There's a lot of great places to come to a great enterprise. The Miami-Dade is a lot of great places in Florida and that has more different qualities in the United States. Because there's a climate tropical, the Miami-Dade has a lot of tourists that have a lot of activities in the country, the culture that is rich, and a lot of great activities in the night. The residents have a lot of great places in Miami-Dade for all the years, and it's also a responsibility to prepare for different natural and artificial that have a lot of places in the Florida. Hello, I'm Lieutenant Eugène Germain Jr. Because I'm the resident of Miami-Dade and the premier intervenant that I'm the developer of Korea on the place in the South Florida, out the Environmental Union should be 24 hours a day in theModule from now on the �hmen perimeter. The Miami-Dade will be prepared for some unfortunate illness in many earthquakes or artificial conditions. 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But even if it's a light hurricane season predicted, it only takes one very important message for all of us. So you cannot be too prepared. There are three key steps we want people to remember. Number one, stay informed. And so we're going to provide you how you can stay informed. Be storm ready. Again, tips how to be ready. And make a plan. Everyone should have a plan in the case of a weather emergency. So first, about staying informed. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is for everyone to stay informed before, during, and also after a storm. And I'm saying this especially for our new residents, and we have many. So please make sure you understand what's involved. Whenever we face a storm, accurate information is the key first point. There are many ways to get updates from this county. You can go to our website, MiamiDade.gov, and sign up for Miami Dade alerts. You can type alerts in the search window, and you can follow the directions from there. You can download our app. Ready Miami Dade is the name of the app, from wherever you get your apps. And it is absolutely free. You can also follow us on our county's X platform, or Facebook accounts. And you can call 3-1-1-2nd. Be storm ready. Our 2026 Severe Weather and Emergency Readiness Guide is ready, and it's available online. So we encourage everyone to go there and download it. Everything in one place, MiamiDade.gov slash hurricane, as well as MDC Ready app. It includes everything that you and your family need to stay ready and stay safe. So Pete will share more, our Director of Emergency Management, when he speaks. Third, make a plan. Everyone needs a plan. Right now, make a plan. We want to make sure everybody knows exactly what to do and where to go in case of an evacuation. And many of us live in evacuation zones. There are three main questions you need to ask yourself. First, do I live in a flood or surge zone? And that is available on the website. There is a map. What will I do if I need to evacuate? Do I have a safe place to go with friends or family? Do I need to shelter? All of that information is available on our website. And what do I need to know about evacuation centers? Again, Director Pete Gomez will go into that a little bit further. Now, rainy season, flooding. I'm sure you've all seen water accumulating. I have done. So earlier on this month, May 15th, actually marks the beginning of the rainy season. Extreme weather events continue to threaten our community. And being ready for the rainy season nowadays means we must be prepared for what? Flooding. It's unfortunately a fact of life. We're used to heavy rains throughout the year, but during the rainy season and then all the way late in the fall, we start to experience heavier rains and even king tides. Right? Rainy day flooding. And that's why it is very important to remember a few key points when heavy rains come. Stay off the roads if possible. It's never safe to drive or walk into flooded areas. So our maxim is turn around. Don't drown. Just don't go there. If you're driving and hit a flooded area, turn around. Don't risk it. We have seen many drivers stranded and needing to be rescued because their cars stalled in the high water. You can help minimize the impacts. Each and every one of us can help to minimize impacts on our wastewater system by keeping manhole covers closed. People may think, oh, we'll just drain the water that way. That is not a good idea. It inundates our sewage system. It leads to pollution in our waterways. And it also leads to decreased water availability. We want everyone to decrease your water use during a storm. That is a way that you can help us, especially in the morning and the evening, which are the heaviest usage times during heavy rain. So it might be counterintuitive, but during a heavy rainstorm, try to minimize your water use. And prepare your business and your home for flooding, no matter where you live, but particularly if you are in a low-lying area, if you're near water, or you're downstream from a dam or canal pump. Pumps might not operate once power goes out. So please be prepared. You can check your flood zone on the county website to assess the risk of flooding in your area. Our county government is also preparing. We install temporary dams in vulnerable areas. We