Hurricane Frances took its toll on Florida, and Broward County was no exception. Luckily, our community was spared the brunt of the storm, however, we still felt Mother Nature’s fury. Power outages were widespread across our county, water service was interrupted and schools were forced to close. The storm did have a positive affect, however: it showed just how well prepared our employees were when the time came. Broward public school employees showed their mettle, working as a team as the storm approached our community. And when the storm moved off, that’s when we really kicked things into high gear.

Maintenance personnel – more than 700 strong – were out in the field as the last bands of wind and rain made their way through Broward, assessing damage and beginning the task of cleaning up and removing the debris. And when the call came, school administrators, food service workers, clerical personnel and other full time employees returned to work to begin getting the District up and running. Some of the highlights of the District’s hurricane efforts include:

• District Food Service Department workers began visiting schools shortly after the storm passed, inspecting food supplies and replacing perishable foods that may have spoiled due to the disruption of refrigeration as the result of power outages. We adhere to the old adage: When in doubt, throw it out.

• More than a dozen District schools were used as evacuation shelters during the hurricane, housing nearly 8,000 people during the emergency. About 20 additional schools were placed on standby in case they were needed.

• The District offered Broward County emergency and local police officials with gasoline and diesel fuel, as supplies were low in the area – even providing fuel for the Coconut Creek City Hall and fire station generators.

• District Transportation Department personnel transported about a dozen wheelchair bound patients from the Gold Crest Nursing Home to the Hollywood Hills Nursing Home Friday at the request of county emergency services officials.

• The District also provided a diesel generator technician to Kendred Hospital in Fort Lauderdale to help repair their emergency generator. In fact, District response times were the first emergency personnel to respond to the hospital’s needs!

• School District personnel staffed the Broward County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Plantation throughout the emergency, providing support to county officials and the Red Cross -- mainly related to logistical support for schools that were used as emergency evacuation shelters for the public. In addition, District personnel staffed the county’s emergency hot line, providing information to community members before, during and after the storm.

• And may of our employees have begun to volunteer their time through Volunteer Broward to help those less fortunate members of our community – low income and disabled – by removing debris left behind by the storm.

All in all, the District came through Hurricane Frances with flying colors, thanks to the pre-planning and teamwork shown by every employee in the District. We all should be proud of the effort we all put forth during these trying times. If you would like to volunteer to help those who need it most, please call 954-522-6761 for more information.