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A documentary narrator grimly describes the devastation wrought on Florida’s Tampa Bay region by Tropical Storm Phoenix, which grew into a Category 5 hurricane.
Over 160 dead and 30,000 missing. Over 300,000 people are seeking shelter. The building damage amounted to his $200 billion.
“The devastation in this region is almost unimaginable,” says the narrator.
Phoenix is a fictional one and was part of a government readiness exercise for a killer hurricane called Plan Phoenix in 2009.
storm and 10 minute documentary Although fictional, a nightmare envisioned by Project Phoenix The real Hurricane Ian.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Florida Emergency Management Agency sponsored a 2009 simulation to identify gaps in regional emergency planning and capture jurisdiction-wide responses, according to the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council. Head of staff Randy Deshazo said in an email on Tuesday.
The tabletop exercise simulated a direct hit from a Category 5 hurricane. For this project, we worked with WFLA-TV to create a video that combined simulated weather forecasts with archival video footage of other storms.
According to Deshazo, emergency managers across Florida use Project Phoenix in training exercises.
By identifying areas of weakness in preparation for a hurricane and building collaborations across jurisdictions, Phoenix will strengthen the local ‘muscle memory’ for emergency response that will likely prove after Ian. It helped me,” Deshazo said.
Update for 2020, Project Phoenix 2.0, examined the issues faced by small businesses and emergency management agencies in the Tampa Bay area during disaster recovery. This update is based on lessons learned by a Mexico Beach, Florida, business owner who was devastated by Hurricane Michael in 2018.
“Keep all business documents in a portable location,” recommends the Sport Fishing Guide in an updated video. “Make an exit plan. Think about what you plan to do and how you plan to close your business to weather the storm.”
A 2009 simulation suggested catastrophic damage, including Port Tampa Bay (then known as Port of Tampa) flooded with a toxic stew of chemicals and petroleum released from damaged storage tanks. .
More than two-thirds of hospitals were damaged, bridges were blocked, hampering rescue efforts, and an estimated 48 million tons of debris flooded the area.
But the exercise concluded with optimism by providing a roadmap to recovery.
The 2009 documentary’s narrator said, “We can rebuild our homes, schools, businesses and infrastructure.
“But we have to work together. The key to recovery is developing regional plans long before a disaster strikes.”
After making landfall in Cuba’s Pinar del Rio state on Tuesday, Ian got even stronger over the warm Gulf of Mexico, with gales of 130 mph (209 km/h) as he approached Florida’s southwestern coast where 2.5 million were ordered. was expected to reach the evacuation.
Strong tropical storm winds were expected across the Southern Peninsula late Tuesday and reached hurricane strength on Wednesday when the eye of the hurricane was predicted to make landfall. It blew up and was expected to cause damage across much of Florida.
The exact location where Ian would land was not yet clear.
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