drain the wastewater system where possible. We beef up our staffing, and we prepare vacuum trucks to deploy to take the water out of areas of inundation. We remove debris because debris can be flushed out through the wastewater, which is not good for the health of our bay. We inspect all stormwater pumps in advance of a storm and drains, and we respond to the flooding, reporting of floods. So we work in close coordination with the South Florida Water Management District that controls the canal levels, and we make sure that they are low before a storm, and we monitor them actively before, during, and after a rain event. Our Department of Emergency Management is conducting around-the-clock monitoring, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, all year long, to evaluate weather threats and to coordinate the resources. Now, finally, heat. Heat season. May through October is our annual heat season. And on average, we now experience 51 more days per year with temperatures over 90 degrees Fahrenheit, more than what we did 50 years ago. So 51 days of extreme heat. And experts predict that those numbers will only keep going up. And here are some things we can all do to stay cool and safe. If you're not feeling well in the heat, do a three-step heat check. Drink, shade, rest. So you drink water, you find shade, and you rest. This is often called the silent killer. You might not know that you're being affected by the heat. So please be careful and monitor. We have county cooling sites that we advertise, our libraries, our community centers, some of our parks facilities. These are available for people who might not be able to cool off at home. And for our furry friends, our four-legged family members, we need to make sure that they also have access to water and they are groomed and comfortable in the heat. So our animal services department has more tips for your pet safety. Follow them on social media as well, animal services. And you can find heat safety tips in our severe weather and emergency readiness guide that I mentioned you can download. And we'll touch more on that later. So we will continue to work closely with all of our cities, all 34, to ensure that everyone is weather ready. And we need to be smart. We all need to be weather ready. We need to stay safe this summer. And now I'll say a few words in Spanish, and I want to acknowledge that we've been joined by Commissioner Natalia Milan Orbis. Thank you. Buenos dias y bienvenidos a todos. Muchas gracias por acompañarnos hoy en el Centro de Operaciones de Emergencias del Condado de Miami-Dade. Gracias a todos los kits que están aquí, todos ustedes que están aquí hoy por ayudarnos a estar listos para el clima. Antes nos reuníamos cada año para anunciar el inicio de la temporada de hurucanes que va del primero de junio al 30 de noviembre. Pero la realidad es que en Miami-Dade el clima severo puede presentarse de formas, de muchas formas, tormentas, inundaciones y calor extremo. Y sabemos que estos eventos climáticos son cada vez más frecuentes e intensos. Por eso hemos reorganizado nuestra oficina de riesgo ambiental y resiliencia para enfrentar estos desafíos. El objeto de hoy es compartir información para que estén listos para todos. Temporada de hurucanes. El verano ya casi llega y con él también la temporada de hurucanes. Así que ahora es el momento de crear un plan de seguridad y preparar su kit de emergencia. También es un buen momento para inscribirse a las alertas del condado para alertas sobre tormentas. Pronto escucharán del Servicio Nacional de Meteorología sobre qué tan fuerte se espera esta temporada. Pero sabemos que un solo huracán puede ser una catástrofe. Catástrofe. Queremos recordarles tres pasos clave para estar preparados esta temporada. Y siempre, manténganse informados. Visite miamidade.gov diagonal o no. Llame al 311, baje la aplicación o síganos en las redes sociales. Estén listos para la tormenta. Y hagan un plan. Nuestro Departamento de Manejo de Emergencias tiene todos los detalles sobre este proceso. El director Gómez compartirá más información al respecto. Primero, temporada de lluvias. Inundaciones. El 15 de mayo también marcamos el inicio de la temporada de lluvias. Por eso es importante recordar algunos puntos clave cuando caen lluvias intensas. Evitan las carreteras, si es posible. Nunca es seguro conducir o caminar en zonas inundadas. Da la vuelta, no te ahogues. Se va manejando y encuentra una vía inundada. De la vuelta, no se arriesgue. Mantengan cerradas las tapas de alcantarillas y usen menos agua. En las mañanas y noches, preparen sus hogares o sus negocios para posibles inundaciones. Especialmente si vive en una zona baja. Pueden consultar su zona de inundación en el sitio web del condado para evaluar el riesgo en su área. Y el gobierno del condado también se está preparando con medidas como instalar diques temporales en zonas vulnerables, drenar el sistema de aguas residuales cuando sea posible, aumentar el personal y tener listos los camiones de vacío, limpiar escombros, inspeccionar bombas y responder a las inundaciones. En coordinación con el Distrito de Manejo de Agua del Sur de la Florida, monitoreamos los niveles de los canales antes, durante y después de la lluvia. Y nuestro Departamento de Manejo de