Page 5 - The Shores of Jupiter - October '19

The Shores, Page 5
Commissioner’s Update

Post-Dorian Thoughts of nests ahead of a storm is prohibited as it could endanger the just off the beach. The fine material remains suspended in
eggs. If you find a turtle in distress, you can call the Florida the water column for a longer period and creates the chalky
By Commissioner Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) at (800) opaque appearance versus the clear blue water we usually see.
Hal Valeche 404-3922. We have a very dynamic and sometimes delicate
I could almost hear a huge, • Yard Vegetation environment. Our county staff work hard to address issues that
collective sigh of relief when At the risk of sounding like a broken record … my staff affect our quality of life. Your input on areas of concern is very
Palm Beach County missed and I have observed many properties conducting extensive helpful. As always, please contact me if I can be of assistance
a direct hit by Hurricane yard trimming and pruning of trees and shrubs. That is fine at (561) 355-2201, or by email at hvaleche@pbcgov.org.
Dorian. With so much as long as it occurs outside of any major impending weather
uncertainty of the path of events. If you are located in unincorporated Palm Beach
the storm, our emergency County, you know that the Solid Waste Authority requires Northern Notes
managers and county staff you to limit curbside vegetation to six cubic yards, which
mobilized expertly to full is roughly the size of two refrigerators. If you reside in a
activation at the Emergency municipality, check with city officials to confirm how much Family Communication
Operations Center, opened and staffed shelters, and issued they will allow curbside for pickup.
evacuation orders where recommended by national hurricane • Water Discoloration In Estuaries And Along The During And After Disasters
forecasters. Seeing the results of this ferocious storm on the Coast
Bahamas, we are reminded more than ever of how important You may have observed darker water flowing out of the By O’Neal Bardin, Jr.,
preparation is during hurricane season. Jupiter Inlet and along the beaches. This is due to local basin Executive Director,
I wanted to mention some of the post-storm issues raised runoff (storm water) that is flowing out the inlet during Northern Palm Beach
that may be of interest to you: outgoing tide. This is typical after large rain events. The color County Improvement
• Disturbed Sea Turtle Nests And Turtle Eggs Visible difference can be dramatic and appear as a distinct line in the District
On County Beaches water just off the beach. While many of the coastal areas have Your family may not
Palm Beach County has had a record-breaking sea turtle dried out since Dorian, wetlands in the western areas of the be together when disaster
nesting season with year-end counts likely to top 50,000 basin are still holding a lot of water, which eventually drains strikes, so plan how you
nests. Prior to Hurricane Dorian, approximately two-thirds into the Loxahatchee River and out the inlet. will contact one another.
of those nests had already hatched. Waves disturbed some of Many factors can influence the color of water along the Think about how you will
the remaining nests but the overall impact to the population beach. Within the Loxahatchee River, a big factor is the communicate in different
is minimal. The eggs seen on the beach are no longer viable tannins that leach into the water as vegetation decays, making situations. Consider the
and may be the remaining shells from nests that hatched prior it appear as a dark color resembling tea. The same effect shows following questions when
to the storm. up as brown stains on the hull of boats that frequently use those making a plan:
PBC’s Environment Resources Management (ERM) waterways. During high flows of storm water following heavy • How will my family/household get emergency alerts and
informs us that sea turtles have adapted to storms through rain events, elevated levels of nutrients and bacteria entering warnings?
various strategies. Each female lays six to eight nests during the system compromise water quality. The Department of • How will my family/household get to safe locations for
a single season, which means she is laying 500 to 900 eggs. Health monitors the water quality along the beaches through relevant emergencies?
They also place their nests at various locations on the beach. the Healthy Beaches Program and issues advisories when • How will my family/household get in touch if the cell
Those laid closer to the water are more prone to washing bacterial concentrations exceed the microbiological standards. phone, Internet, or landline doesn’t work?
out in storms while those laid closer to the dune are more Another contributing factor to the current water clarity • How will I let loved ones know I am safe?
vulnerable to predators. By laying eggs in various locations is turbidity, which is the suspension of fine sediments along • How will family/household get to a meeting place after
and laying multiple nests per year, the mama turtles ensure the beaches. According to ERM officials, wave energy from the emergency?
hatchling survival against natural events. Hurricane Dorian eroded approximately 1M cubic yards of Complete a contact card for each adult family member and
If eggs are found exposed or in the surf, the only thing to do sand from Palm Beach County beaches. The coarser sand print them out. Have them keep these cards handy in a wallet,
is to leave them alone as they are no longer viable. Relocation falls out of suspension quickly and deposits within a sandbar purse or briefcase, etc. Additionally, complete contact cards
for each child in your family. Put the cards in their backpacks
or book bags. An example can be found at http://www.fema.
gov/media-library/assets/documents/34330. Information
should include contact information for family, friends and
neighbors as well as doctors and school information.
Identify a contact such as a friend or relative who lives
out of state for household members to notify, they are safe.
It may be easier to make a long-distance phone call than to
call across town, so an out-of-town contact may be in a better
position to communicate among separated family members.
The following are tips when making phone calls and using
your smartphone during or after a disaster:
• Keep all phone calls brief. If you need to use a phone,
try to convey only vital information to emergency personnel
and/or family.
• For nonemergency communications, use text messaging,
email, or social media instead of making voice calls on your
cell phone to avoid tying up voice networks. Data-based
services like texts and emails are less likely to experience
network congestion. You can also use social media to post
your status to let family and friends know you are okay. In
addition to Facebook and Twitter, you can use resources such
as the American Red Cross’s Safe and Well program.
• If you are unsuccessful in completing a call using your
cell phone, wait 10 seconds before redialing to help reduce
network congestion.
• Immediately following a disaster, resist using your
mobile device to watch streaming videos, download music or
videos, or play video games, all of which can add to network
congestion. Limiting use of these services can help potentially
life-saving emergency calls get through to 9-1-1.
• Conserve your cell phone battery by reducing the
brightness of your screen, placing your phone in airplane
mode, and closing apps you are not using that draw power,
unless you need to use the phone.

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