VOLUNTEER RECOGNITION DINNER

CLICK THE PHOTO TO START THE VIDEO RECAP

CLICK THE PHOTO TO START THE VIDEO RECAP

Last week we honored all of our wonderful Volunteers who help make Village On The Isle what it is today!  Volunteerism is the purest act of kindness!

Hurricane Preparation

Hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean starts June 1 and ends Nov 30th. Even though it has been over 5 years that Florida has been hit by a hurricane. No one is sure when and if a Hurricane may hit our area. Because of this we take Hurricane Preparedness seriously here at Village on the Isle. This year The Tropical Meteorology Project at Colorado State University today called for an above-average Atlantic basin hurricane season in an early extended-range forecast for 2011.  The team anticipates 17 named storms, 9 hurricanes and 5 major hurricanes (Saffir/Simpson category 3-4-5) with sustained winds of 111 mph or greater for the 2011 hurricane season, which runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. These forecast numbers for 2011 are close to the active Atlantic basin hurricane season experienced in 2010.

Village On The Isle is home to 400 plus seniors and we have a dedicated team of staff and board members that makes it our mission to keep our residents safe during a disaster. We believe that we have set the standards of hurricane preparation in Sarasota County.

Village On The Isle is a very safe facility that can withstand up to a Category 3 Hurricane. Some of our safety features are:

• Six large generators for emergency power.

• These range from 40 KW to 300 KW

• We have multiple fuel sources that include diesel, natural gas and propane.

• Two of these are bi-fuel which may use one source or another or a combination of both.

• We have 10 portable generators for extra back up
• Hardening of the facility with use of impact glass and hurricane shutters
• New roof that are built up to the newest wind uplift codes
• Emergency food and water for up to 7 days
• Six buses for transportation
• A vehicle capable of providing additional fuel

During Hurricane season we will constantly keep an eye on the tropics to see if there is any activity going on. Some of our sources that we use extensively are Sarasota Emergency Management, The National Hurricane Center, The Weather Underground and ABC Channel 7 news. These sites also have many useful facts to keep you safe and can assist you in preparation of a Hurricane. If there is a threat is out there, we will convey our disaster team to take appropriate action. If we need to evacuate we have 12 off site locations. These are located throughout the State as far a Port St Lucie. The evacuation site that we will go to depends on the predicted path of the hurricane.

We just completed our 6^th yearly evacuation drill where we take 50 residents and 10 staff members to Warren W. Willis United Methodist Camp located in Fruitland Park, FL. There we spend three days and two nights. Each time we partake in our drill we learn from our experiences and solve any problems that may occur in preparation for an actual evacuation.