By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter

            Levy County Commissioners approved an order Tuesday officially declaring an emergency related to Hurricane Ian in hopes of being reimbursed for expenses resulting from the storm, even though the county barely got a scratch.

            During the storm, the county housed 44 people in Bronson Middle High School, which served as a storm shelter, as well as 9 special needs people. Most residents apparently waited out the storm at their homes.

            The only reported damage was a tree that fell on a car during the storm but aside from that, the main expenses for the county commission, school board, and cities were personnel costs from having employees on duty.

            Emergency Management Director John MacDonald said the threshold for receiving federal reimbursement funding would be $175,000 countywide, but he isn’t sure the expenses will rise to that level. If the county doesn’t qualify for funding, local governments will have to absorb those costs.

            On the other hand, if the county as a whole does qualify for funding, individual cities, the school board, and the county commission would file their own requests with the state to be reimbursed for their expenses.

            Hurricane Ian was a monster storm with tropical force winds extending out 325 miles from one side to the other. The early forecast by the National Hurricane Center had the storm making landfall in Tampa and heading northeast between Bronson and Williston with Category 4 wind speeds.

            Tampa is 130 miles south of Bronson.

            The forecast quickly changed when the storm took a right turn into Port Charlotte in South Florida and smashed several cities and two counties, as well as hitting Daytona Beach on its way out of the state.

            There may have been a couple of glitches in the county’s emergency contact system to notify residents. Two regular visitors to county commission meetings, Sally Ann Collins and Renate Cannon, said they didn’t receive a phone call from Levy County Emergency Management prior to the storm’s arrival.

            MacDonald was concerned and said he would immediately check the notification system, Levy Alert, to see if it was working properly. He said both ladies should have received a phone call.

            “One thing that concerns me – you used to get a phone call and now you’re getting an email,” MacDonald said. “That shouldn’t have changed – anything on that system at all. You should have got a call.”

            Collins was also concerned about a law passed by the Florida Legislature that she thought required her to pack her 5 rescued cats and take them with her to a shelter during the storm. She said she would have been physically unable to do that.

            She was concerned because the county had issued a mandatory evacuation order that included her home in Steeplechase Farms. She felt she was in a difficult position and could get into trouble for not evacuating. She said she has 1,000 trees on her property and none have ever fell on her home, but the mandatory evacuation order gave rise to concerns.

            Commissioner Matt Brooks and Commissioner John Meeks said the law Collins was probably referring to, bars homeowners from tying their dogs outside during hurricanes or other foul weather and exposing them to possible drowning or injury if they can’t escape. They said Collins was a responsible pet owner and wouldn’t get into any trouble by sheltering in her home with her cats during a mandatory evacuation.

            “There’s really no such thing as a mandatory evacuation. We cannot as a government, force you to leave your home. We can recommend it. We used to call it mandatory but it is not a mandatory evacuation. It would be a strongly encouraged evacuation,” he said.

            Meeks said the county encourages people to protect themselves in the event of an approaching storm, but he agreed with Brooks that the law Collins was quoting didn’t require her to pack up her cats in crates and leave her home.

            “It was a bill about leaving animals tied or confined so they couldn’t fend for themselves and when the water rises, now the dog drowns, or it’s tied to a rope and exposed to the elements,” Meeks said. “The sheriff is understaffed and doesn’t have the staff to let your cats back in the house. I do understand your concern but we don’t want you to put yourself in harm’s way because you’re afraid to leave.”

            In past storms, Collins said she allowed her cats to roam free in her home when she took refuge in a shelter. She said they had food and water and they did just fine for several days until she returned. She wanted clarification on the law and what it required her to do. Meeks and Brooks said she shouldn’t have any problem allowing her well-cared-for cats to roam in her home if she’s away at the shelter. She also won’t get in trouble if she remains in her home with her pets during a mandatory evacuation.

            In the future, Commissioner Lilly Rooks, Chairman Rock Meeks, Commissioner John Meeks, and Brooks said if Collins has questions about what to do as a storm approaches, please call the Department of Emergency Management, the Levy County Animal Services shelter, or the commissioners themselves rather than putting herself in harm’s way. Rooks said she would send someone down to help her or go personally to assist Collins if that was possible.

            Commissioner John Meeks also advised Collins to call early enough to give county officials advance notice of when she needs help. Plenty of lead time would help the county free up resources to assist her if possible.

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Board of County Commission Regular Meeting October 4, 2022; Posted October 4, 2022