Weston takes hurricane precautions with extra generators, training

By Nicole T. Lesson
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted June 28 2006

 

Weston · The city is preparing just in case another hurricane makes its way here.

Among the enhancements are new generators for traffic signals and additional emergency management training.

 

The city has purchased 34 generators, one for each intersection, to operate traffic signals during a power outage.

"As we learned from Hurricane Wilma, when we had extended power outages, not having the signals operable as soon as possible after the storm not only posed an inconvenience but also a hazard to motorists," City Manager John Flint said. "By having generators in place at each of the intersections, provided the signal heads are in place, it avoids us having a deputy or community service aide at the intersections directing traffic, and enables them to perform other tasks."

After the storm, Public Works staffers would place the generators inside cabinets that will be permanently installed next to the intersection's existing traffic controller. The city awaits delivery of the cabinets.

The order in which cabinets are installed at intersections will be determined by priority in relation to size, location and traffic volumes. Flint said the first intersection scheduled is Royal Palm Boulevard and Weston Road.

The City Commission recently approved spending about $475,000 on the purchase, installation, cabinets and connections for the 34 generators. The city also recently purchased eight generators for $182,448 to help power sewage-lift stations in hopes of preventing outages.

In May, the city started an almost $140,000 project reconfiguring its traffic signal heads from vertical to horizontal, to better withstand high winds and flying projectiles.

Scott Brunner, the city's consulting traffic engineer, said the project is about halfway done. Any defective signal heads have been replaced with new ones.

"If we just rotate them and they fall apart, they will not do us any good," Brunner said.

Officials say this horizontal mounting has proven to give traffic signal heads a greater survivability rate because they are affixed to the mast arm, reducing the surface area that is subjected to direct hurricane-force winds.

Flint said the city also is updating its emergency management plan to meet federal standards. All contractual staffers, about 200 people, are receiving training with the National Incident Management System, identified by the federal government as the preferred system. Training is expected to conclude by the end of July.

"It will make our management of incidents more efficient," he said, and will enhance management when working with other cities and agencies before and after an emergency.

Additionally, the city plans to purchase a satellite television for use at Weston's emergency operations center, at the Police Services Center.

Hurricane-related messages will be delivered to residents via Weston's CodeRED Emergency Notification System, an ultra high-speed telephone communication service that transmits a recorded message to registered households.

Flint urged residents to prepare. Buy a week's supply of food and water and do tree trimming before a storm threatens, he said, and afterward try to stay home. "The less traffic there is, the sooner we can get the roads cleared," Flint said.

Nicole T. Lesson can be reached at nlesson@sun-sentinel.com or 954-385-7920.