Hurricane Season is Here, Are You Ready?

Hurricane Season began this month. Now’s the time to make your preparations for a safe storm season.

Staff should take time to review Sarasota Memorial’s Hurricane Response Plan as well as other important information on the Emergency Management site on PULSE; CLICK HERE (access only available within the SMH network).

Hurricane Teams:
Each department is responsible for developing its own hurricane staffing plans and assigning employees to one of the three hurricane team categories in the MyTime application:

1.Pre-Team, which helps with Medically Dependent Person (MDP) intake and other hurricane preparations as needed when a storm is approaching our region.

“MDP” is a designation used by Sarasota County for community members with qualifying medical needs who require evacuation to a special shelter. MDPs must register with Sarasota County at 941-861-5000 or the county website ahead of time, and are assigned to the appropriate shelter based on their needs. Sarasota County has designated SMH as a medical shelter for MDPs with significant medical issues requiring a hospital setting.

2. Hurricane Response (A) Team, which works throughout the duration of the storm.
A Team members should be prepared to stay at SMH for an extended period of time, and should bring their hospital ID badge along with sleeping bags, air mattresses or bed linens, as well as several days’ worth of cash, changes of clothing, toiletries and personal hygiene items, prescriptions, towels and any special dietary food, in addition to supplies for Child Care or pets that have been pre-registered.

3. Hurricane Recovery (B) Team, which relieves the Response (A) team after the hurricane.

Employees should address any concerns about hurricane work assignments with their supervisors now, as all members of the Response (A) and Recovery (B) teams will be responsible for reporting to work at designated times.

Sarasota Memorial plans to provide on-site Child Care for A & B Team members who have no other alternatives, and pre-registration will be required.

The Medical Staff also has disaster plans that will go into effect during a hurricane. The Hurricane A Team will include physicians to help ensure the hospital has sufficient on-site coverage for the duration of the storm.

How to Stay Updated:
If a storm approaches, staff will be notified about staffing plans and facility closures via regular updates on our Hurricane/Emergency Hot Line at 917-8799. Updates also will be provided via Voalte, email, the hospital’s website, social media and the ReGroup mass notification system. Keep an eye on local news as well.

Make Sure Your Contact Info is Up to Date:
Staff should be sure their emergency contact information is up to date in the MyHR system. To complete, log into MyHR. Click on the “PERSONAL DETAILS” tab and then “CONTACT DETAILS” to edit your information.

Make Plans Now for Family, Pets & Home:
Staff should plan now to keep their loved ones and homes safe. Think ahead about your family evacuation plans, take steps to protect your home, update your contact information and put together or replenish your disaster supply kit. Community shelter information and hurricane preparedness tips for the public are available on the county website; click here.

Staff can determine what evacuation zone their home is in by clicking here and entering their address on the map.

Staff also are encouraged to make safe arrangements for their pets. SMH may open an on-site pet shelter during a hurricane for Response (A) Team members. If a pet shelter is opened, (A) team members will need to provide proof of pets’ current vaccinations. More pet shelter information is available on the PULSE Emergency Management site.