North Port emergency manager urges written evacuation plans, warns first-responder delays

Stacy Alozio, Emergency Management Coordinator for the City of North Port, told residents at the April 22 meeting that households should prepare written evacuation plans, identify multiple travel routes and share plans with family and neighbors before a storm.

“It's important to have an evacuation plan ahead of time, and it's very important to write it down,” Alozio said. She told listeners to have multiple routes because traffic on I‑75 can become gridlocked and “there could be some very good back roads to get to where you're going, that could get you there more quickly without being stuck in traffic.”

Alozio laid out four options residents should consider when making evacuation decisions: stay home if not in an evacuation zone and if the home is structurally able to withstand the forecasted storm; go to a friend or family member’s home outside the evacuation area; go to a hotel; or go to one of Sarasota County’s evacuation centers. She said Sarasota County operates 12 evacuation centers and said locations are posted on the county’s website.

In a later portion of her remarks, Alozio warned that first responders may take longer to reach calls immediately after a storm because officers are pulled from roads for safety during storm operations, calls are triaged by urgency, and roads may be flooded or blocked by debris. “We are coming. You are very important to us. We care about our residents and their safety, but it may just take a while for us to get to you depending on the conditions of the roads,” she said. Alozio also noted tactical teams would work first to clear hazards so response vehicles can get through.

The presentation was informational; no new policy or funding decisions were made at the meeting. The emergency manager urged residents to post plans where family members can find them and to share contact and meeting-location details in advance of an event.