City of Pompano Beach Hurricane Irma After Action Report February

City of Pompano Beach Hurricane Irma After Action Report

February 2018

City of Pompano Beach Hurricane Irma After Action Report

Executive Summary

On September 10, 2017, the City of Pompano Beach was impacted by Hurricane

Irma, which necessitated evacuation of coastal areas of the City and caused severe

weather and power outages. To capture aspects of response that went well and

aspects that need improvement to strengthen future response, the City conducted

an after action review that culminated in this report. Because of the benefit in

gathering information quickly after the incident and because of ongoing recovery

responsibilities of City personnel, the City contracted with emergency management

consulting firm Witt O’Brien’s to facilitate the after action review and compile this

report.

Purpose and Scope of After Action Review

The purpose of this after action report is to identify key actions, operational

strengths, and areas for improvement in the City of Pompano Beach’s response to

Hurricane Irma in early September 2017. As in any response, positive measures as

well as lessons are identified. This report addresses preparedness, response, and

initial recovery activities by City departments and personnel as coordinated through

the Pompano Beach Emergency Operations Center (PBEOC). More than half of the

City’s employees participated in response in some way.

Multiple organizations, including county agencies and the Broward County

Emergency Operations Center (BCEOC), non-profit organizations, and private sector

utility providers are part of response in the City of Pompano Beach, and while their

roles are mentioned in this after action review, the report does not incorporate

detail or analysis regarding their actions or responsibilities. Information in this

report was gathered between September and early December 2017 from individuals

involved in the response and through review of incident documentation (see

Methodology section on page 6 for additional information).

Organization of Report

This report is organized simply to allow the City to identify and follow up on aspects

of preparedness and response that were implemented for Hurricane Irma and may

be needed in future emergency incidents. The report provides an overview of

Hurricane Irma and its effects on the Pompano Beach area, identification of specific

preparedness activities by the City, and analysis of areas for improvement and

recommendations.

In the analysis section, challenges encountered in response to Irma are organized

based on the following themes:

 Establishing and Maintaining a Proactive Response

City of Pompano Beach Hurricane Irma After Action Report

 Information Sharing to Promote Community Engagement

 Operational Communications

 Ready Response Force

 Supporting those Impacted

 Emergency Operations Center Management and Operations

 Coordination with Response Partners

 Restoration of Essential Services

 Facilitating Recovery

The narrative under each theme provides a summary of issues related to the

respective theme, findings or observations about the issue including areas of

success and areas for improvement, and recommendations to address challenges

encountered during and in the aftermath of the incident.

Use of this Report

This after action report is designed to provide the City a basis for its efforts to

continue to improve its emergency management capabilities and level of

preparedness for incidents of any type. At the time this report was drafted, the City

was already moving to address several of the findings and recommendations. The

City commissioned this report to make improvements, and the report can and

should be used to identify priority actions for improving planning and procedures,

training and exercise, and response coordination of facilities and resources. By

periodically reviewing status updates on priority recommendations as identified by

City officials and Emergency Management, the City can measure progress and

strengthen the City’s preparedness and response capabilities.

Section 1: Incident Overview

At the peak of a busy hurricane season in 2017, Hurricane Irma threatened much of

the Florida peninsula. It followed devastating damage on the southeast coast of

Texas from Hurricane Harvey. Hurricane Irma first struck the US Virgin Islands and

then the Northern tip of Cuba before turning toward southern Florida as a Category

5 hurricane. With the storm at 500 miles wide and winds reaching 185 miles per

hour (mph), City of Pompano Beach officials and officials in many other Florida

communities called for coastal residents to evacuate.

City of Pompano Beach Hurricane Irma After Action Report

In the City of Pompano Beach, many

citizens heeded the warning and

evacuated before the storm affected

the area. On September 10, Irma

brought maximum sustained winds

of 69 mph and gusts up to 86 mph (at

Pompano Beach Airpark), according

to the National Weather Service

(NWS) Miami/South Florida Forecast

Office. It is estimated that Pompano

Beach experienced close to Category

1-force winds on the afternoon of

September 10.

The NWS estimated

rainfall of 6 inches to 9 inches from 8

a.m. September 9 through 8 a.m. on

September 11, 2017. Storm surge

was 2.5 to 3 feet and resulted in

beach erosion but little penetration

or flooding from storm surge.

Monitoring & Early Warning

The National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration’s

National Hurricane Center (NHC)

began tracking what would become

Hurricane Irma as it formed west of

the Cape Verde Islands in the Atlantic

in late August 2017. As with other

tropical systems that could impact

Pompano Beach, the City’s

Emergency Management staff began

monitoring the system and the NHC-

projected track. The NWS Miami

office began providing informational

briefings on Irma on September 3 --

first via email and beginning

September 5 via webinar (twice daily

beginning September 6). The City’s

emergency manager and others in the area received or participated in the briefings.

Molleda, R. (2017). Email communication October 17, 2017, from Rob Molleda, National Weather

Service.

City of Pompano Beach Hurricane Irma After Action Report

As the NHC’s forecast strengthened and track projections changed, the City adjusted

preparations, including preparations for potential evacuation of coastal areas,

notification of City personnel regarding staffing for emergency operations and office

closures, and securing City-owned infrastructure. The City’s emergency operation

plan (EOP) identifies activation and operational levels. The City opened the

Pompano Beach emergency operations center (PBEOC) at partial activation (Level

2) on Wednesday, September 6. Non-essential employees were notified on

September 6, that they would not report to work on September 7 and 8 and that

employees should work with their supervisor regarding hours and operations based

on department emergency plans. The City Manager announced that the City’s

employee shelter at Mitchell Moore Recreation Center would open on Friday,

September 8, and the PBEOC would go to full activation (Level 1) on Saturday

morning, September 9.

On September 7, the NHC and NWS issued a Storm Surge Watch for areas that

included the City of Pompano Beach; a Hurricane Warning and Storm Surge

Warning followed late that evening. In response to the hurricane forecast, the City

activated the PBEOC at Level 1 (full activation) with A and B shifts effective at 7 a.m.

on Saturday, September 9. PBEOC staffing included representatives from

emergency management, city manager’s office, Broward Sheriff’s Office, Fire Rescue,

Engineering, Public Works, Procurement (General Services), Utilities, Finance,

Human Resources, Risk Management, Building and Planning (Development

Services), as well as the City Public Information Officer, a business liaison, Parks,

Recreation & Cultural Arts Department, Information Technology, GIS specialist,

incoming call takers, and a licensed HAM radio operator (for alternate

communication capabilities). The City also staged its municipal representatives in

the Broward County EOC (BCEOC); in accordance with city and county plans,

municipal representatives serve as a conduit of information regarding situation and

response needs from each municipality to the Broward County EOC (BCEOC). The

PBEOC remained activated at Level 1 through Tuesday, September 12.

Based on the NHC forecast track and conditions, a mandatory evacuation was put

into place starting Thursday, September 7, 2017 for evacuation zones A and B –

totaling over 11,500 people. Evacuation of residents in these zones was supported

through traffic control and monitoring through the County and City EOCs supported

by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office. Through coordinated efforts with the

County, residents in mandatory evacuation zones (east of U.S. Highway 1 and mobile

homes) were provided information about evacuation routes and County emergency

shelters via press releases, media outlets, City and County websites, emergency

notification systems (Reverse 911/CodeRED) and social media avenues.

Immediate Response

With the PBEOC and the Broward County EOC (BCEOC) activated, staff from

multiple departments and organizations were pre-staged in the PBEOC to

City of Pompano Beach Hurricane Irma After Action Report

coordinate response once conditions were safe for personnel to begin assessing

damage and addressing response needs. The City staffed a municipal services

branch position within the BCEOC to coordinate City information and needs with the

county. The Planning Section in the PBEOC provided City information to the county

via the county’s incident information system, WebEOC, and the Logistics Section

submitted resource requests via the resource requests process in WebEOC.

