As hurricane season begins June 1, Flagler County’s Emergency Management team held a media roundtable outlining the county’s latest preparations, from a brand-new emergency shelter nearing completion to a newly earned tsunami readiness designation, a growing volunteer force, and resources available right now to help residents get ready.
A New Emergency Shelter Is Almost Ready
One of the biggest updates from the briefing is that the Flagler County Fairgrounds Expo Hall is nearly finished and will soon become the county’s primary emergency shelter. County emergency management staff walked through the building for the first time during the week of the briefing and described it as a “hurricane-resilient building.”
The facility totals about 16,000 square feet, with roughly 10,000 square feet of usable shelter space. Using standard emergency management calculations of 20 square feet per person, it is designed to comfortably hold approximately 500 people. Officials stressed that no one seeking shelter during a storm will be turned away regardless of capacity.
The building was specifically designed for emergency use. It includes showers in its bathrooms, backup generator power, and — for the first time in a known Flagler County facility — a backup emergency water supply that can draw from underground if the municipal water system is disrupted.
Once open, the new facility will serve as the primary shelter for both the general population and the special needs population during smaller storm events such as a tropical storm or Category 1 hurricane. In larger events, it will function as the primary special needs shelter while public schools handle the general population. Special needs evacuees are allocated 60 square feet each — typically accommodating the evacuee, their caretaker, and medical equipment.
Currently, the county’s primary hurricane shelters are Rymfire Elementary, Buddy Taylor Middle School, combined with Wadsworth Elementary, and Bunnell Elementary. All three have backup power. EOC Director Jonathon Lord praised the Flagler County School Board for going beyond what is legally required by also providing staff to help run the shelters.
Flagler County Is Becoming Tsunami Ready
Emergency management officials announced that Flagler County is in the final steps of receiving official “Tsunami Ready” recognition from the National Weather Service, a federal designation that requires public education, partner exercises, and demonstrated use of the emergency alert system.
The risk of a tsunami hitting Flagler County is described as very low but not impossible. Potential sources include volcanic activity near the Canary Islands or the Balkan Islands, Caribbean earthquakes, or seismic activity in the Chesapeake Bay and Mid-Atlantic states. Officials said they have spent three to six months running through tsunami response scenarios.
Tsunami warning signs are ready and waiting to be installed at county parks. As soon as they are in place, an official announcement will follow. The county’s first formal presentation of the Tsunami Ready recognition to the county commission is scheduled for the first Monday in August at 9 a.m.
The designation also carries a financial benefit: it adds points to Flagler County’s flood insurance rating, which could lower flood insurance premiums for residents in unincorporated areas who carry federal flood insurance.
In the event of a tsunami warning, the county’s response plan would include emergency alerts, law enforcement and first responders heading to the beach, and the sheriff’s helicopter flying the shoreline when weather allows; all directing people to move inland. Officials noted that a tsunami would not require the same long-distance evacuation as a hurricane. People would simply need to move off the beach and away from the coast. With a tsunami, officials said, there would typically be a few hours of notice.
ALERTFlagler: About Half of County Households Signed Up
Flagler County’s free emergency notification system, ALERTFlagler, currently has approximately 20,984 web self-registrations and another 546 manual registrations — totaling more than 21,500 accounts. With roughly 55,000 households in the county, officials estimate that this represents about half of all households.
Officials emphasized that registration numbers can be hard to interpret precisely, since one account might include multiple family members’ phone numbers, and some individuals may have registered more than once for different contact methods. Even so, officials called the current number encouraging while stressing that more sign-ups are needed.
Residents can register at flaglercounty.gov/emergency or by calling (386) 313-4200 for those who prefer to register by phone.
The county also launched a free monthly preparedness newsletter earlier this year called Prepared Flagler. Residents can sign up through the same website to receive preparedness tips and updates by email, an option created specifically for those who don’t use social media but do have internet access.
Potential FEMA Changes and Property Tax Cuts: A Warning From Emergency Management
Flagler County’s emergency management director raised serious concerns during the roundtable about two separate financial shifts that, if both occur together, could significantly change the county’s ability to fund and deliver disaster response.
On the federal side, a FEMA review council recently released a report, hundreds of pages long, recommending changes to how disaster costs are shared between the federal government and local communities. Under the current system, once a disaster reaches a certain cost threshold and receives a presidential declaration, the federal government reimburses local governments for roughly 75% of their disaster expenses. The review council has recommended making that threshold stricter and harder to reach, meaning more of those costs would fall on state and local governments. The director described the current federal reimbursement program as functioning essentially like an insurance policy, one that helped Flagler County recover tens of millions of dollars in costs after past storms, including Hurricane Matthew. Without it, he said, a storm of that magnitude could have wiped out the county’s reserves entirely. He was clear that the report is a recommendation only, and that Congress and the president would have to act to make any changes. “I think it fundamentally changes disaster funding for the country,” he said, “and it doesn’t spread the risk out in the same way it used to.” He also noted that individual assistance programs, the federal money made available directly to residents impacted by a disaster, could be consolidated and potentially made harder to qualify for under the same recommendations.