Emergencias monitorea las 24 horas del día, 7 días de la semana, todo el año para evaluar las amenazas y coordinar recursos. Y finalmente, temporada de calor, de mayo a octubre. También marca nuestra temporada anual de calor. Aquí hay algunas cosas que todos podemos hacer para mantenernos frescos y seguros. Si no se siente bien por el calor, recuerde, beba agua, busque sombra y descanse. Puede visitar cualquier centro de enfriamiento del condado, como bibliotecas, parques y centros comunitarios. Y para sus mascotas, asegúrese de que siempre tengan acceso a agua y estén bien acicaladas para tolerar el calor. Nuestro Departamento de Servicios para Animales tiene más consejos y tenemos la información en las redes sociales. También pueden encontrar consejos sobre seguridad ante el calor en la guía de preparación. Seguimos trabajando muy de cerca con nuestras ciudades para asegurar que todos estemos listos para el clima. Seamos inteligentes, estemos preparados y mantengámonos seguros este verano. Before we go to our Creole translation, we'll have brief remarks from some of our other representatives here. And I'd like to turn to Commissioner Regalado, followed by Commissioner Mianna Orbit. Thank you, Madam Mayor. Just quickly, I'd like to thank the Mayor and staff for being here. I just wanted to highlight three really quick things. The first is that our emergency handbook this year is completely digital. In the past, we used to get it in the mail. The mayor mentions the website. But obviously, it's different this year. So if you're expecting that in the mail, please visit the website. It's available right now. And if you need to print it out, we suggest that you do that so that you have that information as part of your hurricane kit. The second thing that I would mention is that in that kit, there is information about neurodivergent children and adults that we recently added. A lot of people asked us about information, if they have autistic children and adults, what to do if they're in an evacuation zone. You will find that information on the website as part of the handbook. And finally, we cannot stress enough the importance of not lifting storm drains. As the mayor mentioned, it is not only dangerous but unsanitary. It creates a very difficult burden on our water and sewer system. And it usually creates a disruption and contamination of water in the very area that neighbors are trying to relieve water from. So we cannot stress it enough. There are certain areas where this appears to be more common than not. But throughout the entire county, we're asking you to consider that this is not a solution but just another complication that may actually impact your family, your friends, and your pets. So we ask you, when you see flooding, to stay out of the area, to call 311, to call your county commissioner. We'll then contact our department to deal with it. But do not take matters into your own hands. The effects of it is actually a lot worse than the problem that you're trying to solve. And I'll say that quickly in Spanish. Hello, buenos días. Muchas gracias por estar con nosotros. Siempre es un placer. Le quiero dar las gracias a la alcaldesa y al equipo que está aquí con nosotros. Yo nada más que quiero mencionar tres cosas bien rápido. Algunos cambios que tenemos este año. Primero, este es el primer año donde toda la información sobre los huracanes y las emergencias no se va a estar mandando por correo en el panfleto que están acostumbrados, sino es digital. Entonces, le pedimos a las familias que vayan al sitio web, que si lo tienen que imprimir, que lo hagan para tener acceso inmediato a esos recursos y lo pongan como parte de sus planes de huracanes. También dentro de ese sitio web y ese handbook digital van a encontrar información sobre el autismo y las personas que son neurodivergentes. Hemos tenido muchas preguntas sobre esto. Si están en una área donde tienen que hacer evacuaciones, ahí van a ver exactamente dónde deben evacuar, si tienen personas que tienen esas discapacidades, para que tengan esa información lo más arte posible. Y finalmente, la alcaldesa lo mencionó y lo tenemos que mencionar todos los años. Es importante que no abran las tapas del sistema del alcantarillado. Sé que eso es algo que las personas hacen porque piensan, bueno, hay agua que está estancada, vamos a aliviar esa situación moviendo esas tapas. Pero lamentablemente lo que van a hacer es crear más problemas que no solamente va a impactar nuestro sistema de agua y el sistema de agua alcantarillado, pero también en muchos casos tiene el efecto de traer contaminación a las mismas áreas donde las personas están haciendo esto porque estas son aguas negras. Entonces, le pedimos por favor que no lo hagan, que llamen al 311, que llamen a su comisionado. Nosotros tenemos un equipo que va a lidiar con esos problemas, pero tomar esa acción tratando de aliviar el problema del agua estancada es lo peor que pudieran hacer para ustedes, para su familia y para nuestra comunidad. Muchas gracias. Thank you. Good afternoon. Hurricane season is here and now is the time to prepare, as our mayor said. Do not wait until Miami-Dade County is under a cone of a storm. Stock up now on water, food, medication, batteries, important documents and supplies for your