sewer. It's gonna be a lot easier to come bounce back from it. And it may be the the trigger that gets people to say, you know what? They may make the decision to stay home. No one's not going to have power, no one can have the water and sewer, and that can be their conscious decision, but I don't want to put our people in danger. To go trying to save 'em.
Well to go along with that, I I think you'll find that WREC, T Co, Duke, all these different power companies, they will not put their people in danger and we shouldn't either until we see it's okay for get out and get things straightened out. So I think that's something we all go by is the safety of our people. Mr. Chairman Mariano
Utility has the authority to shut
Right. Shut water down if it's going if it's the system is going to be compromised or if Um
Basically to protect health safety and welfare. Right. I don't believe that you can shut sewer down based on my previous research. Um just because it's sewer. Yeah.
But I don't know what the capability of the county is to shut down A
as a block and not get B and C. You know, I I don't know the if our valvings are are such. Um I know of jurisdictions that if they're a barrier island they say yes we're gonna shut Mm-hmm. Um You don't have the authority to do power. But If with Likucci is gonna that that's up to the power companies about their their service. But um I would also encoura
if the board was gonna go in that route, I would encourage early messaging that at midnight on whatever, yeah, I guess it would be Wednesday at midnight.
It would yeah, it'd be Wednesday at midnight.
turn that switch so that so that people know that they're gonna be without service.
Well just to if I could so in talking with Lakuzji, they can do actually do we segment by segment by segment, which is probably the better way to go. They can wait a long time. But I think it's something that we just need to be conscious of and and getting the word out to the public we're feeling the danger we're gonna go. And I think coordinating they've coordinated with the Sheriff's Department, they can work with our uh firefighters as well to kinda make sure that when they do, if they are shutting down the power, that we make sure that there's protection out there at the end of the neighborhood so there's no leading looting going on as well.
Um yeah. So I also talked to a Coochie today and they have crews coming from Texas also for reinforcements. And um I was actually with the Sheriff's Office this morning and they did discuss um the looting that they would be there for safety, so
Yeah. So with the what about
Duke shutting off power? I mean Did anyone? I didn't reach out to Duke.
I hadn't heard anything from Duke.
Okay, I I don't know how we can tell them to shut the power off. S so what that's up to them.
Yeah.
That is up correct. That is up to them. So I will tell you what shutting down power grids that we have two areas that are going to be affected out of this. The one up in Hudson off of Old Dixie Highway. Um, it's definitely gonna get water in it. So I I'm I don't know if they're going to shut it off or not, but it's definitely going to be impacted. and then the one down at Anclote at the power plant. That's right across the street that we had visited.
Right, Duke.
That yeah, that one is definitely gonna be um impacted also if we get if we get that ten foot of surge. I do know that the co electric companies will go around and turn power off if there are substations or they deem it unsafe. There are there are green transformers everywhere, they will shut the power off to those grids. I've had it happen on two occasions. Um One was uh actually both during Irma. Uh one occurred at an apartment complex down off of Old Fifty Four, and
then the other one occurred at the Mobile Home Complex at Ridge, And nineteen. So they will proactively shut power off. Um, but I don't think they will just go in there to just shut the power off to get the people out. I don't think they would do something like that. So but we have had been in contact with with the Lacouci. Um they do have five thousand strong coming um from around the states. Um Duke has set a camp up and I can't remember the name of it off the top of my head
now. Uh here. What? Yeah, Lady of Lore Church, uh they're staging all their assets there. So we will have a strong contingency of electrical workers here if and we do need them, which I am hoping, knock on particle board that we don't. Yeah. So
Mr. Chairman Mariano.
Yes.
So I think if the electric companies make the decision they will as they go along, I think it's important that we coordinate with them uh to get the messaging out as it's going and also the coordination between the sheriff and our own fire EMS people to protect the area as best we can. And I think that that may encourage them to leave knowing they'll be safe and that not gonna power anyway, uh, to make that move. 'Cause if the st s storm surge goes to these higher levels, it's gonna be Very bad out there. Yeah.
