Red Cross asks Hardee County schools to join 'no-notice' shelter list for fires and sudden disasters

Scott Markowitz, community disaster program manager for the American Red Cross Mid‑Florida chapter, asked the Hardee County School Board on Feb. 12 to consider listing district facilities as ‘no‑notice’ shelters so the Red Cross can place people displaced by sudden local disasters in-county.

Markowitz said the Red Cross serves Hardee, Polk, DeSoto, Okeechobee and Highlands counties and that ‘no‑notice’ shelters are used for unexpected events — large fires, sinkholes or floods — not for hurricane evacuations. He said the organization would typically request use of a single large space such as a gym or cafeteria and would not take over classrooms or school operations.

The Red Cross representative said the group supplies volunteers, cots, blankets and meals and assumes liability for sheltered clients, adding it can provide insurance documentation and will conduct pre‑ and post‑inspections to note and repair any damage. “We bring our own cots in… We have our own feeding volunteers,” Markowitz said. He also described a new shelter relocation team that helps clients move to more permanent housing after an event.

Board members asked practical questions about liability, whether school employees would be required to staff shelters and whether the district would be reimbursed for employee time or increased utility costs. Markowitz said the Red Cross generally staffs shelters with its volunteers but can train or partner with district personnel if desired, and that the Red Cross will cover expenses above normal operating costs when provided with before‑and‑after bills.

Markowitz identified Bowling Green Elementary (an unused school building) as the specific facility he discussed with district emergency management staff and described next steps: the district would complete a short presurvey of contact and ADA compliance information, the Red Cross would schedule an inspection to verify accessibility and measurements, and the parties could sign a non‑obligatory facility usage agreement that places the site on a list of pre‑inspected no‑notice shelter locations. The board and Markowitz emphasized that the district would retain the right to decline any individual activation.

The presentation was informational only; the board did not vote on an agreement at the meeting. Markowitz left brochures and contact information and offered to follow up by email to schedule the presurvey and inspection.

The Red Cross presentation is expected to return as an action item in the future if the board chooses to pursue a formal facility usage agreement.