State Library and Archives of Florida
Council of State Archivists Hurricane Conference
Jim Berberich 850-245-6701
Gerard Clark 850 245-6639
Dolly Blunt 850-245-6709
1.What two or three disasters have had the most significant impact on archives and records in your state? Please provide the name of the event, dates, and brief description of its impact (geographic area, extent and type of damage focusing especially on damage to archives and records).
Andrew, August 22, 1992. Cat. 5 at first landfall, Cat. 3 at second
South Floridaand the Panhandle. Florida’s first wake-up call regarding hurricanes;forced an examination and change of the building codes.
Charley, August 13, 2004. Cat. 4 at landfall
Southwest into SouthCentral Florida. $500 million in damage to CharlotteCountygovernment facilities; damage to19 schools in CharlotteCounty alone.
Frances, September 4, 2004. Cat. 2 at landfall
Southeast into South Central Florida (crossed Charley’s path in South Central Florida). St. Lucie County clerk’s office destroyed.
Ivan, September 16, 2004. Cat. 3 at landfall
Panhandle (Escambia and Santa Rosacounties). Collapse of the I-10 bridge; flooding of FortPickens’ records and historical documents storage area.
Jeanne, September 26, 2004. Cat. 3 at landfall
South Florida (Ft. Pierce/St. Lucie andPalm Beach counties). Federal courthouse closed due to mold.
Dennis, July 10, 2005. Cat. 3 at landfall
Panhandle (Escambia andSanta Rosacounties.) Came ashore within a few miles of Ivan’s landfall, hitting an area still cleaning up from the previous year; Santa RosaCounty courthouse lost its roof.
Katrina, August 25, 2005. Cat. 1 at first landfall, Cat. 5 at second
South Florida (also Mississippi and LouisianaGulfCoast). JacksonCounty clerk’s office flooded.
Wilma, Oct 24, 2005. Cat. 3 at landfall
South Florida (Broward, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, and Hendry counties). BrowardCounty courthouse damaged and moldy;HendryCounty clerk’s office destroyed;CharlotteCounty courthouse damaged; Glades County courthouse roof damaged;IslaMoradaCity Hall damaged.
- What did your state have in place before these events by way of disaster plans and resources to support response for archives and records?
A.The State of Florida’s Division of Emergency Management is responsible for maintaining a comprehensive statewide program of emergency management. This includes a comprehensive statewide emergency management plan andthe personnel to carry it out effectively.
By July 1, 2003, every state agency was required by Chapter 252, Florida Statutes to have a disaster preparedness planin place. These plans must coordinate with the statewide emergency management plan.
The same statute requires every county to have both an emergency management agency and a preparedness plan. The county plans must also coordinate and be consistent with the state plan. Every municipality is encouraged, by statute, to have both an agency anda plan, although it is not required. (Municipalities without agencies or plans will be served by the county agencies.)
All of the disaster plans are required to contain a section dealing with the identification and protection of vital records and databases. They are also required to schedule tests, training, and exercises.
See Attachment 1.
B.After Hurricane Andrew destroyed thousands of buildings in 1992, Florida passed stricter building codes, which came into effect on March 1, 1994. These codes were specifically rewritten with hurricanes in mind. As a result, many libraries, archives, and records storage facilities built after 1994 suffered less damage than those built before.
The building codes were strengthened again in 2002.
C.The State Library and Archives of Florida (Florida Department of State) has published a set of recommended Public Records Storage Guidelines for RecordsCenters and Archives. These guidelines are not mandatory. They discuss site planning and building structure in relation to natural disasters, including hurricanes. They also discuss issues such as floor load, access, and storage conditions.(
D.The State Library and Archives of Florida provides nine Records Management workshops every year to Records Management Liaison Officers (RMLOs) around the state. These workshops include a component on vital records and disaster preparedness. Approximately225 RMLOs attend these workshops every year.
E.The Florida State Historical Records Advisory Board, in conjunction with the State Archives, received a grant in 2003 from the NHPRC to provide 12day-long disaster preparedness workshops around the state. Approximately 250 archivists and records managers from Florida attended these workshops.
F.The State Library and Archives added a “Disaster Recovery for Public Records Custodians, Archives and Libraries” page to our Website immediately after Hurricane Charley. (
3.What were the two or three biggest problems encountered by the state archives, other repositories, and local governments in responding to and recovering from the disaster?
A.Power outages – air conditioners out for weeks at a time. Moldy buildings, furnishings, and documents upon the return of staff to work.
B.Lack of gasoline and other fuel to run generators or vehicles.
C.Loss of roofing/tornadoes – direct damage to records by water and wind.