City of Pompano Beach response activities included communicating with residents

and the media, responding to 9-1-1 calls (once conditions allowed), assessing

damage, clearing debris, coordinating with utility providers, maintaining generators

and fuel supplies to support operations (e.g., water system pressure, sewage pumps,

and traffic signals) when electricity was disrupted, and coordinating support for

unmet needs.

Phone and internet service to City facilities were disrupted from Sunday morning ,

September 10, through Tuesday, September 12 (and intermittently thereafter),

which impacted emergency calls and City response capabilities. The disruption

affected communication between the EOC and field operations though it did not

impact immediate emergency response. In accordance with City plans, backup

communications capabilities, including cell phones and handheld radios (a cache of

satellite radios was also available), were used to maintain vital communications

among response agencies and the PBEOC. The City Manager remained at the PBEOC

throughout activation. An officer stationed at the Regional Command Center

prioritized emergency 9-1-1 calls that came in during the hurricane so that they

could be quickly responded to in priority order once winds subsided.

Residents as well as City operations such as traffic signals, experienced Irma-related

power outages. Florida Power and Light (FPL) provided outage hourly update

information to the PBEOC and the public via an FLP web portal. Outages totaled

approximately 90% of the City and restoration took days to complete. The building

in which the PBEOC is located was on generator power for 8 days. City water system

employees monitored water pressure and rotated generators among 80 lift stations

as needed to maintain water pressure and service throughout the storm.

Broward County (by State mandate) coordinates emergency shelters for the county,

including Pompano Beach, and the county opened a shelter at Pompano Beach High

School to serve residents who lived in evacuation zones. The shelter provided

services to a total of 302 residents and reached capacity by September 10, 2017.

Initial damage assessment and debris removal were conducted quickly. The rapid

impact assessment (RIA) process was led by Development Services’ Building

Division in coordination with the Broward County Sheriff’s Office deputies and was

completed within two hours of tropical storm force winds subsiding. City of

Pompano Beach Public Works crews completed the initial push to clear roads of

debris within hours after the storm had passed.

City of Pompano Beach Hurricane Irma After Action Report

Recovery

The City of Pompano Beach has estimated Irma-related costs to the City, to include

facility and equipment repairs, debris removal, and labor related costs, with an

estimated preliminary amount of $6 million. The city expects that most of these

costs will be covered by insurance and Federal Emergency Management Agency

(FEMA)-administered Public Assistance funding available through the federal

disaster declaration; the remaining costs will be paid with City’s disaster reserves.

Approximately 4,000 City of Pompano Beach residents applied for Individual

Assistance. The total private property damage Hurricane Irma caused is estimated

at approximately $3.5 million.

The City engaged Witt O’Brien’s to conduct this after action report to identify

positive actions that need to be captured as well as areas that need to be improved.

Observations on areas for improvement and recommendations to enhance the City’s

preparedness for future events are addressed in Section 3 of this report.

Preparedness

Successful response is the result of development of plans beforehand and the

coordinated implementation of those plans. The City of Pompano Beach provided

and participated in many preparedness activities to support this response well

before Hurricane Irma. The below graphic highlights key preparedness initiatives

the City had taken leading up to Hurricane Irma.

Section 2: Methodology

This after action report summarizes compiled feedback regarding the City’s

response to Hurricane Irma and was prepared through structured input and follow-

up with individuals representing agencies and organizations involved in the City of

Pompano Beach’s preparedness for and response to the storm as well as feedback

City of Pompano Beach Hurricane Irma After Action Report

received through the public in Commission Meetings and through the After Action

Meeting held with the public on January 10, 2018. The methodology was designed to

identify strengths and areas for improvement to articulate concrete

recommendations for future improvements.

Scope

The scope of this report is to evaluate the City of Pompano Beach’s response to

Hurricane Irma. Therefore, evaluation methods have been targeted to collect

information specific to the City’s response. It should be recognized that other

jurisdictions and response partners may develop evaluations and after action

reports based on their specific role. In addition, in instances where Broward County

led or supported a specific response function that requires improvement, it is noted

herein and will be addressed through continued coordination efforts.

Data Collection

The data collection and evaluation team collected after action feedback from City of

Pompano Beach responders and stakeholders through a variety of methods. The

content of this AAR is derived from the following meetings and activities:

 Online survey of responders: An online survey tool was developed and

distributed widely to collect specific feedback on the overall response as well

as to collect recommendations for future improvement.

 One-on-one interviews: Interviews were conducted with key City officials

and response partners, in person and via telephone, to collect valuable data

on the response timeline, issues uncovered in the response, and area for

future improvement.

 Review of Commission Meetings: Evaluators reviewed Commission

Meetings in which the response to Hurricane Irma was discussed. This

included public comments.

 After Action Workshop: A two-hour after action workshop was held on

November 13, 2017. This facilitated workshop included forty-seven

representatives of City, County, and the Federal Government.

 Review of Response Plans: A representative sample of response plans

developed and utilized for the response were collected and reviewed.

 Public After Action Meeting: On January 10, 2018 an After Action Meeting

was held with the public to review initial findings and to solicit additional

issues, strengths, and recommendations to enhance future response and

recovery efforts.

Information was collected from mid-October through mid-December 2017.

Descriptions of issues and recommendations were drafted based on the input

gathered and on analysis and best practices of the consulting team that assisted the

City in the after action review. An initial draft report was reviewed by the City’s

Emergency Manager and City Manager, and a draft was reviewed with stakeholders

City of Pompano Beach Hurricane Irma After Action Report

and residents in a public review of the report

on January 10, 2018. Clarifications and

additions from the public workshop were

incorporated into the report before a final

version was presented to the City Manager..

Data Analysis

The data collection and evaluation team

summarized and collected data, identified

relevant observations within the data and

then organized the data into the following

nine themes:

 Establishing and Maintaining a

Proactive Response

 Information Sharing to Promote Community Engagement

 Operational Communications

 Ready Response Force

 Supporting those Impacted

 Emergency Operations Center Management and Operations

 Coordination with Response Partners

 Restoration of Essential Services

 Facilitating Recovery

For each theme, key findings are presented and include both strengths and areas for

improvement based on the data collected. Each finding includes an analysis of key

observations as well as recommendations for future improvement.

Recommendations may be based on the City’s response plans, best practices, or

input from responder, stakeholders, evaluators, or subject matter experts.

The narrative summaries do not mention individuals or specific positions as this

AAR is designed to correct processes and systems rather than personnel. Note that

some observations and feedback that lacked context or supporting details may not

be represented in this document.

The 2015 National Preparedness Goal

establishes 32 core capabilities to prevent,

protect against, mitigate the effects of,

respond to, and recover from the types of

incidents that pose the greatest risk to the

nation. This report’s identified strengths

and areas for improvement relate to

multiple core capabilities: Operational

Coordination, Operational

Communications, Situational Assessment,

Planning; Public Information and Warning;

Community Resilience; and Housing.

City of Pompano Beach Hurricane Irma After Action Report

Section 4: Analysis of Key Findings

The data collection and evaluation team collected and analyzed observations and

feedback that pertained to the City’s response to Hurricane Irma. The analysis

resulted in the development of key findings organized in the following nine themes:

 Establishing and Maintaining a Proactive Response

 Information Sharing to Promote Community Engagement

 Operational Communications

 Ready Response Force

 Supporting those Impacted

 Emergency Operations Center Management and Operations

 Coordination with Response Partners

 Restoration of Essential Services

 Facilitating Recovery

The following discussion of each theme observed includes key observations made

by response personnel and key stakeholders during the response and recovery

process from Hurricane Irma as well as public input and feedback derived from

recorded commission meetings and the Public After Action Meeting.

Establishing and Maintaining a Proactive Response

City personnel actively tracked Hurricane Irma, utilizing tools provided from the

National Weather Service, pre-existing plans, and coordination meetings with City

and County officials. Staff adopted the motto “Lean forward all of the time” to

ensure that as the potential impacts of the hurricane came into focus, adequate

planning was occurring to ensure essential services were provided.

Finding 1.1: The City effectively established and maintained a proactive posture

throughout the incident thanks in part to coordination efforts with

Broward County, other municipalities in

the County, and the National Weather

Service.