Okay.
We um
Um question on sandbag locations I'm getting some texts from people down the holiday area. Where is their closest sandbag location? The
Maggie Valley Golf course is w is where theirs is at.
Why why do we not put 'em up and down the coast? I'm just curious.
Because historically we have never done that. We've had we've had mark locations since I have been the EM director and prior to me. We've used Magnolia golf course. We were using station 17 um years ago until it went under construction and we can't use that site right now because of the construction going on. So we have Magnolia Vol Valley golf course, we have Veterans Park. We have Heritage Park and Land O' Lakes. We have station 29 in Zephyrhills. We have Seabarn
over in Dade City. Uh Dade City Police Department has one open at the Roll Police Station. The City of New Port Richey has one open, I believe at their utilities building. And those are all the ones that I know of so far. But we have them all publicly noticed. They are open from sunrise to sunset. They are self-served. You have to bring your own shovel. One of our sites does have inmate labor at. The Maggie Valley does have inmate labor there to help the citizens.
Okay. I have and I have a question. Yes,
ma'am.
Um but but after this one I want to work on getting one in holiday. Yes ma'am. We we can get you one
of the holiday.
There's a Catholic Church there that we may be able to use. We used it for our waste pickup on Mile Stretch. Oh, you can put one there now? Yeah, if you get if you
give me the address, I will get one put there.
Well we have a library there and we have a fire station on Mile Stretch. Um But it it
you gotta remember when when we open a sandbag location, it's not one or two people that show up. We get traffic and I I can't block a fire station access.
Um you know who's a member of the church um that we would need to get permission from is Andrew Back. Okay. Is Andrew back there? No, he's not here. So maybe we can ask Andrew to see if they can open up that church for sand.
All
right.
I'll get uh if I have a county site I could put it on, I'll get there and I'll put it on a county site. It's not a
county site, it's a church.
Yes, but if I have a county site in that in that area, I prefer to use that so we can just dump sand and go from there.
All right, and and then here's my next question. Cindy Jolly sent me a picture of a guy who's selling Sandbags that he filled at our sandbag site. I don't know where he's selling them for ten dollars a bag. Is that is that legal?
I'm sorry, she was
I was like, Well, he did the labor. I don't know. We got free materials but
If you haven't made it. if we hadn't lim limited the number of sandbags that somebody can take from one of our sites and it's free for the public, I think it would be I we'd have a hard time. Saying it was not legal.
So we have a ten bag limit at the sandbag sites.
We do make an exception for volunteer organizations that are coming to pick up sandbags for elderly or disabled residents, and we will let them take those sandbags and deliver them to the residents themselves.
I just have one quick question. So if we have constituents call, what would what time-ish do you think we should tell them to make sure that they are off the road?
Off the roads? I would be off the roads by midnight tomorrow night. Midnight tomorrow night.
Okay.
'Cause we're gonna start getting bands of rain tomorrow evening, late in the evening. But we're not expecting the winds Start pumping Um till much later in the morning.
So
Mr. Chairman Mariano.
Yes. You know, sometimes you see long lines of these things, people waiting, waiting, waiting. Um Okay, no, I appreciate that we have at least Magnolia Valley to have inmate uh the goodies out there, the inmate labor. But I think we ought to be putting all the other on the rest of them as well. Yeah. I think you need more of those inmate labor out there because the quicker you get people in and out there's a fast moving storm. We don't have a lot of time here.
So I've already
Mm-hmm. So I didn't see this, Stacey.
Um so we did um set up Maggie Valley um earlier uh today with inmate labor and we were scheduled to s open up veterans with inmate labor from seven to seven tomorrow.
Okay.
Um I can uh take a look at our work crews and see what else I can establish out there.
Okay. I th I think those are your two cr most critical ones being on the coast. So I think I'm I'm I'm going with that unless the others wanna see it more out there as well. Okay.
