Tourism Industry’s Hurricane Preparedness Conference Set for 1 p.m. Thursday, May 18

Tourism Industry’s Hurricane Preparedness Conference Set for 1 p.m. Thursday, May 18

The free three-hour virtual event, set to begin at 1 p.m. Thursday, May 18, is being organized by the Monroe County Tourist Development Council in partnership with the Lodging Association of the Florida Keys and Key West.

Director Dr. Mike Brennan is scheduled to be the keynote presenter. His remarks are to delve into the NHC’s new seven-day Tropical Weather Outlook, as well as the importance of storm surge watches and warnings in supporting evacuation decisions.

Other presenters are to include Monroe County Emergency Management Director Shannon Weiner, who is to speak about local plans and procedures and also preview the county’s new Emergency Operations Center; and Chip Kasper, the meteorologist-in-charge for the Florida Keys National Weather Service Office, explaining how the local office interfaces with the NHC and how the Keys weather office supports decisions related to storm preparation, response and recovery.

Also on the agenda are Joe Roth, president of Regan Roth Insurance Agency, addressing new Citizens windstorm insurance regulations for the Keys and other flood risk areas; as well as Clint Barras and Andy Newman, web and public relations professionals for the TDC, who will focus on TDC programs that interface with emergency management and the weather service.

The conference is to conclude with a panel discussion regarding increasing threats of storm surge for coastal communities. The panel is to feature Jamie Rhome, the NHC’s deputy director and storm surge expert; Jon Rizzo, the Keys weather office’s warning coordination meteorologist; and Weiner. Part of that discussion is to center on lessons learned for the Keys from last year’s Hurricane Ian.

To register for the conference, send an email with your name, business name and email address to hurricaneconference@fla-keys.com.