To ensure the City had the most up to date

information, coordination calls with the National

Weather service occurred at least twice daily leading

up to, during, and after the hurricane. Improved

tools, such as the Earliest Potential Onset of Tropical

Storm Force Winds and storm surge modeling, were

utilized by City of Pompano Beach Emergency

Management and other staff to make critical

decisions on public protective measures. The

information the weather service provided allowed

the city to have focused, proactive discussions about potential impacts and establish

plans and protocols for worst case scenarios. Data was easily interpreted by City

officials based on training received prior to hurricane season – a testament to the

POMPANO BEACH

CONDUCTED A PRE-SEASON

HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS

TRAINING SESSION WITH

THE NATIONAL WEATHER

SERVICE ON MAY 31, 2017

WHICH AIRED ON THE

CITY’S GOVT CHANNEL 78

AND REMAINS ACCESSABLE

VIA YOUTUBE TODAY.

City of Pompano Beach Hurricane Irma After Action Report

effective preparedness actions the City took to be resilient to known threats, such as

hurricanes. Overall, the information sharing of scientific modeling data provided by

the National Weather Service offered critical support in the decision making

required to keep the residents of Pompano Beach informed and safe from the

impacts of Hurricane Irma.

Mandatory evacuation of coastal areas of Pompano Beach, evacuation zones A and B,

was in effect starting Thursday, September 7, 2017. These zones included

approximately 11,500 Pompano Beach residents. Public messaging regarding the

evacuation order was provided via the City’s website, Reverse 911 (CodeRED

messaging), press releases and associated media briefings. Evacuation proceeded

safely via personal and public transportation (including those with access and/or

mobility concerns) with the assistance of Broward County.

Recommendations:

1.1.1 Maintain training and coordination efforts. The City should continue

its proactive stance in preparing for hurricanes as well as

coordinating with Broward County and the National Weather

Service/National Hurricane Center to make effective proactive

decisions to minimize impacts of tropic cyclones and other severe

weather-related hazards (such as flooding, tornadoes, etc.) on the City

and its residents.

1.1.2 Action and decision-making guide. The City should build on the

County’s Storm Action Lead Time (SALT) approach and the example in

the City Emergency Support Function (ESF) 5 Standard Operating

Procedures (SOP) (Figure 4) to develop a robust checklist that guides

decision-making and Pompano Beach Emergency Response Team

(PBERT) actions (e.g., staffing coordination, evacuation preparations)

in advance of arrival of tropical storm-force winds (e.g., starting at

120 hours before arrival of tropical storm-force winds) based on

clearance times and population needs.

Finding 1.2: Additional emergency management staff is needed to prepare for and

coordinate City response to known threats and overall all-hazards

resilience.

The City of Pompano Beach has one person responsible for its Emergency

Management program. The City’s Emergency Manager was heavily engaged and

active leading up to, during, and after Hurricane Irma. As is appropriate, dozens of

City personnel carry out preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery roles in

their departments, and some are designated to staff the City EOC on behalf of their

department or organization. The City partially activated the EOC, having the City’s

Emergency Manager report to the EOC to begin coordinating efforts on Wednesday,

City of Pompano Beach Hurricane Irma After Action Report

September 6, 2017. The City’s Emergency Manager was augmented by a City Staff

through a full activation of the EOC on Saturday, September 9, 2017. In the days

leading up to the full activation of the EOC, coordination activities, such as the

development of situation reports, decision making regarding protective measures

for Pompano Beach residents, and coordination activities with Broward County and

the National Weather Service relied heavily on one person as the storm approached.

The Pompano Beach Fire Chief is the designated alternate or backup for the

Emergency Manager and is also the backup for the Public Information Officer in an

incident. In an incident, the Fire Chief also is actively managing Fire Department

preparedness, personnel staging, and response. Though this approach provides

depth in each response function, the end result is that, for key personnel, rotations

are limited, and personnel get limited to no rest. In Irma, having only one

emergency management staff person stressed the pre-disaster planning efforts. In a

larger incident, this could create a choke point for information and decision-making

and an issue for continuity of vital coordination activities. This vulnerability could

be avoided in the future through hiring of additional staff and/or pre-emptive

partial activation of the Planning Section of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC).

Recommendations:

1.2.1 Consider partial activation of the EOC sooner. The City should

consider implementing a partial activation of the EOC in the days

leading up to a potential hurricane to provide staffing and

coordination support for the Emergency Manager.

1.2.2 Prepare for emergency management extended operations. Identify

and train one or more City staff or additional emergency management

staff to serve as a deputy and backup to the City Emergency Manager

in EOC activations.

1.2.3 EOC staffing. Identify, implement, provide space for, and enforce

procedures to avoid personnel working consecutive shifts, even if

there is a need to stage personnel at or near the EOC because of

potential access issues because of storm damage.

Finding 1.3: The City provided sandbags to support community-based mitigation

efforts in the face of Hurricane Irma; however, supplies provided

insufficient for demand.

The City of Pompano Beach provided resources to residents to protect their

property, including distribution of sandbags. The City distributed 4,000 sandbags

over a three-day period, distributing 2,000 sandbags in one just day. Overall, the

City distributed 40 tons of sand. This distribution effort was so widely utilized by

City of Pompano Beach Hurricane Irma After Action Report

the residents of Pompano Beach that, by the third day, sandbags ran out, and

residents were bringing their own shopping bags and pillowcases to fill. Additional

sandbags were not available because of short supply in the marketplace, at least to a

degree resulting from recent response to Hurricane Harvey in Texas. Concerns arose

that non-Pompano Beach residents were accessing the Sandbag Distribution Center

and creating a shortage of available sandbags for residents. In addition, some

residents expressed that they felt that the 10-bag limit was not sufficient to mitigate

potential impacts of the hurricane.

Recommendations:

1.3.1 Consider purchasing a sandbag machine to expedite sandbag

distribution. The City should consider purchasing a sandbag machine

as residents flocked to the sandbag distribution center to access

sandbags to mitigate against potential flooding. If cost prohibitive, the

City should consider stockpiling sandbags to allow for full distribution

based on the threats and vulnerabilities of community-based flooding.

1.3.2 Review sandbag and related mitigation policies and procedures;

clarify or update as needed. Explore ways of estimating potential

demand for sandbags and sand (or other supplies as appropriate) and

establish procedures that support orderly provision of supplies when

the City chooses to make them available. Consider viability of

checking City residency (via car or driver’s license or utility bill with

residential address). Identify appropriate distribution locations and

public communications (including message, media, and frequency) to

support realistic expectations of supply availability and distribution

process.

1.3.3 Develop and provide instruction on how to utilize sandbags: Explore

strategies to inform residents on how to appropriately utilize

sandbags to include informational handouts.

Finding 1.4: The City pre-emptively ordered commodities to support potential relief

efforts.

In the days leading up to Hurricane Irma’s landfall, the Emergency Manager worked

alongside the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts Department (Mass Care) to pre-

identify and submit resource requests to establish a commodity point of distribution

site in the event the impacts of Hurricane Irma warranted it. Additional emergency

supplies were also ordered through the City’s Office of Housing and Urban

Improvement (OHUI) in anticipation of emergency housing repairs for individual

assistance relief.

City of Pompano Beach Hurricane Irma After Action Report

Recommendation:

1.4.1 Continue to pre-identify and position resources. The City should

sustain efforts to pre-order and position resources to quickly aid

residents based on the needs of the incident.

Finding 1.5: Continue outreach efforts to vulnerable populations.

The City of Pompano Beach and Broward County has an ongoing effort in place to

support vulnerable populations during an incident. Some residents expressed that

Hurricane Irma significantly stressed vulnerable populations in the City and

additional support would have alleviated challenges they faced from prolonged

power outages, access to food and medicine.

Recommendation:

1.5.1 Continue to promote the use of the Broward County Vulnerable

Population Registry. The City should continue to promote the use of

the Broward County Vulnerable Population Registry and utilize the

tool in a response to meet the needs of individuals that register and

require assistance.

