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Pinellas emergency management outlines ongoing recovery and preparedness ahead of peak hurricane season
Summary
Director Kathy Perkins told commissioners that FEMA's direct housing program has helped hundreds of families following 2024 storms, that outreach and bilingual preparedness work has expanded, and that the county is updating its comprehensive emergency management plan under new state requirements (SB 180).
Kathy Perkins, director of Pinellas County Emergency Management, briefed the Board of County Commissioners on Aug. 14 on post-2024 recovery, ongoing shelter and special-needs planning, and preparedness actions ahead of the seasonal peak. "We had our final coordination call with FEMA for their direct housing program," Perkins said, reporting that FEMA assistance has placed 277 families in direct housing and that 39 of those have transitioned to permanent solutions; the program will run through Sept. 2026.
Perkins told commissioners that outreach efforts have expanded since the storms: emergency management held 184 public events in the fiscal year and reached roughly 20,750 people, double last year’s outreach. New initiatives this year include a Hispanic outreach event with Spanish-language materials and a deaf-access event conducted with…
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