 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
City Council gets new flood response plan
By SHEILA MULLANE ESTRADA PINELLAS PARK -- Two weeks after sharply criticizing its police and public works departments for failing to respond adequately to flooded streets and neighborhoods, the City Council got a new flood response plan. "We dropped the ball big time. We have gotten very, very complacent," said city Council member Rick Butler in response to the new plan. "Response time is critical. By the time the troops were called out (in the last storm) it was too late. If I see that again, I'm going to be -- well, I'll be Rick Butler, what can I say?" Butler described the city's response to a sudden, heavy storm Sept. 5 as "absolutely unacceptable." He said he had seen intersections under several feet of water with no sign of police or barricades to keep motorists from getting stuck. "I stopped at one point and let an elderly couple use my cell phone to call for help," he said. "Residents were up to their waists (in water) trying to protect their property. If I see this again, then I have to think there is problem with the system." Two weeks ago, city Council member Ed Taylor also sharply criticized the city's response to the storm-caused flooding, saying "I will not forget it and I will not forgive it." Friday, Butler said the new response plan "will let the public see us a little better." The 15-page document spells out exactly how the city's police and public works departments will react during heavy storms. "In response to inclement weather capable of producing excessive rainfall, tornadoes, large hail and/or damaging winds, the Pinellas Park Police Department will lead the city's effort to protect lives, reduce property loss, be more visible and respond to the needs of our community. By coordinating the city's resources, weather-impacted situations will be managed more effectively," said police Chief Doreen Thomas. She said the city will monitor a new regional weather alert radio to speed notification of possible flooding. In such situations, additional officers and dispatchers will be called in, and communications between police department and public works vehicles will improve. Differing levels of responses will be used depending on whether an intersection is totally or partially flooded. Typically, Park Boulevard at 49th and 53rd streets floods during heavy rainstorms. Many other low areas in the city flood as well, particularly at 76th Avenue and 40th Street, and 73rd Avenue and 44th Street, according to Butler.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
From the Times South Pinellas desks Letters |
