West Palm Beach fire official urges residents to prepare now for hurricane season

Assistant Fire Chief Brent Bloomfield of the West Palm Beach Fire Department urged residents on the City Center podcast to prepare now for hurricane season, which he said runs from June 1 through Nov. 30, and to plan for "the worst case scenario."

Bloomfield said the number-one preparedness steps are to secure a home (trim trees, remove loose objects), build a supply kit, and ensure medications and insurance paperwork are accessible. "You wanna make sure that you prepare for the worst case scenario," he said.

The nut graf: Bloomfield framed the guidance around recent storm behavior — faster intensification and unpredictable tracks — and local risks including storm surge, inland flooding and tornadoes. He said those hazards make early preparation and adherence to evacuation orders critical for life safety.

Bloomfield recommended stocking at least a week of food and water rather than the three-day guideline many residents remember. He said nonperishables such as canned goods and peanut butter are useful, and advised residents not to wait until the day before a storm to refill prescriptions: "Make sure if we have a storm that's gonna be coming that you don't wait till the day before to fill those prescriptions." He added that, where possible, getting a 90-day supply of medication is advisable.

On documentation, Bloomfield advised keeping insurance and other important papers in a watertight bag and not relying solely on phones or computers because power and cell-service outages are likely. "We may not have power or signal," he said, citing Hurricane Michael in the Panhandle as an example of prolonged communications loss.

Bloomfield described local storm hazards: storm surge can top seawalls and flood low-lying areas, and inland neighborhoods with poor drainage are vulnerable to prolonged flooding. He noted that the city sits roughly on a ridge west of Dixie Highway, which can reduce surge in some neighborhoods, but cautioned that surge and cutouts still expose barrier-island areas (Town of Palm Beach, Manalapan, Jupiter Island) and portions of the city near the intracoastal. He cited Hurricane Nicole as an example that produced about 4.5 feet of storm surge in parts of the city.

On evacuations and shelters, Bloomfield emphasized that Palm Beach County — not municipalities — operates evacuation decisions and shelter openings, and he pointed residents to the county Department of Emergency Management for special-needs registration. "If you are a special needs person ... you need to go ahead and register now with the county," he said. Bloomfield said the county typically opens between nine and 12 shelters for large events, some of which are designated for pets or special medical needs. He cautioned that general shelters provide limited personal space (roughly the size of a cot area) and that food and water are generally supplied at shelters.

Safety guidance included generator and open-flame caution: "If you're gonna use something like that... just make sure you don't use it inside," Bloomfield said about camp stoves and similar devices, and warned that running generators indoors can cause carbon monoxide: "You don't want your generator in an enclosed environment because it builds up CO." He also urged caution with candles and other open flames after the storm.

On whether to evacuate, Bloomfield reiterated county evacuation orders as determinative: "If you are in evacuation zone and we're you're told to evacuate, you need to evacuate." For residents not in evacuation zones, he described the choice as personal but urged early decisions to avoid highway congestion and fuel shortages. He recalled that some evacuees in past storms ended up in worse conditions after traveling to other parts of the state.

Bloomfield urged residents to rely on local official sources for information — local officials, local news, the city's social media and the city's hotline — and to avoid unverified online commentators. "Local Officials. Local Officials. Local news," he said. He also recommended the National Weather Service and university forecast centers for technical forecasting.

The interview was recorded as a City of West Palm Beach Communications Department podcast. Bloomfield closed by reiterating the central message: prepare a kit, make a family plan, know your evacuation zone and register for county-run special-needs or pet-friendly shelters if applicable. "The biggest thing is just be prepared," he said.

Bloomfield's comments were delivered as guidance and situational awareness; no formal city actions or policy changes were proposed or taken during the podcast.