Information Sharing to Promote Community Engagement

Though City officials can implement specific actions to limit risk to known events,

such as hurricanes, full community-based resilience is a partnership between

government, private sector, and individuals. It is essential to promote effective

information sharing and community engagement to support resilience and

preparedness. Information sharing to promote community engagement was

managed through the City Manager’s Office through the Public Communications

Director as well as through routine communications with elected officials.

Finding 2.1: The City provided continuous information about Hurricane Irma and its

impacts throughout the duration of the event; however, outreach efforts

could have been farther reaching through an extended use of social

media tools.

The City coordinated and distributed information to the public through an

information gathering and dissemination process that began at the EOC. As incident

specific information, such as potential impacts of the hurricane, location of the

sandbag distribution center, and shelter locations became available, the information

was collected at the EOC and sent to the designated Public Information Officer.

Through press releases and information posts on the City’s website, critical

information was disseminated to the media and to the public. Some residents

indicated that they would have appreciated additional information on the

City of Pompano Beach Hurricane Irma After Action Report

hurricane, impacts, and activities throughout the duration of the incident. As

individuals seek information in real-time, additional information dissemination

methods such as use of Facebook, Twitter, and other applications should be

considered to ensure residents are being reached in a timely manner.

Pompano Beach maintains a CodeRed Mass Notification system that uses published

telephone numbers and mapping to allow for targeting notification directly to

residents. In the event that residents do not have a landline or hold an unpublished

number, the capability exists so residents can enroll for this service which also

utilizes email addresses and messages via text

For Hurricane Irma, CodeRed was utilized to communicate debris management. In

the incident, the CodeRed Emergency Notification System was used to share

information and could be further utilized as a method for general messaging or

outreach to the public. The ability for the public to enroll has been widely publicized

and promoted. On an annual basis, the City has conducted an ‘ALL-CALL’ to all

registered numbers and this year included all water utility numbers to further

extend the reach.

Recommendations:

2.1.1 Expand public outreach through Facebook and Twitter. The City

should consider active use of Facebook and Twitter to provide direct

communication to the residents of Pompano Beach. Twitter and

Facebook used on an ongoing basis will help make residents aware of

hazard and disaster-related information and resources available.

Upon this expansion, and to support robust communications in times

of emergencies, the City should develop standard operating

procedures that outline the activities, processes, and tools (and how

they are used) to communicate with the public about risk and

preparedness on an ongoing basis and about protective actions and

incident status during an emergency or potential event.

2.1.2 Determine strategies to utilize and integrate the ‘My Pompano’

Application to enhance preparedness, response, and recovery

communications. In August of 2017, the City of Pompano Beach

launched the My Pompano application that provides direct

communication with elected officials, information on city events, and

access to e-services. The City should identify if this application can be

utilized for communicating incident-specific information in the future.

2.1.3 Consider expanded use of the CodeRed Emergency Notification

System. The City should review possibilities for the extended use of

the CodeRed Emergency Notification System and utilize it to

City of Pompano Beach Hurricane Irma After Action Report

communicate to residents’ key protective actions, mitigation

measures, and response and recovery details for incidents.

2.1.4 Continue to publicize the enrollment feature of the CodeRed

Emergency Notification System. As residents move away from

utilizing land line phones to mobile phones, the need for self-

enrollment in notification systems like CodeRed is needed in order to

reach those who could be impacted by an event rapidly. Links to

information on how to sign-up for CodeRed are on the header of every

page of the City’s website. This great best practice should be

continued.

Finding 2.2: Through information collected at the EOC, the City Manager provided

routine updates to elected officials.

City Manager Greg Harrison was the central point of contact, providing the Mayor,

Executive Staff, and the City Commission with routine updates regarding Hurricane

Irma. The City Manager remained at the EOC for the duration of the Level 1

activation, sleeping onsite, to ensure information was being coordinated and

communicated effectively in support of response operations. When

communications infrastructure at the EOC and throughout the City was

compromised, Assistant City Managers were positioned to effectively share and

communicate impacts and needs. Elected officials were eager to learn about

potential impacts and actions taken by the City to protect lives and property.

The Planning Section within the EOC provided situation reports, which provide an

update of incident information daily (at least twice within the established 12-hour

shift), outlining the current situation, potential impacts, and actions the City was

taking to limit the loss of life and property. In addition, in-person briefings with City

officials were conducted.

Recommendations:

2.2.1 Continue to inform and engage elected officials during the response.

The City Manager should continue the best practice of continual and

open communication flow between the EOC and the City’s elected

officials.

2.2.2 Identify backup means of communication to inform decision makers

during response. The City needs alternate or backup means of

communication so that the City Manager does not need to stay at the

PBEOC during an incident response. Especially in an extended

activation, this could prove non-workable and counterproductive.

Reliable means of communication and backup communication should

be established, tested, and maintained to ensure ongoing

City of Pompano Beach Hurricane Irma After Action Report

communication between the City Manager and other city officials and

the PBEOC regardless of the City Manager’s location.

2.2.3 Provide training to elected officials: The City’s elected officials play an

important role in an emergency incident; elected officials need to have

an understanding of their roles and the activities of the EOC and the

PBERT. The City should provide regular training on elected officials’

roles in an emergency to support coordinated effort between the City

Manager, EOC, and elected officials.

Operational Communications

Though the City attempted to ensure redundancies for internet and phone

communications, internet and phone capabilities were out for approximately three

days. Communication systems for responders, such as radios and satellite phones

worked well and were deployed to support breakdowns in conventional

communications systems.

Finding 3.1: Phone service for City government was down for more than two days.

Phone lines for city government are provided under contract with Windstream via

multiple bundles of copper phone lines called Primary Rate Interface (PRI).

Electricity is required for these lines, with electricity pushing communications

through nodes in the system. The City identified electricity dependency as a

potential issue in 2015, and a backup fiber line was installed and tested successfully

in July 2017. Before or during Hurricane Irma landfall, the fiber line configuration

was lost or reset, which required reconfiguration. When copper phone lines failed,

the fiber backup did not successfully provide phone service or Internet connectivity.

This outage occurred for two days, impacting the City’s ability to make and receive

calls. Backup systems, including cell phones and hand-held radios, were used;

satellite phones were available but were not broadly used.

Recommendations:

3.1.1 Contract for primary and/or backup dedicated fiber phone system.

The City should consider contracting with a provider, such as Comcast

or Hotwire, to provide dedicated fiber phone lines for the City.

3.1.2 Contract for point-to-point wireless capability. The City should

consider including point-to-point wireless capability as a redundancy

to ensure phone communications in the event the fiber line is cut or

otherwise disrupted.

3.1.3 Schedule and implement routine tests of backup phone capabilities.

The City should implement routine tests of backup and redundant

City of Pompano Beach Hurricane Irma After Action Report

phone and Internet capability to ensure critical communications can

continue in the event of a phone service disruption and/or power

outage.

Finding 3.2: Internet capability at City buildings was disrupted for more than two

days.

Internet capability was impacted in all city buildings because of power outages on a

critical node of the Internet provider, Comcast. City IT professionals had difficulty

contacting leadership at Comcast to remedy the problem. Portable hotspots were

available to provide Internet connectivity at the EOC and other critical locations

throughout the City. A satellite Internet capability has been recently added to the

EOC to provide additional redundancies; however, it is expensive and is to be used

on a limited basis when other service is not available.

Recommendations:

3.2.1 Contract with an Internet provider to provide a direct Internet

connection to critical city buildings. The City should consider

contracting with a provider to provide a direct fiber line connection to

ensure Internet reliability in known hazards such as hurricanes and

based on likely consequences like power outage.

3.2.2 Continue to contract and test backup Internet capability at critical

facilities. The City should continue to implement a backup internet

capability in the form of satellite Internet and mobile hotspots for

critical facilities including the EOC.

3.2.3 Schedule and implement routine tests of backup Internet capabilities.

The City should implement routine tests of fiber communications

systems, satellite Internet, and mobile hotspots and follow up on

failures or interrupted service to make sure these systems are

operable in times of need.

Finding 3.3: The Broward County Public Safety Radio System became overloaded

immediately following Hurricane Irma, limiting response communications

for the City to only one channel.

