Hernando County Emergency Management

06/06/2026

Whew! What a week at FTEM!

We're heading home energized, inspired, and grateful for the conversations, collaboration, and connections that made this symposium so valuable.

One of the biggest reminders from this week is that relationships are everything - in blue skies and gray. From reconnecting with longtime colleagues to building new partnerships, every conversation strengthens the network we rely on when our communities need us most. Because when that one bad day comes, it's the strength of those connections that helps us respond, recover, and support one another effectively.

Thank you to Florida Division of Emergency Management, Florida Disaster Foundation, Governor Ron DeSantis, Lt. Governor Jay Collins, voice of the Florida State Seminoles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers Gene Deckerhoff, and our industry partners and vendors for your leadership, support, and commitment to strengthening Florida's resilience.

A special thank you to Ken Graham, Director of the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) for his knowledge and insights. His leadership and efforts to transform how we communicate weather risk and decision support are changing the game, improving our ability to plan for disasters, make informed decisions, and better protect the communities we serve.

We're excited to bring these lessons learned home and put them into action. Because it only takes one bad day—but it takes strong relationships every day to be ready for it.

06/02/2026

Proud moment at Florida’s Training for Emergency Management (FTEM) this week!

Deputy Director Jeremy O'Dell joined fellow leaders in mitigation from around the state as a panelist for the “Knights of the Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS) Roundtable, contributing to meaningful discussions on resilience, hazard mitigation, and strengthening local LMS working groups.

As the self-proclaimed “jester” of the roundtable, Jeremy brought valuable insight, experience, and perspective to the conversation, with a bit of levity. His commitment to strengthening communities and advancing mitigation efforts continues to make a difference across Florida and beyond.

We're proud to see Jeremy representing our team and helping lead the dialogue on building a more resilient future.

👏 Great job, Jeremy!

05/28/2026

🎉 Join us for an incredible community event hosted by The City of Brooksville Parks & Recreation! We’re excited to connect and make memories together. See you Saturday!

05/22/2026

🌀 NOAA released the 2026 Hurricane Season Outlook today — and forecasters are calling for a "below-average" Atlantic season thanks to developing El Niño conditions. NOAA predicts 8–14 named storms, 3–6 hurricanes, and 1–3 major hurricanes this year.

🔗 NOAA media release:
https://www.noaa.gov/media-advisory/noaa-to-announce-2026-atlantic-hurricane-season-outlook

But here’s what matters most:

⚠️ Hurricanes don’t care about seasonal averages. It only takes ONE storm to make 2026 a season nobody forgets.

History proves it:

📍 1992 was a slow season overall — but only after Hurricane Andrew exploded into a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane that devastated South Florida and forever changed building codes and hurricane preparedness.

📍 2004 brought four hurricanes across Florida in just six weeks — Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne — causing widespread destruction, catastrophic flooding, prolonged power outages, and billions in damage statewide, even here in Hernando.

📍 2015 was one of the "quietest" Atlantic seasons in decades because of a strong El Niño pattern — but Hurricane Joaquin still intensified into a deadly Category 4 storm that devastated parts of the Bahamas.

📍 2024 reminded us all how quickly impacts can escalate across the Gulf Coast, with destructive flooding, tornadoes, and storm surge far from the center of the storm. Side note - recovery is still ongoing for many. Want to know more? Visit https://www.unitedwayhernando.org/LTRG

Every hurricane season has the potential to become YOUR season.

✅ NOW is the time to prepare:
✔️ Make your plan
✔️ Build or restock your disaster kit
✔️ Protect important documents
✔️ Take photos of your home and belongings
✔️ Check your insurance coverage

📘 Hurricane preparedness tips:
🌐 http://www.HernandoCounty.us/EM

🗺️ Check your evacuation zone:
🌐 https://www.floridadisaster.org/knowyourzone/

🌊 Check your flood zone:
🌐 https://msc.fema.gov/portal/search

🚨 Have medical or functional needs during disasters?
Register with Hernando County’s Special Needs Registry:
🌐 https://specialneeds.hernandocounty.us/
📞 352-754-4083

📲 Sign up for emergency alerts now:
🌐 http://www.AlertHernando.org

The best time to prepare is BEFORE there’s a disturbance on the map. Hurricane season starts June 1. Let’s prepare, Hernando! 🌴🌀💪

05/19/2026

As Florida prepares for another hurricane season, we are proud and grateful for the opportunity to partner with Florida CFO & Fire Marshal Blaise Ingoglia and leaders across the state who are committed to strengthening preparedness, resilience, and public safety for our communities.

Hurricane preparedness is not just about responding to storms — it’s about building strong relationships, coordinating across agencies, educating the public, and ensuring families have the information and resources they need before disaster strikes. Conversations like this are a critical part of that effort, bringing together emergency management professionals, public officials, and community partners with a shared mission of protecting Floridians.