Uh question. It's not on on you, but I hope you can set one up on Mile Stretch. And they're anxiously awaiting the news. Um
Last time I think we had to evacuate a hospital. Was it Bayonet Point?
Yes. May at that point was years ago, but that was from a lightning strike. Okay, so or they they are they are they tend to want to evacuate dependent on the storm surge. We've been in contact with them and they are content. Uh we've offered all the hospitals that are in at Pla Bayonet Point and North Bay. We've offered to put Tiger Dams up around their facilities. We've offered North Bay that. They both have declined the Tiger Dams.
Is that what Tampa General has?
They have a different system. It's not a tiger dam. That's amazing what they do. Yes, it is an amazing system. Very expensive but an amazing system. But we are using tiger dams right now out in Zephyrhills. And um there's it It's good thought process, but we the thing you need to remember once you put a tiger dam around a structure You're not leaving. Because it's not something you can just pick up and move. It's very large thirty-six inch tubes that are filled with water.
Oh, I see. And
they butt up against each other and they they can frame it out. Does some water get in? Yeah. But not like a flood. But the th the drawback to it is once that structure is built Who's ever in that structure is not going to be able to get out. They can't drive out. They could walk out and jump over, but they can't drive out because it cannot be moved. Okay.
Those around those houses in Zephyrhills, I know they're uh I think around that one house had forty eight thousand gallons of water in that that band.
Wow, how much did that cost? cost? What was their water?
Oh yeah, they just fill them up the state the state's the one that's doing
it. Yeah.
Okay, my next question is that um wastewater treatment plant that's that we share with Newport Ritchie that's on the water. What do we do with that when it goes is gonna go under?
Yeah, so if they they'll shut it down. That was that's
asking. What does that mean for people living uh that use that along the coast? That I do not know. Does that mean you won't have running water? So should they put fill their bathtubs? What does that mean? Is in the ten foot to twelve foot.
Yeah, so so the response I don't have a response for that. But as he mentioned, If it happens then it will have to be shut down and there's a process to follow. Uh I can get that response to you.
I think we need to be letting the Coastal people know they may have their water shut off. Wouldn't the water get shut off if you close that?
Yes. And I I'll get that out to you.
Okay, yeah.
Right.
Yeah.
I don't
know how big that territory is of that plant.
Water's very important
that
map. Water's very important and years past y you always heard people filling up their bathtubs so they'd have water after the storm went through. So 'cause the water was shut down. So
Brandon.
With high waters like we're talking about, there's an endangerment of that water being being impacted with s with some off outside water or something. So Yeah.
Is there is there a map that we know that where that water treatment plant is that services the residents?
Yes, we do have a map showing all our wastewater treatment plants.
That
would
be affected by that one?
Yes.
Okay. Could you share that with us as well?
Yes, we will. I'll give that.
Thank you.
Okay, um We've had quite a bit of discussion. Uh at this time this uh
Mr Chair. And um is the county departments um any of them planning to close tomorrow or is it a full day? So
uh county will be closed on Thursday.
Okay. All right. Um and I just wanted to let you know that um the finance department um is making payments on the purchase cards. So I know that's probably gonna be utilized more after the storm. So you should have uh clear balances on everything to be able to do that. Um we're also issuing payroll um sooner um so that everybody can get get paid. So that's good as well. And um we're doing prepayments on some of the bonds that um are needing uh payment coming
up so that we can get taken take care of all that as well.
And our finance has already set up the account codes. for uh any purchases that are made throughout the county and then payroll code for the storm also that way we can start coding for reimbursement.
Just looking for a colour.
Okay. Madam Clerk, would you uh please read the resolution?