As Hurricane Irma moved through the area and response operations resumed, call

volume on the Broward County Public Safety Radio System became so voluminous

that the dispatch center advised Pompano Beach Fire Rescue that operations were

limited to one channel rather than the multiple channels typically utilized. This

decision was made based on communication infrastructure limitations to handle the

City of Pompano Beach Hurricane Irma After Action Report

volume of transmission needed to coordinate an effective response. This issue also

was observed during the Fort Lauderdale Airport Shooting Incident in January 2017.

In efforts to expand its communications platform, Broward County is replacing the

current public safety radio system with digital 800 MHz system; this is a $45 million

investment subsidized by a grant, which will provide new radios and fire alerting

systems throughout the County in the next two years. This new system will replace

the legacy system with a modern digital radio system including redundancy and

backup capabilities. In the City of Pompano Beach, the Fire Department, emergency

medical, and Ocean Rescue use the County radio system. Other departments use city

radio communications capabilities, which operate on different frequencies and use

different technologies.

It is important to note that at no time was response compromised due to the limited

radio use.

Recommendations:

3.3.1 Continue to implement the Public Safety Radio Communications

Upgrade. The City, under leadership of the County, should continue

these efforts to modernize the Public Safety Radio System used by the

City Fire Rescue Department.

Ready Response Force

“Do Good”. Simply put, this was the mission

City Manager Greg Harrison gave each City

employee that responded to the PBEOC to

prepare for and manage Hurricane Irma’s

impacts. To ensure the focus of the response

was to do good for the people of Pompano

Beach, the City Manager provided shirts with

the logo “Do Good” to remind City employees

why they were reporting to the EOC, spending

time away from their families, and working

long into the night. In all, 85 employees

worked in the Emergency Operations Center,

and 767 fulltime employees, 200-part time

employees, and volunteers worked in some

way to support mitigation, response, or recovery missions during the event. Over

three quarters of the City’s employees worked Hurricane Irma related activities.

Finding 4.1: Though staff worked hard, long, and sacrificed throughout the response,

additional training would benefit EOC staff.

ON JUNE 1, 2017, A HURRICANE

PREPAREDNESS WORKSHOP

WAS HELD AT CITY HALL TO

PREPARE CITY EMPLOYEES FOR

HURRICANE SEASON (THIS IS

THE SAME AS THE 5/31/17

WORKSHOP. JUNE WAS A

EXERCISE WITH THE COUNTY

TO TEST SHELTER PLANS AND

WEBEOC

City of Pompano Beach Hurricane Irma After Action Report

All EOC staff worked tirelessly throughout the response and were the first to admit

that additional training would help them in their roles for future responses. It is

important to note that the EOC staff represents City Employees whose full-time

position does not include Emergency Management. Therefore, as these staff report

to the EOC to support the City in times of need, additional training would benefit

them as they transition to these temporary roles. Job aids, such as position specific

checklists could also support an enhanced response force of EOC staff who are

confident in their role.

Recommendation:

4.1.1 Expand position-specific planning and training. Expand development

of ESF annexes, position-specific procedures, standard operating

procedures, and checklists to support conduct of the City’s emergency

response coordination activities. Plans and procedures that were in

place helped to support effective response, and efforts should be

made to develop additional plans and procedures to support

preparedness and response.

Finding 4.2: Though some plans and templates have been developed, the City can do

more to develop position-specific plans and templates for future events.

The Planning Section and Operations Section of the EOC are expected to work

together to develop a comprehensive Incident Action Plan (IAP) that identifies

priorities, assignments, and other details for each operational period. During Irma,

there were instances of assignments made verbally that were not necessarily

captured in or accounted for in the IAP process. This process could be improved

through an integrated approach to IAP development and use of an IAP template.

Recommendation:

4.2.1 Provide additional IAP training. Require personnel who will or may

be expected to staff the Planning and Operations sections to take

FEMA independent study course, IS-201, focusing on the development

of Incident Action Plans (IAPs).

Finding 4.3: The City provided services to employees to support working through

adverse conditions that ultimately supported a stronger response, but

questions on who is eligible for these services remain.

To support and encourage City employees to work through and return to work

immediately after Hurricane Irma, the City provided childcare services and an

employee shelter for City employees. The City Employee Shelter opened on Friday,

September 8, 2017 for employees and their immediate families who were required

to work throughout the hurricane. After the hurricane had passed, the City opened

City of Pompano Beach Hurricane Irma After Action Report

four child care centers for City employees so that they may return to work quickly

despite school closures. Though this program was successful, there was uncertainty

on which employees qualified for this program, which resulted in the program not

fully being utilized. These programs are an excellent demonstration of providing

needed services to responders in order to expedite response and recovery efforts

and should be continued. It should also be well documented and distributed to City

employees to further encourage rapid restoration of City services.

Recommendations:

4.3.1 Childcare Policy. Update and distribute the City’s emergency response

childcare policy. The City should distribute this information at the

start of hurricane season to remind City employees and clarify when

and what services are available.

4.3.2 Employee shelter. Sustain the activation of an employee shelter for

employees that are required to work throughout the incident and

their immediate families.

Finding 4.4: Incidents provide opportunities for growth, so staff should be provided

an opportunity to capture and learn from this incident.

Throughout the response, EOC personnel as well as first responders throughout the

City demonstrated ingenuity, drafted response plans, and implemented procedures

to support response efforts. These efforts should not be lost. Providing time for

these responders to maintain and update these tools would support future response

efforts and allow for a continual progression of preparedness.

Recommendation:

4.4.1 A day of preparedness: As hurricane Irma’s effects waned, EOC staff

returned to their daily jobs. The City should consider inviting EOC

staff back into the EOC for a day to reflect on the response and capture

all plans, procedures, and documentation developed during the

response for future use.

Supporting those Impacted

Pompano Beach and Broward County identified potential risks and mobilized assets

to support those impacted by Hurricane Irma. Mandatory evacuation orders were

issued for areas evacuation zones A and B including over 11,500 residents. It is

estimated that over 300 Pompano Beach’s residents sought emergency shelter in

County-operated shelters. Others stayed with family and friends or in commercial

lodging at their own expense. During and immediately after the hurricane, the

Pompano Beach Fire Prevention Bureau conducted routine checks on all assisted

City of Pompano Beach Hurricane Irma After Action Report

living facilities in the City. Regional Communication Centers, served as backup

capability to the City’s dispatch center and collocated with strike team resources for

immediate regional response.

In preparedness for Hurricane Irma and consistent with

County and City plans, Broward County set up and

arranged for operations of emergency shelters within the

County, including one in the City of Pompano Beach.

However, information from the County to municipalities

regarding shelter status (e.g. at capacity) was unclear, and

Pompano Beach received information through the news

media regarding power and air conditioning problems at a

shelter before the County was able to provide the

information.

Finding 5.1: Shelters, operated by Broward County, lacked adequate power, and

improvements in sheltering capability and capacity is needed.

Due to evacuation orders for all homes east of US – 1 and all mobile homes, a

significant shelter operation was instituted for the County. Pompano Beach High

School was open to provide shelter for those evacuated. That shelter reached its

maximum capacity of 302 residents on Sunday, September 10, 2017. The next

closest shelter was in Coconut Creek and did not reach capacity. Broward County

manages the shelter operations for all municipalities. An early heard criticism was

that there was not sufficient shelter capacity and that shelters were running with

limited power and air conditioning. The City should work with the county to

determine sheltering needs and available facilities to shelter individuals during

incidents.

Recommendations:

5.1.1 Review and update emergency shelter operating criteria. Work with

Broward County to review and update operating criteria for public

emergency shelters operated by the County. Limitations and specifics

of conditions at shelters should be made available to the public before

and during an incident.

5.1.2 Seek a shelter task force with the County. Work with Broward County

and the County Emergency Coordinating Council (ECC) to participate

in a task force that identifies shelter needs and gaps to contribute to

an emergency shelter strategy with the County.