We deeply appreciate CFO Ingoglia’s leadership in keeping preparedness at the forefront and fostering collaboration among state and local partners as we head into hurricane season.

We’re also incredibly proud to see our own Deputy Director, Jeremy O’Dell, representing our team and contributing to the discussion on emergency preparedness and coordination. Be sure to check out his remarks around the 35:30 mark.

Together, we remain committed to helping our communities stay informed, prepared, and resilient throughout hurricane season and beyond.

🚙 Make a Plan
🚨 Build a Kit
📲 Stay Informed
🤝 Get Involved

05/18/2026

Thank you to our Development Services partners for hosting these recovery and preparedness workshops! See you all there! 💪❤️

🌀 Hurricane Season is Around the Corner — Are You Prepared? 🌀

The Hernando County Development Services Department's Floodplain Division is hosting two Hurricane Preparedness and Recovery Community Workshops on May 26th to help residents prepare before the storm and recover safely afterward.

📅 Workshop Sessions:
🕐 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
🌙 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
(Both sessions cover the same information.)

Topics will include:
✔️ Hurricane preparedness tips
✔️ Safe recovery steps after a storm
✔️ Permitting information following storm damage
✔️ Recovery resources available to residents

📍 Location:
Hernando County Planning & Zoning Division
1653 Blaise Dr.
Brooksville, FL 34601

Stay informed, stay prepared, and help protect your family and property this hurricane season.

05/14/2026

🚨💖 APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN for HERricane HERnando 2026! 💖🚨

Calling all future leaders, changemakers, problem-solvers, and community heroes! 🌟

HERricane HERnando is back June 22–26, 2026, and we’re ready to empower the next generation of young women through an unforgettable week of:

✨ Leadership development
✨ CPR training
✨ Disaster preparedness
✨ Crisis communications
✨ Hands-on activities
✨ Team-building challenges
✨ Public safety & emergency management career exploration

This isn’t just camp — it’s a chance to build confidence, discover your voice, make lifelong friendships, and learn how YOU can make a real impact in your community. 💪🌪️

📍 Girls entering grades 6–12
📍 June 22–26, 2026
📍 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM
📍 Hernando County Emergency Operations Center
📍 COMPLETELY FREE thanks to Duke Energy Foundation & KPMG!

💥 Space is limited and applications are due by JUNE 1, 2026!

📲 Apply now by scanning the QR code on our flyer or visiting:
www.HernandoCounty.us/EM

💖 Be ready.
💖 Be heard.
💖 Be a HERricane.

05/12/2026

🌤️ Hernando County is experiencing hot temperatures, dry conditions, and the potential for afternoon thunderstorms today — a reminder that Florida weather can change quickly and create multiple public safety risks.

🔥 Dry conditions continue to increase wildfire danger across our area, and the Countywide Burn Ban remains in effect.

⛈️ At the same time, severe weather can develop rapidly, bringing lightning, heavy rain, strong winds, and localized flooding with little warning.

No matter the emergency, staying informed is one of the most important ways to protect your family and property.

📲 Alert Hernando sends critical notifications directly to your phone, email, or mobile device, including:

✅ Severe weather alerts
✅ Wildfire and burn ban updates
✅ Emergency notifications and evacuation information
✅ Road closures and public safety alerts

Don’t wait until severe weather or wildfire threatens your area.

🔗 Register today at http://www.AlertHernando.org

Stay alert. Stay informed. Stay prepared.

05/11/2026

❤️🚨 Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms — the original emergency managers. ❤️🚨

Long before there was ICS, moms were already coordinating logistics, managing operations, conducting rapid needs assessments, and keeping everyone calm during unfolding incidents with little sleep and limited resources.

Crisis communication? Mom handled it.
Rapid damage assessment? Also Mom.
Planning, operations, finance, and logistics? Somehow still Mom.

Mothers are the reason many of us learned resilience, compassion, adaptability, and how to stay calm when things don’t go according to plan. They are the steady voice in the chaos, the problem-solvers behind the scenes, and the people who somehow always make everyone feel safe — even during the storm. ☔️

Today, we’re especially grateful for the moms who helped shape the team at Hernando County Emergency Management. Thank you for raising strong, dedicated people who proudly serve this community every day.

This Mother’s Day, remember the special people in your life:
• Register for Alert Hernando www.AlertHernando.org
• Learn about the Special Needs Registry by calling 352-754-4083
• Make a plan and communicate your plan
• Stay safe and educate others

Wishing all moms days filled with love, appreciation, laughter, and at least one uninterrupted operational period of peace and quiet. 💐