ANALYSIS:
The 2017 hurricane season set new records by ravaging many states and territories of America. With three major hurricanes occurring, many federal, state and local governments had to respond to storm surges, flooding and structural and infrastructure damage. For South Florida, Hurricane Irma would be the first major hurricane to occur in over 10 years. This hurricane became one of the largest Atlantic hurricanes ever recorded. Although Miami Beach was not hit by the eye of the storm, the City faced Category 3 force winds and received large vegetative debris and structural damage.
In order to enhance preparedness and resiliency for future disasters, the City’s Emergency Management department brought an independent, outside consultant to review the City’s response and recovery. The Olson Group, LTD was engaged to lead this effort due to their experience in conducting similar efforts across the country and for the expertise of its emergency management practitioners.
Olson Group, LTD provided a number of recommendations that would help the City of Miami Beach be better prepared for future events. Among those recommendations was one that urged the City of Miami Beach to identify an off-site building or facility that is designed to house emergency resources and materials.
Olson Group, LTD found that the City’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) was not physically conducive to effectively manage a disaster. The location, space and infrastructure of the EOC cannot manage a complex and coordinated disaster response like the one this city experienced. Since the current EOC was never truly designed to be an EOC, and because it currently co-located with the Fire department, it is almost always guaranteed that it will need to be evacuated for a moderate hurricane. Due to limited options available within City limits, it was recommended that the EOC be co-located off of the island with the planned emergency resource warehouse.
Currently, the City of Miami Beach is leasing a warehouse in Miami for Spectra while the Miami Beach Convention Center undergoes renovations. The current lease expires May 31, 2018. Property Management has requested this referral to the Finance and Citywide Projects Committee in order to explore the possibility of extending the lease and using the space as an emergency resources warehouse that will be able to store equipment and materials for hurricane preparedness and emergency response.
The warehouse is located at 3000 NW 125th street and Spectra is currently leasing 81,741 square feet of the total available 152,800 square feet. The warehouse has 12,000 square feet of finished offices, restrooms, 12 dock doors with 1 ramp and is completed fenced in and secured with a storage yard that has available trailer parking.
After Hurricane Irma, the Police Department, Fire, Property Management, Public Works Operations and Sanitation agreed upon a need for a singular site that would be able to house all materials and equipment necessary for a natural disaster. After further discussion and a site visit, all departments listed above concluded that the current warehouse being used by Spectra fits their needs.
The current lease expires in May and prior to the lease expiration a 90 day Notice to Terminate is required; therefore a decision on renewal is time sensitive. The current cost associated with the Spectra lease is $55,000.00 a month and Administration is requesting funding for an additional four months, totaling $220,000.00 for Fiscal Year 2017/18 funding.
The Police Department currently rents a warehouse of 18,200 square feet, which currently serves as the only emergency response warehouse the City utilizes. The implementation of the Spectra lease takeover would eliminate the need for this facility and eliminate the costs of leasing a significantly smaller warehouse that does not accommodate all emergency and hurricane response needs.
Police, Fire, Property Management, Public Works and Sanitation all play integral parts during hurricane season, both pre and post disaster. During Hurricane Irma, each department identified key deficiencies with their ability to provide adequate materials and equipment in an efficient and effective manner. Necessary equipment was scattered throughout different location in Miami-Dade County due to the high flood risk associated with our barrier island and the lack of a central point of storage outside of the city limits.
This centralized warehouse would mitigate the deficiencies and limitations faced during Hurricane Irma. Items such as boarding materials, emergency response vehicles, back-up generators, fuel, etc. are some of the numerous materials and equipment that would be stored within the emergency response warehouse. It is also important to note that due to the available office space within the warehouse, this location can also serve as an off-site EOC base, as outlined in the Hurricane Irma after action report.