5.1.3 Identify emergency shelter capacity needs within Pompano Beach.

Work with the County and other partners to identify emergency

IN JUNE, CITY AND

COUNTY STAFF

CONDUCTED A

SHELTER

FUNCTIONAL

EXERCISE.

City of Pompano Beach Hurricane Irma After Action Report

shelter needs for identified hazards and review the potential for

additional shelter capacity.

5.1.4 Clarify PBEOC processes for situational awareness regarding shelter

operations. Work with the County to identify essential elements of

information to be updated and shared with municipalities regarding

shelter operations. PBEOC procedures should include responsibility

for maintaining up-to-date status regarding shelter operations (e.g.,

via a PBEOC position or the municipal liaison in the County Municipal

Services Branch) and process for requesting additional shelter

capacity.

Finding 5.2: Concern was expressed about the availability of transitional and

temporary housing of displaced residents after County shelters were to close.

Once emergency public shelters operated by the County closed, residents whose

homes were damaged needed intermediate- or long-term housing. While not

identified as a significant issue after Irma, in a more severe incident, particularly one

with higher winds or extensive flooding, availability of

livable housing stock in the City could become a challenge

for economic and community recovery.

Recommendation:

5.2.1 Develop an emergency shelter and housing

strategy. The City should work with the

County and non-profit organizations to

develop an emergency shelter and post-

disaster housing strategy, including housing

for residents displaced from their homes because of damage.

Finding 5.3: The City maintained communication with Assisted Living Facilities and

provided routine checks.

In coordination with Broward County, the City maintained communication with the

15 assisted living facilities in the City to ensure that each facility had the resources

necessary to care for their residents. These wellness checks, were conducted by the

Pompano Beach Fire Prevention Bureau and were communicated back to the

Broward County Emergency Operations Center through the City EOC. This is a best

practice that the City has had for some time and will continue.

Recommendation:

IN APRIL AND MAY, THE

CITY CONDUCTED

VULNERABLE

POPULATION TRAINING

AND OUTREACH AND IS

PART OF ANNUAL

TRAINING

City of Pompano Beach Hurricane Irma After Action Report

5.3.1 Institutionalize wellness checks at assisted living facilities. Continue

to implement wellness checks at assisted living facilities during

emergency incidents, particularly those with power outages, to

support safety and health of vulnerable populations.

Finding 5.4: Based on availability of running water as well as availability of

commodities such as ice, food, and bottled water at open local

businesses, commodity Point of Distribution (PODs) sites were not

initially activated.

The City considered establishing a Commodity Point of Distribution site in the wake

of Hurricane Irma. However, when the impacts of the storm were fully identified

and critical services such as running water and availability of commodities through

local merchants were determined, a site was not established. The City received

complaints that ice was not provided to impacted residents. The City’s decision-

making threshold for water distribution has typically been when water service is

disrupted. As FEMA no longer provides or reimburses for ice distribution as it is

not a cost-effective strategy to provide food and water to those in need nor does it

align with preparedness messages that focus on stockpiling non-perishables.

However, ice may be needed to preserve certain medications. In those instances,

when needs are determined, the City has plans to make every effort to ensure the

need is met by utilizing 311 and the EOC hotline.

Requests for ice from residents in the Liberty Park and Sanders Park areas were

communicated through elected officials. In response, an ice distribution center was

established with support and donations from the United Way. The City utilized city

trucks and employees to secure the donated Water and ice from the identified

distribution site.

Recommendations:

5.4.1 Set and communicate criteria for opening a commodity Point of

Distribution Site. Establish clear criteria for when a commodity Point

of Distribution Site will be opened; criteria should include availability

of commodities from local businesses, power restoration projections,

and availability of safe running water. Information on when PODs will

be established should be regularly provided to the public.

5.4.2 Provide information to residents on how to request commodities such

as ice and the policies of distributing these commodities. The City

should consider providing informational materials to residents

regarding preparedness measures they should take that also include

how to use the EOC hotline and 311 when needs are not being met.

Finding 5.5: The City responded quickly to looting.

City of Pompano Beach Hurricane Irma After Action Report

Prior to Hurricane Irma making landfall, there was a sharp increase in calls related

to looting as residents took precautions and evacuated portions of the City. In

response, the City responded with additional police presence, and several arrests

were made for crimes happening in progress. This additional show of police

presence was facilitated by the ability for the City to work together to provide

shelter for law enforcement. The Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts Department

provided interim locations for over 250 deputies during the storm.

Recommendation:

5.5.1 Sustain efforts to enhance law enforcement presence as a deterrent

for looting. Work with the County Sheriff’s Office to demonstrate a

clear law enforcement presence during times of evacuation and

immediate response to deter looting. This should include capabilities

and procedures for pre-staging and shelter of law enforcement and

support personnel during the height of the storm.

Finding 5.6: Regional Communication Centers provide regional strike team capability

for rapid prioritization and deployment of responders. Pompano Beach

stationed a City operational representative in the Regional Dispatch

Center to assist with communications to the City and to prioritize 911

calls facilitated communication and efficient response.

To provide rapid emergency services during and immediately following Hurricane

Irma despite immediate power or communication failures, a Fire Service operations

staff member deployed to the Regional Communication Center prioritizing 911 calls

to expedite post-landfall response. This best practice supported communications

and allowed City responders to rapidly address the needs of the community once it

was safe to deploy.

Recommendation:

5.6.1 Sustain efforts to assign a Pompano Beach Operations staff member to

Regional Communication Centers during emergencies. Continue to

implement this best practice for all known events that could result in

a loss of power or communications.

Emergency Operations Center Management and Operations

The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is the nerve center of the City’s response to

incidents, and the response to Hurricane Irma was no different. Limitations of staff

and space make for a challenged response, and Hurricane Irma did not have the

scale and severity of impacts that it might have had on the City had the track been

City of Pompano Beach Hurricane Irma After Action Report

different (or that future storms may bring). The City’s EOC is undersized, outdated,

and poorly designed to support response operations. As currently configured, the

EOC is not well-suited to manage large-scale incidents and cannot accommodate

EOC staff when required to shelter-in-place, such as in the event of a passing

hurricane. Recommended practices are for shift-change briefings when one shift of

personnel hand off to the other; space limitations in the current EOC were at times

inadequate to support section shift change briefings, which are designed to provide

current status updates and position specifics to personnel staffing the next shift.

Finding 6.1: The City should consider adding staff to support the Emergency Manager.

In 2007, the City of Pompano Beach made the decision to designate and hire an

Emergency Manager. The responsibilities of the Emergency Manager are to manage

and coordinate City departments and personnel in protection, mitigation,

preparedness, response, and recovery activities for hazards that could impact the

City. During the response, the Emergency Manager worked continuously for four

straight days with limited breaks. An alternate was identified; however, the

alternate was also responsible for operations within the EOC. Based on the threats

and vulnerabilities of the City and the potential for extended operations, additional

staff is needed to support the Emergency Manager to enhance overall preparedness

and support response operations.

Recommendations:

6.1.1 Hire at least one additional staff to support Emergency Management.

Explore the benefit and feasibility of hiring at least one additional staff

member to support emergency management activities.

6.1.2 Implement position-specific guides and training. The City’s ESF 5 SOP

outlines the roles of Incident Command System (ICS) sections and

positions in the EOC. The City should identify or develop position-

specific checklists relevant to the positions used in the PBEOC to

support training and performance of EOC duties.

Finding 6.2: The City’s EOC does not meet the needs of a large-scale response.

The City’s EOC has limited capacity to manage a large-scale incident. The facility

lacks space needed to house EOC response staff onsite, lacks break-out space for

incident action planning, and lacks technology upgrades that would enhance

response. During the incident, EOC staff were required to shelter-in-place at the

EOC. For more than 48 hours, EOC representatives did not leave the facility.

Sleeping conditions for staff were limited. Many slept under desks, in closets, and

hallways while off shift, which lead to staff operating long hours without adequate

rest.

City of Pompano Beach Hurricane Irma After Action Report

Recommendations:

6.2.1 Fund EOC upgrades: Identify funds to establish an EOC facility in the

City with space and technology to support coordination of City

emergency operations and response.