Resolution number twenty-four-two hundred, a resolution by the Board of County Commissioners of Pasco County, Florida, declaring a state of local emergency related to tropical storm Halene. Whereas the governor of the state of Florida issued executive order number 24-208 on September 23rd, 2024, declaring the state of declaring that a state of emergency exists for certain counties in the state of Florida, including Pasco County, due to the current forecast models for tropical storm Helene. Hereinafter referred to as the event. And
Raz Pasco County is currently under a tropical storm watch, hurricane watch, and a storm surge watch. Current forecasts predict hurricane force winds and potentially heavy rainfall impacting the west coast of Florida as the storm moves forward and the events poses a potential and continued threat to the lives and property of the residents of Pasco County, requiring advanced preparation and mobilization of resources as well as flexibility and authority from the Board of County Commissioners to act in a timely manner to mitigate damage and render assistance to affected
residents. And whereas the current forecast models for the event project it will reach Hurricane 4 strength and there is an increasing possibility that Pasco County will experience. Uh sorry, that Pasco County is oh no will experience the storm's effect. And whereas Pasco County remains under a local state of emergency due to flooding in East County caused by tropical storm. Debbie declared on August 2nd, 2024. And whereas current forecasts predict sustained high winds, heavy rainfall, storm surge, and potential
flash flooding impacting the west coast of Florida as the storm moves forward.
And RAS Chapter 252, Florida statutes provides authority for political subdivisions such as Pasco County to declare a state of local emergency and to waive the procedure. procedures and formalities otherwise required of political subdivisions by law pertaining to one performance of public works and taking whatever action is necessary to ensure the health, safety and welfare of the community. Two, entering into contracts. Three, incurring obligations, four employment of permanent and temporary workers. five
utilization of volunteer workers, six rental of equipment, seven acquisition and distribution with or without compensation of supplies, materials and facilities, and eight the transfer amendment appropriations and or expenditure of public funds. Now therefore The Board of County Commissioners of Pasco County, Florida, in emergency session this 24th day of September 2024, hereby declares a state of local emergency pursuant to Section 252, Florida statutes, and sections 30-29 and 30-30 Pasco County
Code of Ordinances, effective immediately for all territory within the legal boundaries of Pasco County, including all unincorporated and incorporated areas. and authorizes the county administrator or his designee to order evacuations, make emergency purchases, or take any other actions he deems necessary. This state of local emergency shall be effective upon enactment and shall remain in effect for a seven day period. thereafter, unless otherwise rescinded or extended as provided by law.
Further, it is uh to the extent allowed by law, this declaration retroactively applies to ratify expenditures made and actions taken prior to the effective date of this L S E by county staff in connection with preparation in anticipation of the event. Be it further resolved by By it as expressly authorized that the County Administrator or Emergency Management Director are each delegated the authority to one extend this initial declaration of local state of emergency as many times as necessary and two dissolve
this local state of emergency for any extensions thereof if the event no longer poses a threat to the lives and or property of Pasco County residents or to public property. This delegation of authority to the county administrator andor emergency management director is uh to extend or dissolve this local state of emergency does not require further action. The procedures set out in sections 30-29 and 30-30 of the Pasco County Code that may be interpreted to be in conflict with this grant of authority are hereby
waived. Be it further resolved by the Board of County Commissioners that it is the intent of this board that given the possibilities that episode Rainfall or high winds may result in only localized damage or flooding that the county administrator or his designee shall have the flexibility to institute, modify, amend, terminate, or reinstate evacuation orders as conditions and affected areas change and without further action by this Board. Be it further resolved by the Board of County Commissioners that it is the intent
of this board that to the extent the County Administrator has already extended public funds in preparing in preparing for the event All such actions are hereby ratified and approved. Be it further resolved by the Board of County Commissioners uh Commissioner's desire to facilitate the cleanup of debris on private property by those residents affected by wind. Rainfall and or flooding and therefore this board directs that the cost of the debris Disposal tipping fees otherwise charged to residents for debris disposal related to this event shall be
paid from the general fund rather than by the affected residents. Be it further resolved by the Board of County Commissioners, hereby exercises its authority and waives the procedures and formalities required by law of a political subdivision as provided in Chapter two fifty-two, Florida statutes and section thirty-twenty nine and thirty-seven. Yeah. Pasco County Code of Ordinances, Done and Resolved this twenty fourth day of September, twenty twenty four.
