J.A

Chapter 12: Structure for Managing Emergency Response

Article Name:

“Florida officials seek tourism boost after Alberto blows through”

Article Review:

The Emergency Operations Center should be the most important building of any community.

This is where all the knowledge and nuts and bolts to keep the safety, economy, and welfare of

all the citizens and dynamics of a city or county, flowing. Every part of our country has its own

hazards, from California and earthquakes, wildfires and tsunami threats, to hurricanes, tornadoes,

and floods in the South and Midwest. Every EOC has its own set of emergency plans based on

the threat assessment.

I bring up economy because you see it every storm season, disasters blow in and everyone flees,

including the tourists which would have spurred the economy but now are gone, and so is the

economy. Disasters not only pull down the economy, and the lack of needed tourism, but then is

the increased cost of preparing, mitigating, and recovery of disasters and emergencies. Hurricane

season started in the south, and now Florida is trying to pull back in tourists in between storms. I

understand that, but I also see a risk involved. According to one source, “As winds and rains let

up from Subtropical Storm Alberto, Florida officials Tuesday were quickly spinning ways to

draw tourists to areas that may have missed out on Memorial Day crowds” (Turner, 2018, para.

1). The Governor of Florida visited an EOC to thank them for a job well done for this first storm

as he was questioned about tourism efforts. He said, “The Legislature gave us $76 million again

this year (for visit Florida), and part of that money is to work on when we have something like

this, to let people know we’re back open for business” (Turner, 2018, para. 5). The EOC is the

hub and is excellent at tracking emergency and disaster situations before they happen, when

possible, and that success is shown by minimal loss of life and property.

When greed steps in, that is when you see tourism take a back seat, but most who have been

through the big storms know those risks, and you see a good attitude with the Governor of

Florida in this article who knows what his State is facing. It shows a good leader also who shows

appreciation to those he knows keeps the public safe.

WC 375

Turner, J. (2018, May 30). Florida officials seek tourism boost after Alberto blows through.

Florida Division of Emergency Management. Retrieved from

http://www.floridadisaster.gov/FloridaofficialsseektourismboostafterAlbertoblows

through