Separately, the director expressed significant concern about the ongoing discussion at the state level about eliminating or substantially reducing homestead property taxes. He described it as a “fundamental shift” in how local services are funded, not just for emergency management, but for every county department. According to the director, property taxes make up approximately 60% of local government revenue. Eliminating that revenue source would force local elected officials to make difficult decisions about which services to prioritize or reduce. Any such change would require a voter referendum. “I’m extremely concerned about the loss of homestead revenue,” he said, “not just for emergency management, but for every service our community is provided by its local governments.” He stressed that all disaster response begins at the local level; fire stations, sheriff’s deputies, and local personnel are the first to respond, and those services are funded primarily with local tax dollars. When asked what he would recommend to residents, the director stopped short of political advice, but noted that residents should understand what is at stake: “Your vote, votes have consequences. Property tax elimination or significant reduction will have significant consequences, including the ability to fund disaster programs.”
The director said that while Florida is likely better positioned than most states to weather these changes, due to relatively healthy state revenue, the combination of reduced federal reimbursements and reduced local tax revenue arriving at the same time would present a challenge that local governments across the state are not currently built to absorb. He said he has already recommended to county commissioners that reserves continue to grow rather than shrink, precisely because of the uncertainty ahead.
Business Continuity Plans: A New Program
In the past year, Flagler County Emergency Management launched a program to help local businesses develop Continuity of Operations (COOP) plans. Staff, typically one employee and a college intern, visit businesses and walk them through what would happen if their physical location were damaged or inaccessible. The program helps business owners think through questions like whether they have the right insurance, how they would contact employees if cell phones are down, and how they could keep operating after a disaster.
Officials said the goal is to help businesses reopen as quickly as possible after a storm, keeping the local economy running and residents back at work.
Volunteers: A Record 30
The county’s emergency management volunteer program has grown to 30 active volunteers, the most it has ever had. Volunteers are required to contribute an average of four hours per week to remain active. Over the past year, they provided services that officials estimated would have cost more than $175,000 if paid.
Officials noted that a large portion of Flagler County’s volunteers are active retirees, and credited that group as a significant strength that many neighboring counties do not have.
Debris Removal, Mitigation, and Faith-Based Partners
The county maintains a shared contract with all five municipalities to bring in private contractors for large-scale debris removal after a disaster, a necessary step since the volume of debris from a hurricane exceeds what local public works and regular garbage services can handle alone.
Earlier this year, the county received approval for its five-year Local Mitigation Strategy, a required planning document that keeps Flagler County eligible for federal Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funds. Those funds allow communities to rebuild stronger after a disaster, not just back to where they were.
The county also held its second annual faith-based roundtable, connecting churches and religious organizations with nonprofits and the Community Organizations Active in Disasters (COAD) network. The goal is to make sure faith-based groups can extend their community care work into formal disaster response.
What Residents Can Do Right Now
County emergency management officials repeated four core steps for every resident heading into hurricane season:
Have a disaster kit. A year-round disaster preparedness shopping list is available on Page 4 of the county’s disaster guide, found at flaglercounty.gov/emergency. It covers food, water, medications, flashlights, batteries, chargers, cash, waterproof document storage, and supplies for those with medical or electrical equipment needs. Every person in the household needs at least a seven-day supply.
Have a plan. Know your evacuation zone. Decide in advance where you will go, whether that’s a public shelter, a friend or family member’s home outside the impact area, or a hotel. Orlando, officials noted, is not far and has an enormous number of hotel rooms. Write the plan down and share it with everyone in the household, including a contact list. Include your pets, and identify pet-friendly shelter options.
Know your options. Public shelters are always available, and no one will be turned away. But having backup options with friends or family, or the ability to stay in a hotel, can ease the burden on the shelter system.
Stay informed. Sign up for ALERTFlagler at flaglercounty.gov/emergency or call (386) 313-4200. Follow Flagler County Emergency Management on social media. Sign up for the Prepared Flagler newsletter. And make sure you have more than one way to receive alerts, phone, radio, and online.
Flagler County Emergency Management can be reached through flaglercounty.gov/emergency. To register for ALERTFlagler by phone, call (386) 313-4200.
The post New Shelter and Tsunami Plans: Inside Flagler County’s Hurricane and Disaster Preparedness Push first appeared on Flagler County Buzz.