D.Flooding/storm surge (including salt water) – mold, salt, sewage, snakes, etc.
E.Downed trees and power lines – prevented staff from getting to work to assess damage and begin cleaning.
F.Communications out; downed phone lines and cell towers. Unable to contact staff or outside areas to send help.
- What steps has your state taken in the aftermath of the 2005 hurricane season (or earlier events that affected your state) to better prepare your state to respond to emergencies that affect archives and records?
The governor,state legislature,and other legislative bodies in Florida have been extremely concerned with the safety of Floridians and the continuity of operations for state, county, and local agencies. A first major step was taken several years ago with Chapter 252, FloridaStatutes, which included planning for the protection of vital records. This has proven to be extremely effective in helping to prepare records custodians for the many hurricanes which have hit our state since then.
In March 2006, the county commissioners of Miami-Dade county passed a countywide ordinance requiring all gas stations in the county to install generators capable of pumping fuel and running their cash registers. The ordinance requires all generators to be installed by August 1 of this year. (See Attachment 2.)
Bills have been introduced this year in both the Florida House and Senate for similar legislation statewide. The state bills also include proposals to require large fuel terminal facilities and wholesalersto be equipped to handle backup power as well. (See Attachment 3.)
Many agencies that did not suffer actual damage did have mold outbreaks due to poweroutages. The ability to run backup generators when power is out will greatly aid archives and records centers to not only recover after a disaster, but to help prevent one from occurring.
Although Florida’s building codes were upgraded again in 2002, the governor has once again called for them to be strengthened. This would certainly help new facilities built after 2006. (See Attachment 4.)
The State Library and Archives will continue to discuss disaster planning in the Records Management Workshops. We are also presenting at the annual meetings of both the Society of Florida Archivists and the Florida Records Management Association.
The SFA workshop will be one very much like CoSA’s Conference. It will be a “forum” where archivists will discuss what went right and what went wrong at their agencies. The FRMA workshop presentation will focus on disaster preparedness and mold mitigation.
Attachment 1
Sections252.31-252.60, Florida Statutes, also known as the "State Emergency Management Act,” require that:
. . . each state agency and facility, such as a prison, office building, or university, has a disaster preparedness plan that is coordinated with the applicable local emergency-management agency and approved by the division. [252.365(3)]
The statute also states:
a). . . each county must establish and maintain such an emergency management agency and shall develop a county emergency management plan and program that is coordinated and consistent with the state comprehensive emergency management plan and program. [252.38(1)]
and
Legally constituted municipalities are authorized and encouraged to create municipal emergency management programs. Municipal emergency management programs shall coordinate their activities with those of the county emergency management agency. Municipalities without emergency management programs shall be served by their respective county agencies. [252.38(2)]
The plans must include identification and protection of vital records and databases.
b) The plan must include, at a minimum, the following elements: identification of essential functions, programs, and personnel; procedures to implement the plan and personnel notification and accountability; delegations of authority and lines of succession; identification of alternative facilities and related infrastructure, including those for communications; identification and protection of vital records and databases; and schedules and procedures for periodic tests, training, and exercises. [252.365(3)(b), emphasis added]
Attachment 2
Miami-Dade Passes Ordinance Requiring Generators At Gas Stations
Generators Must Be Installed By Aug. 1
POSTED: 9:44 am ESTMarch 24, 2006
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. -- Miami-DadeCounty commissioners voted to pass an ordinance Thursday requiring emergency power at the gas pumps.
The ordinance requires all gas stations in the county to install generators powerful enough to operate pumps, lights and cash registers within 24 hours of a storm's passing.
The county may offer loans for small station owners who can't afford to purchase generators.
The ordinance is in response to last year's hurricane season, when hours-long lines formed at the pump after Hurricane Wilma hit South Florida Oct. 24.
About 3.2 million Florida Power & Light customers lost power after the storm, including many gas stations in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Only a handful of gas stations were operating in the days that followed, and South Floridians found themselves in a gas crisis.
The ordinance requires all gas stations to have generators installed by Aug. 1.
Attachment 3
Vero Beach Press-Journal
March 25, 2006
Lawmakers: Gas stations need backup generators
By MICHAEL PELTIER staff writer
TALLAHASSEE — Many gas station owners would be required to outfit their stations for emergency power generators under a handful of measures working their way through the Legislature next week.
Prompted by complaints last year of stations flush with fuel but unable to operate because of electrical outages caused by hurricanes, lawmakers have been working with industry leaders to develop a plan that would get more fuel more quickly to emergency responders and the general public after a natural or manmade disaster.
