City of Doral’s Hurricane Preparedness Tips & Resources

 

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DORAL, FL – Hurricane season is officially here and the City of Doral wants to remind everyone that the time to prepare is now! Doral, as well as the rest of the County and State, are in the potential path of hurricanes. Which is why it is imperative that you review your family and business’ hurricane and supplies plan sooner rather than later.

 

This is the fourth hurricane season in which the City of Doral Divisional Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is available to be activated, if necessary. The EOC provides a centralized space for City staff and first responders to gather critical information, coordinate response activities, and manage personnel during emergencies and catastrophic events to ensure an effective and efficient recovery for our residents and business owners.

 

With public safety as the City’s utmost priority, all City departments are working diligently to provide the support you need to keep you, your family, and your business safe during a state of emergency.

 

Pre-Storm Activities for Residents and Businesses

 

• Have a personal plan and review your emergency kit. Make sure to have plenty of food, non-perishable goods, water (1 gallon per person per day) and medicine for a minimum of seven days. Don’t forget to purchase enough food and medications for your pets if needed. Visit the Public Safety page from the City website to see a complete list.

 

• Be sure to bring all front yard and backyard decorations, items, and accessories indoors to avoid the possibility of flying projectiles. Never use a barbecue grill indoors or on a balcony it will create life-threatening conditions inside your home as well as a fire hazard.

 

• Survey your property for any property maintenance-related issues prior to a storm, such as damaged fences, loose roof shingles or tiles, or other similar items so that they may be repaired before a potential storm arrives.

 

• Ensure that hurricane shutters are in good working order and are being maintained regularly. If your home has hurricane panels, make sure all required hardware and materials are easily available and accessible.

 

• Flooding can be a major concern during a storm. The City maintains all storm water drains within the public right-of-way, but make sure that if you live in a private community, your association management maintains the storm water drainage system within your community.  Ensure that all private storm drains are serviced and cleaned out to assist in alleviating standing water in roads and parking lots. Remember “Only Rain Down the Drain.”

 

• Trim your trees weeks, even a couple of months, before the start of hurricane season to avoid having dead branches and pruned landscaping from becoming dangerous objects during a windstorm. Proper disposal of these items is critical to prevent property damage during a storm. Note: if you have branches near or touching live electrical cables do not attempt to cut or remove them. You should notify FPL and report any hazardous conditions such as trees making contact with electrical power lines.

 

• For business owners in the City, all outdoor seating and tables, along with loose signs, should be brought indoors. All heavier outside storage materials should be properly secured, as well. City Inspectors will be scoping the City for construction sites and handling out flyers informing to secure loose construction materials. Have an emergency plan for your employees.

 

• Contact your Insurance Agent to ensure your property is properly insured and store all valuable documents in an impermeable container.

 

• Contact your Homeowner’s Association (HOA) to receive information specify to your community.

 

• The City’s Building Department will be available to assist customers with any hurricane permitting and inspection inquiries. For flood information visit our website: www.cityofdoral.com , under the Building tab.

 

 

Post-Storm Activities for Residents and Businesses

 

• Various major street intersections in Doral are equipped with portable generator interface devices that allow the hook-up of portable generators for continued operation of traffic signals in case of power outages caused by a hurricane event. Treat all intersections as a four (4) way stop when the traffic light is not functioning, or the Stop sign is down.

 

• In the event that your property is damaged during a storm, be aware of unlicensed contractors. Make sure to verify that all potential contractors working on your home are properly licensed, insured, and qualified by the State of Florida, and that all appropriate building permits are obtained.

 

• The City of Doral has contractors on standby ready to assist with clean-up and debris removal on City public roads. This will allow first responders to have unimpeded access in case of emergencies. In a continued effort to protect residents and business owners, the Code Compliance Department will be aggressively investigating and enforcing all reports of illegal contracting work performed in the City. Please know that if your community is managed by a Homeowners’ Association (HOA), that HOA is responsible for their respective community debris pick-up and disposal at a designated Miami-Dade County Solid Waste facility.

 

• Florida Power and Light (FPL) outage and restoration information is available by calling 1-800-4-OUTAGE (1-800-468-8243) or through their mobile website at FPL.com.

 

• In the event of a power outage, generator exhaust must be kept a minimum of 10 feet away from wall openings such as windows and doors.

 

• Cooperate with authorities if curfews are issued within the City and avoid leaving the house to drive around unless needed.

 

 

STAY INFORMED! The City of Doral has the goal of keeping the residents and stakeholders informed.  City staff uses various platforms to keep the public notified of hurricane emergency alerts.

 

• City residents and business owners may sign up to receive Automated Weather Alerts through Doral Alerts. This is free of charge and the application can also be downloaded on your smart phone. These alerts are pushed out to registered participants automatically, when the National Weather Service declares inclement weather areas near registered address. Residents and business owners may signup via our website to receive these notifications. http://bit.ly/DoralAlerts

 

• The City of Doral uses these social media outlets to keep residents and business owners informed of any emergencies. Follow our Twitter accounts (@cityofdoral and @DoralPolice), Instagram (@cityofdoral and @DoralPD), and our City Facebook page (@cityofdoral).

 

 

For emergencies, please call 911.  For Police non-emergencies, call 305-593-6699.