Franklin
County Commissioners on Tuesday defended the mandatory evacuation
that was called for Subtropical storm Alberto.
Commissioners
say they have heard a lot of criticism for the decision requiring the
evacuation of the county's barrier islands and Alligator Point but
feel the decision was the right one.
Franklin
County was the only Florida county to call for a mandatory evacuation
and since the storm arrived on Memorial Day weekend it caused a lot
of upheaval.
Commission
Chairman Smokey Parrish said county policy gives him and the
Emergency Management Director the power to call an evacuation and the
decision was made using the best information available.
And
it was not made alone, there were also representatives from the
Health Department , FWC, and even a real estate person to offer
assistance.
He
pointed out that the Emergency Management Office had better
information earlier than the public and they knew that the winds
would get strong enough to close the St. George Island bridge and
water action could have eroded Alligator Point Road.
Their
concern was that Memorial Day tourists could get stranded on the
island or Alligator Point.
And
while the storm finally landed west of here, Franklin County was in
the storm's path when the decision to evacuate was made.
Commissioner
Parrish did say he would be willing to change the procedure and maybe
require a decision by the full county commission for future storms
but the rest of the board rejected that proposal.
Commissioners
said they feel that the protocol has worked for 20 years and they
feel it worked well here too.
The
last thing they want to do is convene an emergency meeting during a
strong storm.
Commission
Cheryl Sanders said that it is the commission's job to protect the
people and she's sorry if it inconvenienced some people – but it is
better to err on the side of caution.
Commissioner
Noah Lockley said he's sorry if some people lost some money but he
will never put money in front of lives.
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