6.2.2 Identify PBEOC space and support needs. Estimate staffing and roles

in the EOC during each level of activation and outline requirements

for the City’s EOC.

6.2.3 Identify sleeping accommodations in proximity to PBEOC: Because

travel to and from the EOC while hurricane conditions are present is

not recommended, the City should identify and contract with a local

hotel or facility close to the PBEOC (preferably co-located) to provide

sleeping accommodations for EOC staff.

Finding 6.3: Backup power and communication capabilities could be enhanced at the

EOC.

As outlined in recent reports on enhanced EOCs, high-tech tools fall short without a

solid, disaster-resistant network (Pyzyk, 2017). Ensuring the EOC has a strong

technical infrastructure foundation ensures a robust response. Unfortunately,

throughout the response the EOC was impacted by multiple communications and

power disruptions. The EOC was on generator power for a total of eight days due to

power outages caused by Hurricane Irma. Though designated with Florida Power

and Light as a Critical Facility, power restoration efforts at the EOC were delayed. In

addition, the EOC was without normal communication capabilities for two days and

without internet for three days due to a Windstream communications node failure.

This significantly impacted the ability to coordinate and respond to impacts of

Hurricane Irma.

Recommendations:

6.3.1 Incorporate and test back-up communications capabilities: The City

should identify and fund backup communications capabilities at the

PBEOC.

6.3.2 Establish restoration priority with Florida Power and Light (FP&L):

Work with FP&L to designate the PBEOC as a priority for power

restoration.

Finding 6.4: Further integration of GIS capabilities and mapping could provide needed

decision support tools for response actions.

City of Pompano Beach Hurricane Irma After Action Report

Recent research in effective emergency operations centers points to the integration

of technologies, such as drones, with GIS capabilities in order to compare aerial

footage with mapping technologies to best uncover impacts and prioritize

resources. (Pyzyk, 2017) Though the City engaged a GIS expert early in the

response, more can be done to integrate mapping capabilities to help develop

decision support tools in the EOC.

Recommendation:

6.4.1 Establish and support GIS/mapping in the EOC: Identify technology,

staffing, and support needs to provide GIS and mapping capabilities in

the PBEOC to support situational awareness and decision making.

Finding 6.5: Integration of traffic cameras into the EOC would provide additional

situational awareness.

Utilizing pre-existing technologies such as live streaming traffic and beach cameras

and integrating them into the EOCs operations would provide for more real-time

observations of impacts of events of all kinds.

Recommendation:

6.5.1 Establish strategies to integrate live streaming cameras: Identify

resources, technology, and expertise to provide access to live stream

cameras in the PBEOC to support situational awareness. This may

require partnership with the Department of Transportation for the

use of traffic cameras, however, beach cameras are operated by the

City and can be used to determine real-time inundation.

Coordination with Response Partners

The City of Pompano Beach coordinated well with response partners including

Broward County Emergency Management, FP&L, and the Broward County Sherriff’s

Office. Situational awareness tools such as WebEOC helped to provide the County

with a full picture of impacts but did not provide the City of Pompano Beach with

awareness of the full county’s impacts. Coordination calls were helpful in providing

needed information and should be sustained.

Finding 7.1: WebEOC status boards were utilized, but the system did not provide the

City comprehensive situational awareness of impacts within the County.

The City of Pompano Beach uses an incident information management system called

WebEOC to provide information on response activities, impacts, status of facilities,

and resource requests to the City. Though the use of WebEOC in the City’s EOC was

City of Pompano Beach Hurricane Irma After Action Report

successful in that it provided the County with needed situational awareness, overall

awareness of impacts occurring throughout the County and among neighboring

cities could be improved between the City and the County.

Recommendations:

7.1.1 Work with the County to identify strategies to enhance situational

awareness through WebEOC: The City should work with the County

to identify ways to share status boards more effectively to promote

comprehensive situational awareness throughout the County.

7.1.2 Develop guidance and provide training on WebEOC use. The City

should work with County Emergency Management to examine

optimal municipal WebEOC use and provide clear guidance and

training for PBEOC staff on WebEOC use and procedures and how the

system supports situational awareness at the City and County levels.

Finding 7.2: Pompano Beach staff at the County EOC enhanced coordination efforts

along with daily conference calls with the County.

The City of Pompano Beach provided two staff to serve in Broward County EOC’s

Municipal Support Branch. These staff serve as a conduit of information between

the City and the Broward County EOC. The work of these staff and daily conference

calls supported coordination efforts within the County. At times, the schedule for

Broward County coordination conference calls with federal partners changed during

this incident. With the communications outage experienced by the PBEOC, this

created confusion and potential for missed coordination calls for the PBEOC.

Recommendations:

7.2.1 Sustain daily conference calls with the County EOC Municipal Support

Branch: The City should continue coordination efforts with the

county through participation in daily conference calls as well as

sending City staff to the County EOC.

7.2.2 Identify redundant means of conveying schedule changes. The City

should work with the County and federal partners (FEMA) to

designate redundant means of notifying municipalities regarding

schedules for coordination calls and situation report development and

dissemination.

7.2.3 Sustain coordination activities with the Emergency Management

networks to continue enhanced collaboration. The City should

continue to promote coordination activities with other emergency

City of Pompano Beach Hurricane Irma After Action Report

managers throughout the region, state and nation in order to best

coordinate preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery activities.

Restoration of Essential Services

The City of Pompano Beach was quick to restore essential services to residents. The

initial push of debris from streets was completed within three hours of the storm

passing, and a rapid impact assessment was conducted within two hours of the

storm passing. However, communications and power restoration were slow, and

back-up capabilities, such as operation of generators for traffic signals and

communications systems were hampered due to theft of fuel.

Finding 8.1: Coordination with Florida Power and Light should be enhanced.

While most estimated restoration timelines set by FP&L were met, some were not

which resulted in operational challenges and uncertainty for residents. Residents of

the City of Pompano Beach were without power for several days. As noted above,

critical facilities including the EOC also were without power and relied on generator

power for as long as two weeks. Further coordination with Florida Power and Light

could support accurate and timely communication of restoration activities as well as

prioritization of restoration.

Recommendation:

8.1.1 Establish a working group with Florida Power and Light: The City

should establish a working group with Florida Power and Light to

discuss restoration activities, prioritization processes, and how best

to coordinate and communicate efforts during an incident.

Finding 8.2: Generator power provided needed backup electricity for critical traffic

intersections and facilities but was significantly impacted by fuel theft.

Generators were distributed to critical intersections and facilities during the power

outage. This strategy only provided intermittent relief because of fuel theft at

generator sites. Locking mechanisms and police presence were implemented but are

costly strategies.

Recommendation:

8.2.1 Deploy locks or other security mechanisms on generators that power

critical traffic intersections and facilities: The City should identify

strategies to secure generators to limit fuel theft and sustain back up

power capability.

City of Pompano Beach Hurricane Irma After Action Report

Finding 8.3: Debris removal efforts were rapid and successful, though the initial

debris site was moved after complaints.

The City worked quickly to clear the roads once safe, completing the first push of

debris from City streets within 3 hours. Debris removal efforts were completed

within 8 weeks of the storm passing. The City was in a full-scale collection

operation five days after the storm cleared. This statistic is in stark contrast to the

challenges other Floridians faced in clearing debris left from Hurricane Irma.

Though initial first push of debris removal was a success, the location of the City’s

initial debris site was contested. Originally, the City had identified a property at the

base of the landfill as the debris management site for the City. This was the same

location the City used during Hurricane Wilma. Unfortunately, this site was not

available during Hurricane Irma due to Waste Management utilizing it for an air-

curtain incinerator operation. To keep operations moving forward, the City chose a

commercial property located west of Dixie Highway. The location was chosen in

part because it was a property the City owns and is zoned as commercial. After

residents complained, the debris management site was moved to a property at the

Isles Casino.

Recommendation:

8.3.1 Confirm debris site criteria and provide rationale for debris sites: The

City should clearly identify and communicate debris site criteria and

pre-identify debris sites. The city should prepare public messaging for

release in or after an incident to explain debris site selection and

operations. Prepare to work with elected officials to address

constituent concerns.

