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Volusia emergency manager urges Edgewater residents to prepare as 2025 hurricane season approaches
Summary
Volusia County Emergency Management Director Clint Meekum reviewed 2024 impacts and early 2025 forecasts at an Edgewater seminar, stressing that rainfall and flooding—not just wind—pose major local risks and urging residents to know their flood zone, have a 96‑hour kit, and download the county emergency app.
Volusia County Emergency Management Director Clint Meekum told an Edgewater hurricane‑preparedness seminar that while Florida saw several major storms in 2024, the greatest local danger for this community remains heavy rainfall and inland flooding.
“Flooding is insidious,” Meekum said, noting the county’s highest official rainfall during Ian was 21.09 inches at Spruce Creek in about 18 hours. He warned local stormwater systems generally manage about 11–15 inches in 24 hours and that rainfall impacts can be severe even from lower‑category storms.
Meekum summarized early 2025 forecasts, citing Colorado State University’s projection of about 17 named storms with nine hurricanes and four majors and urging residents to follow official National Weather Service guidance once NOAA issues its seasonal outlook. He explained the difference between watches (possible within 48 hours) and warnings (expected within 36 hours) and said evacuation orders are issued when life‑safety or utility isolation risks make local response impractical.
The director emphasized practical steps for residents: know your flood zone with the state mapping tool, prepare a communications and evacuation plan with at least one out‑of‑state contact, and build a 96‑hour “go” kit with documents, medications, cash and pet supplies. Meekum recommended downloading the Volusia County emergency management app for alerts, shelter information and sandbag/shelter locations.
Meekum also walked through recovery basics — photograph property before a storm, confirm what your homeowner policy covers (homeowners insurance generally does not cover flooding), and follow official re‑entry instructions after a storm. He closed by offering the county office as a resource for community talks and follow up questions.
The seminar provided an opportunity for county and city officials to outline both individual preparedness steps and the county threshold for issuing protective actions; Meekum repeatedly framed evacuation orders as a life‑safety tool rather than a convenience.