All right. Is there any further discussion by the
board? Mr. Chairman. Yes, sir. So when I read these words, they they ring out really strong to me. And the last storm we had, Hurricane Debbie was coming in. Um we talked with after we declared the state emergency, we talked with D.E.P. Swift Mud for a long time about doing something over in Palm Terrace. Well we r ended up doing was we t took out the on along ranch road a total of five hundred truckloads then a thousand truckloads of dirt to create a stormwater area which helped. And in Tropical Storm Debbie there
was only about a ten foot triangle That actually showed any Rainfall event. However, after having a little bit more rain a few weeks later we had another storm come in. And the people in the very end were within like six inches of water in the house. And they're sitting up kinda high, but that's how high it was. Uh we didn't lose a truck that time that we had they flooded out twice before. When I read this. And I and I see performance of public works, taking whatever next action is necessary
to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of the community. I'm gonna tell you there's another this the two stormwater ponds that are there. How did we get that map up? I want to get like Ranch Road in Armordale if you can. Um those two pawns that are there in working with DEP we're almost to terms now. We've just kind of like finally is what we're going to do. Um and it looks like the sludge that's in the one pond to the north closer to Birchwood, away from Ranch Road, um it's only about six inches or sixteen inches of soot
or sludge that's there. The other plans get about the same. They're pretty much agreeing too that if we take and mix dirt with what's there And go through. Uh we may not even have to cap it, but they're gonna monitor it later on. Um I'm saying this 'cause I got Brantford here. I know Jason is out there in the field I guess. But I need to I need Brantford to have comfort to what we're gonna say. So if you see the two ponds at where it says right at where Ranch Road is?
So let me let me just go back first. So go to the right at Hank's Lane. See that big long green area where it says Hanks Lane and Arburdeal Drive? That is now all dugout. We dug it just above above the water table. It's a tremendous water storage area. But even with all that, the storm we just had a few weeks ago, it flooded all the way up from where it where it ends like Abradale Drive. The road was blocked off for a while and it was probably, again, six inches of home where it says 7701. So back to the big pond.
Put dirt in with it, mix it around. Same thing with ran the the lower pond as well, that's right below it, that's right above Ranch Road. So there's two ponds that are right there. So I'm going to suggest to Brantford, whether DEP agrees or not, because of those that verbiage of performance of public works, taking whatever action is necessary to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of the community, two things could happen. If you look at where this water flows, and I looked at it real close and talked with staff about it yesterday extensively from a neighbor that lives up the street, the water flows vertically
down. Kind of where Jason Road goes all the way down. It hits Oleander and that's the area where I asked him to go clean out the silt. After Oleenda goes down further, Uh and we'll go r all the way down Pineapple Lane. Way down here. All right, so stop right there for a second. Right where that arrow is. That's double hammock. the water from that point goes out to the gulf. Now, what's bad about this whole thing, you've got all the water flowing from the north that was coming down that way to get the double hammock, but when you go down to Pineapple
Lane, You've got a big area where Lake Henry drains into the this w spillway, comes all the way to police, don't go don't stay right there yet. So it drove all the way there and it goes into that way as well. From this point it goes down to Fox Hollow, And it stops. Right there. And the water from down here to the south is actually right now, as of yesterday, flowing upstream going the other way. So you got water pushing from down to Lake Chrissy down in here, that way there from south
of Fox Hollow, pushing water up the other way. So try to imagine you got water coming down from the north. and going up from the south, going heading toward double hammock, but doesn't quite get there. If this storm surge comes in and double hammock, that water comes right up and see how close it is to nineteen. If it comes over there, you're gonna have a huge blockade coming in that's gonna stop it going. Now I don't know if we can hold all
there. Is that where we put those those um Is that what that little test thing is right there? Where the arrows?
No, no, that's up in uh that's in Beacon Woods.