Finding 8.4: Fuel and propane shortages did not – but could have – impacted

response.

Leading up to and after Hurricane Irma, Floridians experienced wide-spread fuel

shortages. Though the residents of Pompano Beach did not experience these effects

as much as neighboring jurisdictions, the City should consider how to respond in the

event of fuel shortages. The City experienced low propane levels. A review of the

size of the City’s propane tanks and processes for refilling prior to known events

would enhance overall resiliency.

Recommendations:

8.4.1 Review the City’s fuel station policy: The City should review and

clarify its policy for providing motor fuel to City employees who are

expected to use a personal owned vehicle to report to work.

City of Pompano Beach Hurricane Irma After Action Report

8.4.2 Propane stockpile: The City should review processes for storage and

ordering propane prior to a developing incident, such as a hurricane.

Finding 8.5: Damage Assessments were rapid, coordinated, and included enhanced

technology.

Prior to Hurricane Irma, Pompano Beach officials entered

a contract with a drone provider to provide fly-over

capabilities for damage assessments in the aftermath of

an incident. Though not needed for this incident, this

strategy would be effective in a larger scale event. The

Broward County Sheriff’s Office supported in the rapid

damage assessment process and communicated and

coordinated well with the PBEOC. Efforts should be

made to further institutionalize and coordinate these

activities through the City Building Official, who is

responsible for coordinating damage assessments for the City.

Recommendations:

8.5.1 Continue to use drone technologies to support damage assessments:

Consider how best to integrate a drone contract into a comprehensive

damage assessment process including transitioning that contract to

the City Building Official’s office.

8.5.2 Develop a comprehensive damage assessment SOP: Develop a

comprehensive damage assessment SOP that integrates efforts of the

Broward County Sheriff’s Department and the City Building Official.

Address use of GIS in mapping and analysis for damage assessment.

Facilitating Recovery

Recovery efforts involved not only City officials but the County, State, and the

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide assistance to those

impacted. All parties coordinated well together and proved that pre-planning

supports effective implementation of recovery programs. The State of Florida

received a federal disaster declaration on September 10, 2017 (DR-4337). Broward

County was declared for Individual Assistance and Public Assistance for all

categories.

More than 4,000 Pompano residents registered for federal Individual Assistance

(IA) after Hurricane Irma. The only Disaster Recovery Center in Broward County

was established in Pompano Beach at the Larkins Center as a result of efforts by the

City’s Emergency Manager. This allowed for residents to have easy access to County,

IN JUNE, THE CITY

CONDUCTED A

RAPID IMPACT

ASSESSMENT

EXERCISE.

City of Pompano Beach Hurricane Irma After Action Report

City, and FEMA personnel to identify and apply for relevant recovery programs.

Because recovery is a community-based effort, Pompano should continue to engage

the residents and businesses on preparedness and mitigation activities that would

limit disruptions and impacts to known hazards.

To the City’s benefit, the City Disaster Cost Recovery Team illustrates a unique and

valuable model which has been shared as a best practice throughout the region and

State. The team consists of the Emergency Manager, Finance Director and Risk

Manager who collectively work together to ensure maximized reimbursement of

insurance dollars as well as public reimbursement. This process has been built over

the last decade within the City of Pompano Beach and ultimately benefits the

residents.

Based on the unprecedented hurricane season, along with damaging fire activity on

the West Coast, recovery efforts coordinated by FEMA have been slow. With more

than 25.8 million people affected by hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria this year

and 4.5 million survivors who have registered for FEMA’s Individual Assistance,

there have been some expected delays in coordination efforts with FEMA. For

example, the FEMA Public Assistance Scoping Meeting – a meeting held between the

City and FEMA to review damages, gather documentation and develop a list of

recovery projects is typically scheduled within 21 days of an assigned FEMA

Program Delivery Coordinator but did not occur until December 13, 2017, three

months after Hurricane Irma passed.

Finding 9.1: The City leaned forward to support recovery efforts.

Realizing that the location of the Mobile Recovery Intake Center (MRIC) would be of

importance when it came to impacted resident’s ability to

access the center and therefore aid, the City’s Emergency

Manager was quick to offer and facilitate the use of the

Larkins Center as the County’s only MRIC at that time.

Recovery intake centers serve as a central location where

applicants can go for information on FEMA or other disaster

assistance programs. Because the City was quick to facilitate

the use of the Larkins Center and supported the location of

the intake center in Pompano Beach, residents were able to

easily access and take advantage of all programs in which

they were eligible, which supports the overall recovery for

the City.

The City also was prepared to calculate and collect impacts to public infrastructure

and costs incurred in the response. Collecting and submitting these costs as part of

FEMA’s Public Assistance (PA) program will allow for partial reimbursement of

costs and damages to city infrastructure.

THE CITY CONDUCTED

A COST RECOVERY

WORKSHOP IN MAY TO

SUPPORT FINANCIAL

RECOVERY EFFORTS

POST INCIDENT.

City of Pompano Beach Hurricane Irma After Action Report

Recommendation:

9.1.1 Expand recovery measures and needs to prepare for disaster

recovery. The City should develop a Pompano Beach recovery plan or

strategy that outlines recovery needs, priorities, programs, and

processes and identifies departments and organizations (e.g.,

neighborhood associations, organizations that serve vulnerable

populations, and the private sector) that should be involved in

planning for long-term recovery

Finding 9.2: Despite the City’s best efforts, Recovery and cost reimbursement may be

slow based on the Nation’s response to multiple disasters.

Though the City has done what they can to capture and prepare damage

assessments, costs incurred, and projects for funding, the current response efforts

throughout the Country is delaying the overall recovery process.

Recommendations:

9.2.1 Continue to lean forward and engage with the FEMA Program

Delivery Coordinator. The City should continue efforts to coordinate

and prepare for reimbursement through the FEMA Public Assistance

process.

Finding 9.3: Continued education and community preparedness efforts will enhance

the City’s resilience.

Emergency preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery require collective

effort between government, businesses, and individuals. The City has implemented

many programs, such as the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)

program, information sessions to community leaders and business, as well as

comprehensive mitigation and preparedness planning efforts to enhance the

resiliency of the City. These efforts should continue and focus on the outcomes of

this report as well as lessons learned from events in other jurisdictions.

To continue efforts to coordinate with local businesses, the City should consider

engaging the Chamber of Commerce in preparedness efforts as well as request

representation in the EOC during a response to an incident.

Recommendations:

9.3.1 Continue community engagement and education efforts: The City

should continue and enhance community engagement efforts,

providing education opportunities on how residents can best prepare

for the threats and hazards they could face. Pre-event outreach in

City of Pompano Beach Hurricane Irma After Action Report

targeted communities to determine potential needs and to establish

firm relationships would enhance future responses and full utilization

of the CERT capability.

9.3.2 Engage with the Chamber of Commerce: The City should consider

engaging the Chamber of Commerce to support outreach to local

businesses on how best to be prepared for known hazards, such as

hurricanes. As a natural point of contact to the business community,

the City should consider inviting the Chamber of Commerce to the

EOC to support the response to incidents and support the

coordination efforts with the business community.

City of Pompano Beach Hurricane Irma After Action Report

Next Steps

The City of Pompano Beach prepared rigorously and responded admirably to

Hurricane Irma. Hurricane Irma tested infrastructure, processes, and response

capabilities of the City, but the hurricane’s impacts were less severe than they could

have been because of the storm’s track. This after action report captures both

actions and activities that should be replicated in future incidents and those that

need to be improved or adjusted to serve and protect the City in the future.

While the City’s emergency management staff consists of one person, the City’s

overall emergency management program, represented in the PBERT, includes

almost all City departments and multiple County, non-profit, and community

organizations. Improving preparedness and response capabilities is the

responsibility of that broadly defined emergency management program for the City

and will require the efforts of a diverse set of agencies and organizations. To make

the most of opportunities for improvement described in this report, the City should

review and prioritize recommendations, establish an improvement plan, and track

progress toward resolving or addressing improving items.