Hurricane Season Starts Now
Leaders Stress Emergency Preparedness
June 01, 2017
Representatives from Leon County, the City of Tallahassee, the Leon County Sheriff's Office, the Capital Area Chapter American Red Cross, the National Weather Service-Tallahassee office and other emergency response agencies gathered this morning to officially announce the start of hurricane season, debut the 2017 Disaster Survival Guide and re-emphasize the importance of preparedness.
To help citizens prepare, the community is invited to the annual Build Your Bucket event this Saturday, June 3, at the Pavilion at the Centre of Tallahassee, 2415 N. Monroe St. From 9 a.m. to noon, more than 20 area disaster response agencies will be on hand to help educate citizens and provide information about vital resources. The first 500 households will receive a free bucket and starter supplies to help build their disaster preparedness kits.
At the event, residents can interact with first responders and also pick up an advance copy of the 2017 Disaster Survival Guide. The annual guide will be distributed in the newspaper on Sunday, June 4. Copies of the disaster guide will also be available at Leon County libraries and community centers, the American Red Cross and City community centers. An electronic version of the guide will also be available at www.haveahurricaneplan.com.
If you are unable to attend the event or you need to purchase more supplies for you and your family, this weekend will be the perfect opportunity. The 2017 Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday begins at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, June 2, and ends at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, June 4. During this sales tax holiday, qualifying items related to disaster preparedness are exempt from sales tax. For more information and a list of qualifying items, visit www.floridarevenue.com.
During a disaster, it is vital that you stay informed. In addition to alerts and other direct contact methods, official information will be posted online and on social media. Bookmark LeonCountyFL.gov/EI and Talgov.com now and follow the City (@COTNews) and Leon County (@LeonCounty) on Twitter and Facebook. Official information will also be broadcast on 88.9 WFSU FM.
Now on the App Store and Google Play, download the newly designed Leon County Citizens Connect App for emergency news and alerts. The most critical information will be delivered by push notifications directly to your phone or tablet.
Additionally, City residents are encouraged to download the City's free trouble reporting mobile app, DigiTally, now. Through the app, you can quickly and easily report outages, blocked roads and more via your smart phone or tablet. All reports submitted via DigiTally are sent directly to the corresponding department and put into the system to be addressed. If you don't have a smart phone, there is a similar functionality for reporting electric outages on Talgov.com. You can also call Customer Service at 891-4968. Call wait times will be longer during major events. City Utility customers should ensure their contact information is current by visiting Talgov.com/Update or calling Customer Service at 891-4968.
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