Further up?
So this is where we're this is right where the uh the cinema drive, so it's uh where the um movie theater is. Aldi's is there? That's where that comes across. Now uh that's what I asked today earlier, uh and I talked yesterday with um uh Barrett and and Barr Barrett and Jason about go clean that thing all the way up so that water can flow out. Because it once it gets out there it goes. But if it's gonna be a low tide situation, if we can get that water down there is good. But if we're gonna have what I what I know is gonna happen is you're gonna have water coming this way, water coming that way, it's it stops in there. And that's why we used to have so much trouble at Pineapple
Lane and even up above at Jasmine Lakes. It ha the the water is like conflict.
Well why why are you bringing this up right now? You
I'm bringing this up right now because let's go back to those two ponds above. If we take and take the dirt around there's big berms around these two ponds that are there. If we take and put in the dirt around the sorry the top pond first, we kinda like topple that in. And then we go take the lower pond and take the sludge from that and pop it over. And then we take the berms from both and then cover over the top of it. Two things can happen. You're gonna create all that stormwater st Yeah. Like it's almost two acres
of land there. And you're also then going to protect the sludge from being exposed, which if it does
you trying to keep water from there going into the other side.
Yes, it won't this way here. Yes, exactly. This way here it won't travel that way. Exactly. It's going to flood it all down. So now it can actually control the water there. And just like we did over at Arburdale, you can create a stormwater pond right there that you cover over the sludge so it's environmentally safer than it is. even right now, because if all that if all the stormwater goes in, let's say it all floods out and goes all in there, all that stormwater sludge is still gonna go downhill too. So now you get health. But if you cover that over with the dirt and put more dirt over the top of it, you make it protect better and you
can contain a lot more water right there where right now it's just going to go downstream and have that conflict.
Well Can you design an engineering solution right now? Today, that
sounds good, but
I'm not sure we got enough time to do all that. Well
uh what's uh we didn't we didn't have time to go engineer digging all that out, but literally talking to DEP, the agreement with David Allen right now and them is to go take the dirt. I'll take the sludge from one, put it in the sludge of two, mix it all up, and then cover it over without even and I was gonna try to
let Bramford speak.
Go ahead.
Well we've been involved with uh with what he's been uh he's saying and um The difference has been no disabled, you know. In terms of the work that public works did, so we are moving forward to bringing about more improvements in the stormwater conveyance. So ke so keep mine out there.
I think he's asking if you can do this project today or tomorrow. Yeah.
No it takes it takes to take some time for us to come up with that.
All right, so uh i is David Allen can we get David Allen? David Allen's working with T P and literally the agreement is they're gonna go take the sludge from one. the little pond there to put it in the big pond, mix up the soils, cover it over. They're going to do testing on it for about a year. It was to the point we thought we're gonna have to hard cover it, kind of like we do with Arsenic, whatever. But with all the dirt that's there, what's that?
David's on the call.
David, you there?
He was it just I just heard him.
I'll text him.
Try to unmute. Can you guys hear me now?
Yeah. Yes.
Hey Dave. Yes, hi hi hi commissioners. Um yeah, I've been listening in on the conversation and I I I think the challenge is that um Fundamentally I think that um
We would need to coordinate with both both FDP and Swift Mud and the in and really the challenges of the existing vegetation in both of those ponds. Um You know, we could we could look at something that might help divert some of the water into them on a short-term basis, but I think that Um you know, for the emergency use, but we wouldn't be able to continue to operate that way for an extended period of time.
Well, David, let's let's talk about what you've been negotiating with them. As you told me in the past couple of days, they're telling you take out the vegetation part. And then you get to scoop down a about sixteen inches or so of dirt, depending on how much is there, and you're gonna then put that dirt in the other pond and then mix it with dirt, correct?
Right, right, right. Because we have high metals right now in in certain locations of the ponds and we would need to Dilute those to to be able to meet FTP's Decommissioning requirements for the wastewater treatment plant that's there.
