INDIANTOWN – Questions have been brought to the attention of Village Staff regarding our Hurricane/emergency preparedness response practices and plans. In the interest of transparency, staff have compiled a list of questions and answers for review and distribution.

For more information, contact Village Manager Howard W. Brown Jr. at hbrown@indiantownfl.gov.

Who is responsible for trimming and cutting along our streets and roads to clear obstructions and is this work being completed?
While the trimming and cutting of trees and flora along private property is the responsibility of the individual property owner, any cleaning within the right of way must be performed by the Village. As such, it is taken care of by contractors on an ongoing basis with removals of trees as needed. If you believe there is an area in need of attention please contact the Village’s Public Works Director, William Archebelle, at publicworks@indiantownfl.gov.

How can people find out the status of a storm emergency, and responses required?
Residents are encouraged to follow updates from the National Hurricane Center (www.nhc.noaa.gov/) and the Martin County website (www.martin.fl.us/) for up to date information on how to prepare. The Village takes this information and posts it to our website once we receive it. During Hurricane Dorian the website was regularly updated, and several News Alerts were issued via our Constant Contact system. Residents can also register for Alert Martin (www.martin.fl.us/AlertMartin) to receive emergency information via texts, calls and e-mails, not just for hurricanes.

Who represents Indiantown at the Martin County Emergency Operations Center (EOC)?

The Village’s representative will be the Village Clerk, Susan Owens, or the Village Manager, Howard W. Brown, Jr. If there is additional need, a Councilmember can be appointed to assist with ongoing operations. Any Village representative sent to the Martin County EOC will be fully trained on EOC operations beforehand.

How does the Village plan to assist people in manufactured housing or a like domicile?
Responsibility to inform residents of unsafe conditions and enforce mandatory evacuation is the duty of the Sheriff’s Office’s. The Village will post notice of these conditions on the Villag of Indiantown website, social media outlets, and news alerts to assist. Prior to evacuation, residents are responsible for putting up shutters, hardening their property, and finalizing preparations. Please remember police, fire, and EMS services are unavailable above designated wind speeds. Residents choosing to shelter in place should not expect any services during the storm itself. If residents feel shelters are unsafe, due to health conditions, they are encouraged to shelter with family outside of the storm’s path.

Are contractors in place to clean up the Village after a storm emergency?
The Village has established contracts in place for debris removal and monitoring. Contact with those companies is made regularly pre-storm to ensure they are prepared to mobilize accordingly.

Can the Village’s flooding infrastructure, in whole or part, perform properly during a storm?
Several locations throughout the Village either lack an existing formal drainage system or are inadequate to handle severe input/output. The Village’s Public Works Department is in the process of addressing several of these historically neglected areas. The Village has recently contracted with Kimley Horn to provide an in-depth stormwater modeling analysis of Village Streets and drainage to assist ongoing work. Additionally, over $2 million is programmed for investment in the Booker Park community for drainage and roadway improvements.

In the event a storm separates the Village from Martin County, what plans have been made to protect residents?
Due to the Village’s location, and its ability to be temporarily isolated from county assistance, residents are encouraged to plan for 5-7 days of provisions. Though such a lengthy period is unlikely, it is better to overprepare during an emergency. In the event such an incident occurred, the county would be responsible for clearing a path to Indiantown and providing food/water to assist residents. In the event the county is unavailable, the State Division of Emergency Management would be responsible.

Have additional plans been made to assist special needs residents?
Specific technical assistance of this kind is handled by Martin county. While a resident in need of substantial assistance is required to register first, once they have, the county will supply transportation assistance to shelters where needed. Further information on this topic can be found online at https://www.martin.fl.us/SpecialNeeds.

Does the Village have plans to assist those in need requiring pet shelters?
Martin County recently opened its first pet-friendly shelter during Hurricane Dorian. For further information on this matter please refer to /www.martin.fl.us/Shelters. Additionally, Village staff are actively working with the Indiantown Civic Club to shore up the Indiantown Civic Center. Pending approval from the State Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) funding may become available to convert the location into a pet friendly shelter.