City of Marathon Disaster Preparedness Plan

Florida Keys Hurricane Guide 2009

CITY OF MARATHON
Disaster Preparedness Plan

The City of Marathon has developed its own Disaster Preparedness Plan especially to deal with tropical cyclone emergencies. The multiple purposes of this plan are:

- Reduce vulnerability of people to damage, injury, and loss of life and property.
- Prepare for prompt and efficient response and recovery.
- Prepare for prompt and efficient rescue, care, and treatment of victims.
- Provide a setting of rapid and orderly restoration of services and rehabilitation of affected property.
- Provide for interagency coordination to facilitate immediate delivery of assistance.

Once the Mayor (or in the Mayor’s absence, Vice Mayor, Mayor’s designee, or an available Councilmember) declare a local State of Emergency, the Preparedness Plan is then put into place. Depending upon the level of the threat of the approaching storm, the city will take actions in coordination with Monroe County’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC). Additionally, the city will set up its own EOC to coordinate necessary local response.

At timed intervals before landfall, different parts of the plan will be implemented. These include early visitor, boater, and special needs evacuations, coordination of response and recovery teams, any necessary mandatory evacuations, and all necessary interagency coordination.

Marathon has contracts with professional disaster recovery teams, as well as additional local providers of heavy equipment and contractual services necessary for any recovery. Local residents should rest assured that recovery form a tropical cyclone emergency will be comprehensive and swift.

Just as Marathon has a Disaster Preparedness Plan for its residents and visitors, so should each resident have their own plan. Use the resources in this guide to formulate your own plan, and then put it into effect should a storm threaten.