Right. So if you're gonna have to like let's say mix the soils up, if you took the berm from around the big pond and put part of it into that You could then take the soils to mix it in and then put more dirt over the top or put the other put the sludge in from the second pond, put it up, and then mox mooks more dirt over it and then put more dirt over the top of that.
Yeah, that's the long term plan, Commissioner Mariano. And um, you know, one of the things that we're looking at right now is looking to make sure that we had a place to dispose of that vegetation. And I think that given The time frame that we're looking at with how quickly the storm is moving, I I don't think a day is gonna be enough time to be able to accomplish Both getting the the vegetation out as well as the earth work that would be required at the site.
eight hours. I'd probably agree with you, but I'm talking about all you've got to do here is to to go plow dirt in, scoop out oak.
Yeah. We can't we can't work through that right now. We need to go forward with our resolution and our motion. I want to go and afterwards we'll sit down with the team and let the team come up with the best plan for that.
And I did ha I did have a question. But did we vote on the resolution?
No Chairman Mariano. That's what we need to do. Called
question. I'll move approval. Second.
Okay, I have a motion and a second on a resolution. It's a roll call Vote? Madam Chair. Or Madam Clerk? Change your position.
Giving me a race. Yeah. District two.
Aye.
Um Thank you, Commissioner Weightman. District three, Commissioner Starkey. Hi. District four, Commissioner Yeager. Aye. District five, Commissioner Mariano. Aye. District one, Chairman Oakley. Aye.
Let it note that the motion passed five zero. Um Is there any need for any other discussion? Yeah,
I had a chair. I had had a question. Okay, you had a question. Sorry, mine's much shorter than yours. Um How do you know? When we were on the call, um you had left, um, but we were we are right in the midst of putting in a a uh drainage program for the old golf course at Gulf harbors. And I just I'm curious, are we using the pump right now or is that project done?
'Cause that's on the map is one of the red areas. The uh the project in Gulf Harbors. It it was under construction a couple weeks ago. Are we done with it? The drain it's to drain the flooding in the lakes there.
Yes, I know they started our project. it's still ongoing. Uh where they uh I don't have that response I can Yeah.
So i the pump is still there then? That's my question.
Yeah, I I don't have that response in terms of Whether the pump is there or not.
Right.
But the work was started, yes.
Well I kn I know it started. What I'm asking is what is the plan if that fills up?
So so usually what happens is public works has all these house spots. And they have pump stations, pre-stations, or they'll move pumps to these areas as the storm comes along. So that location is one of those hotspots that public works is aware of.
Okay. Well I'm gonna I'm texting the president of the association. I'm gonna ask them if they know if the pump is there. They can fight now.
And and if it's not there they can station one there.
Thank you.
Mr.
Chairman Mariano. So I and Commissioner Starkey I'm glad you bring that up. The staff told me a while ago they could do it fairly quickly, so hopefully they can finish before the storm hits. We'll see how that goes. But uh we've got a great team out there. Uh I just want to say the reason I brought this conversation up with you, because my next call will be with David Allen, Brantford, and theme to go talk about what we know, and we're gonna go work hard on DEP to try to go get it. But I just didn't want you guys to get scared of what we're talking about because the DEP was already
Mr. Chairman Mariano at this point. Okay. The local state of emergency is not a Your ability to void all permitting requirements to do a project, especially if you're already in a i in a permitting situation with DEP. It's for taking immediate action for to protect the health, safety and welfare of current events that are that
are unfolding. It's n It's not we think this would be a good idea and prevent something. Yeah. you're you still are subject to enforcement of state agencies And federal agencies. under a local state of emergency, if you go beyond the authorities that you have dealing with an emergency. I
will
help
I'll be happy to include you in the meeting, but I'm gonna tell you for this here, this is protecting the health, safety, welfare of the community. They flooded before, they could flood again after we've done it already. So this is to protect the people as well as the environment. But I'll include you in the meeting too.