Plans and Strategies

In order to better prepare for the aftermath of a major or catastrophic disaster caused by a natural incident, Alachua County is developing a long-term, post-disaster redevelopment plan. For this effort, the scope of the planning area will consist of the whole of the County to include its municipalities.

As a first step, a vulnerability study is needed to asses our assets at risk in the planning area, including an inventory of structures. In addition, the plan shall address environmental issues, relocation and mitigation policies, rebuild policies, funding sources and education components. The plan will focus on long-term redevelopment after a major disaster, but should also include a proactive section with recommended pre-disaster actions, as well as establishing short-term response measures regarding land use decisions for the siting of temporary housing and solid waste management.

The plan will consist of the following elements:

• A vulnerability study for the planning area
• A communication plan including facilitation of a series of meetings for public outreach to include community, regulatory and governmental stakeholders
• The Plan shall address the following major issues:
  • Pre-disaster actions
  • Short-term response actions (temporary land use decisions)
  • Governmental coordination
  • Economic issues
  • Environmental issues
  • Social issues
  • Redevelopment issues
  • Compliance with the National Incident Management System (NIMS)

There are many reasons to develop a PDRP and even more to maintain and implement it. Alachua County is vulnerable to the impacts of hurricanes, including flooding, hurricane-force winds and tornadoes. Hurricanes have hit Alachua County, as witnessed by the 1896 No Name Hurricane. The County's Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS) details these risks and identifies pre-disaster projects to mitigate hazard impacts.

While coastal counties are required to develop these plans, Alachua County has chosen to do so as a best practice and good business sense.

A PDRP would build upon these efforts by developing a strategy for achieving a faster and more disaster-resilient long-term recovery. A disaster, while tragic, can also create opportunities to better the community. As we watch the continuing recovery of the Gulf Coast from Hurricane Katrina, it is clear that having an organized, planned approach to dealing with long-term recovery before a disaster strikes puts communities in a better position to more rapidly recover in a sustainable manner.

During this process there will be many opportunities for the public to participate and provide input. If you would like to participate in the Stakeholder Group, ask a question or make a comment on the process, or be emailed about upcoming meetings, please contact at 352.264.6500.

Alachua County is a great place to live, work and play. However, as with the rest of Florida, we are subject to several hazards that can result in disasters causing damages, disruption and displacement in our community. Threats such as hurricanes, wildfires and chemical spills are incidents we will have to deal with. I like to remind people that we have had the catastrophic hurricane: it was the No Name Storm of 1896. This storm was responsible for destroying Cedar Key and nearly the City of High Springs in northwestern Alachua County. Since then, Alachua County has seen a great deal of growth in population and the built environment. This is the type of scenario that emergency personnel continuously plan, train and exercise for with the hopes that it will not happen again.

Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that.

With this in mind, Alachua County continues to strive to improve the emergency management program. Personnel from the Emergency Management Section of County Fire Rescue, the Emergency Response Team (ERT) and Recovery and Resilience Team (RRT) met over the course of a year to develop and begin implementing this strategic plan.

Each team took a hard, honest look at our situation and our capabilities. While we have identified strengths, such as a well-established foundation to build on, we also identified areas of improvement that need to be brought up to a higher level of performance.

This strategic plan is not a check-in-the-box document that will sit on a shelf. It was developed by a large group of people investing their time and talent in various settings. To leave this plan collecting dust would not do them justice. This plan has a specific implementation process which will be followed and adjusted as needed.

Emergency Management is a team effort involving not only County departments, but includes Elected Officials, City agencies, our educational entities, volunteer groups and the public. To be successful in building a resilient community, we must continually develop the capabilities to rebound quickly with the input and action of our whole community. Your support and engagement will ensure our community’s success.

Alachua County Emergency Management Program Strategic Plan