"This is going to let the markets help our government responders," said Rep. Gayle Harrell, a Republican who represents parts of Martin and St. Lucie counties and sits on the House Domestic Security Committee.
But state officials and industry representatives say any measure should not give Floridians the false impression that gas will flow uninterrupted. Instead, residents need to do a better job preparing and looking out for themselves in the days following a storm.
"There is going to be a burp in the system," said David Mica, director of the Florida Petroleum Council. "And that will take time to work itself out."
Yet some local government officials say the measures don't go far enough to ensure that operators able to sell fuel will do so.
On Tuesday, the Senate Commerce and Consumer Services Committee is expected to take up a measure requiring newly built or remodeled gas stations to be pre-wired so they could be hooked up to power generators after a storm.
The measure mirrors a proposal approved last week by the House Agriculture Committee, chaired by Vero Beach Republican Ralph Poppell, which combined a pair of measures to keep critical stations open.
"The gist of the bills is to get stations open sooner," Poppell said.
Original proposals called for a generator to be on-site at most larger gas retailers, but lawmakers cited with industry representatives who said, at up to $60,000 a generator, it was too expensive and inefficient to equip each station when station damage could include more than loss of power.
The proposals now call for operators with 10 or more stations within a county to pre-wire their outlets and have at least one generator available. Meanwhile, in coastal counties, operators of stations with 16 or more pumps would also have to be wired to operate on generator power.
But some local government officials criticize the measure, saying it does not require owners to open after a disaster.
"There's no mandate that they be open," said Larry Smith, a lobbyist for Pembroke Pines. "There's no mandate that they pump gas."
Gassing up
Proposals under consideration in the state Legislature to deal with post-hurricane blackouts would:
• Require ports and fuel wholesalers to be able to run on alternative power within 36 hours with generators capable of functioning for at least three days.
• Require operators with 10 or more stations within a county to have stations wired to accept emergency generators and have at least one generator available.
• Require owners of stations with 16 or more pumps to pre-wire.
Attachment 4
Excerpt from Governor Jeb Bush’s “State of the State” address, March 7, 2006.
. . . As we do more to prepare our students for the opportunities of the future, we must also do everything in our power to prepare our communities for the challenges of today.
Experts called the 2004 hurricane season unprecedented. In 2005, with 27 named storms, we learned that records are made to be broken. We don't know which new storms will hit us, but we know more are coming. And we must be prepared to respond, recover, and continue our progress.
The tremendous work by our first responders, volunteers, government workers, and the Florida National Guard in the wake of the hurricanes was some of the finest public service it has ever been my privilege to witness.
We learned a lot about preparing and planning from Hurricane Andrew in 1992, so we were better equipped when disaster hit 12 years later. Likewise, the lessons of Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne, were reflected in our responses for Dennis, Katrina, Rita, and Wilma.
Our enhanced response capabilities served Florida well, and also supported our neighbors in need. In the largest mutual aid response in history, Florida first responders rushed to provide help to our neighbors in Louisiana and Mississippi, at a cost of $150 million.
Our disaster response is the most effective in America, and serves as a national model. But we can, and must, do more to make the best in the country even better.
Every Floridian must accept hurricane preparation as a personal responsibility. And their government must make it a top priority.
I've asked for a permanent 12-day sales tax holiday for hurricane essentials, to coincide with National Hurricane Awareness Week each May. Please make it your first order of business, so the people we serve will be better prepared for the hurricane season starting on June 1st.
We're proposing a $5.3 million effort to create a culture of preparedness in Florida, including a campaign to raise public awareness about the need for an emergency plan, and how to create one.
I'm also requesting $50 million to help at least 10,000 lower income Florida homeowners install hurricane shutters, reinforce roofs, and take other steps to improve the chances that their homes will still be standing when the winds stop blowing and the water recedes. I hope you'll approve this request, and that future legislatures will follow your lead, until substandard housing in our state has been hardened to handle most storms.
I also hope you'll remove current exemptions from our building code, to create a statewide, uniform code that is based on science instead of politics, and will ensure new construction in our state will withstand hurricanes.
As part of our disaster preparation, we propose an investment of $70 million to protect and enhance our Emergency Operation Centers.
When the 2006 hurricane season starts, we'll have shelter space for almost 817,000 people, compared to 187,000 in 1999. But we need more. My budget includes $12 million dollars to expand our shelter capacity to serve an additional 100,000 people by the 2007 hurricane season.
We also need to make sure we have adequate support for frail and critically ill Floridians during a storm by installing permanent generators in more than 100 special needs shelters to serve 20,000 vulnerable storm victims.
First we prepare. Then we respond. And ultimately we recover.
CoSA Hurricane Conference, April 20061Florida Report