Monroe County coordinates hurricane aid for seniors and veterans

Seniors, veterans and residents without transportation are among the Monroe County residents most exposed when storms threaten, and county officials are leaning on volunteer support to fill readiness gaps before the first major system forms. The help being coordinated now focuses on sandbags, water supplies, shelter support and recovery work across the Florida Keys, where access is limited and evacuation can be difficult.

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30, and Monroe County says people in the Keys should be prepared to be self-sufficient for at least three days, and preferably a week or more because of the island geography. County emergency kit guidance calls for one gallon of water per person per day, along with prescription medications, important documents, cash, a radio and supplies for seniors, children, people with disabilities and pets. Officials also urge residents to get re-entry stickers well before a storm so they can return more smoothly after an evacuation.

Monroe County says it does not supply sandbags. The county has also warned that sandbags have not been enough in past flooding because water can rise through porous coral limestone, and it says filling sandbags at beaches or from private property is illegal. That leaves individual households, especially older residents and those without vehicles, dependent on advance planning and help from family, friends or neighbors long before conditions deteriorate.

For residents who may need extra help during an evacuation or while sheltering, Monroe County maintains a Special Needs Registry. Eligible conditions include supplemental oxygen use, limited mobility, help with daily activities, moderate dementia, cognitive impairment, being wheelchair-bound and needing wound care or constant supervision. The registry can trigger alerts by telephone, text, email or smartphone through the Everbridge system, but the county says it is not a substitute for a personal evacuation plan.

Veterans and caregivers have a separate point of contact through Monroe County Veterans Affairs, which serves about 8,000 full-time and 2,500 seasonal veterans, military personnel, survivors, dependents and family members across the Florida Keys with eight employees in Key Largo and Key West. The county’s hurricane guide for veterans says those with significant health conditions may be eligible for a generator through VA or FEMA assistance, and directs families to the VA Health Resource Center Disaster Hotline at 1-800-507-4571 for benefits, eligibility, billing and pharmacy questions during a disaster period.

County emergency management said it coordinates municipalities, private partners and state and federal agencies during emergencies, while the Joint Information Center draws information from county officials, Florida Keys municipalities, the National Weather Service in Key West and community partners. Monroe County is the southernmost county in the continental United States, spread across 1,783 islands, and officials are using Volunteer Monroe to line up help for shelters, community cleanups, hotline staffing, Emergency Operations Center support and recovery work before the next storm tests the system.