children, for your pets and for elderly. Trim trees, secure your home and know your evacuation zones and have a family emergency plan. Remember to review your insurance, take photos and videos of your home and belongings and keep important documents in a waterproof lockbox. After a storm, document any damage before making repairs and verify contractors before hiring anyone. Our office will also be signing up seniors in District 6 for hurricane wellness check-ins to keep vulnerable residents safe after a storm, so please feel free to contact our office at 305-267-6377. Preparation saves lives, so please take action now. And now in Spanish, en español, muy buenas tardes. La temporada de los huracanes ya está aquí. Ahora es el momento de prepararse. No esperen hasta que Miami-Dade esté bajo de la amenaza de una tormenta para prepararse. Preparen suficiente agua, alimentos, medicamentos, baterías, documentos importantes para sus niños, mascotas y las personas mayores en sus familias. Asegúrense de recortar los árboles, asegúrense de recortar los árboles, asegurar su hogar y que conozcan las zonas de evacuaciones y tengan un plan de emergencia para sus familias. Revise la póliza de seguro, tomen fotos y videos de su hogar y pertenencias y mantengan los documentos importantes en una caja impermeable segura. Después de una tormenta, documente cualquier daño antes de tratar de realizar reparaciones y siempre verifique las licencias y credenciales de los contratistas antes de contratar a alguien para los arreglos. Nuestra oficina estará registrando a las personas mayores en el Distrito 6 para realizar chequeos de bienestar después de una tormenta y ayudar a mantener seguros a los residentes más vulnerables. Nos puede llamar al 305-267-6377. La preparación salva las vidas. Tome acción hoy. Muchas gracias. Good afternoon, everybody. My name is Pete Gomez, and I'm the Director of the Department of Emergency Management. First of all, thank you, Madam Mayor, for having this very important event to get the community. Prepared, and thank you to all the elected officials that are here with us today in support of this important endeavor. I'm just going to talk real briefly. The commissioners and the mayor have already mentioned a bunch of the important stuff that we need to do, but I want to say this. No hurricane is the same. We've been to a bunch of disasters throughout this country, and I've seen evacuations. I've seen people that didn't evacuate in certain areas of the country that were destroyed, and I said to the people, why didn't you evacuate, and they said, because I survived a hurricane such and such, and we thought this one wasn't going to be as bad. Well, I'll tell you, every hurricane is different, and as we get later on into these events, right, they become stronger, more forceful, with more water and more wind, and they become stronger faster. So that doesn't give us enough time to prepare on many occasions, so keep that in mind. They've mentioned it before, you should have an emergency kit ready to go, and in these kits, you should have things like your important papers, insurance, any documentation that you might need, prescription drugs, and a fresh prescription because the Internet might be out, power might be out, you might not be able to get your doctor to call in a prescription. Have some cash ready. Have gas available for your vehicles. Make sure that your vehicles get topped off. Make sure that you have one gallon of water per person per day. Have enough food to last you for three to seven days. Make sure, the commissioner mentioned it, you clean all the area around your house because those things that you've got loose around the house become projectiles in these storms. So make sure you're ready. Know your evacuation zone. If you're in an evacuation zone, it's important that you know where you're going to go. You don't have to leave the state of Florida. You just got to get out of the area that's going to be endangered. Remember, we run from the water. We hide from the wind. So if you're living on the east coast, come somewhere into the middle of the county where it's a little bit safer and you don't have to worry about storm surge. Storm surge is what kills, not necessarily the wind. Storm surge is the most important and the most dangerous part of any hurricane. So keep all these things in mind. If you have to evacuate, make sure you take care of your pets. Bring enough food. And if your pets have medication, we do have pet-friendly shelters. And we also have an emergency evacuation plan. If you have medical needs, register yourself for the EAP. Like the mayor said, MiamiDade.gov slash hurricanes. You can register yourself. And if you need to get evacuated, we will come and we will take you to an evacuation shelter. So we have all these shelters ready for you. And with that, I'll turn it back over to the mayor. I'm a weather guy. Thank you, Madam Mayor. Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Robert Garcia. I'm the warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Miami. And let's chat a little bit about the icebreaker in the room, right? NOAA's official hurricane outlook for 2026. And I think most folks have heard that it is expected to be a below-average season. We've seen an El Nino starting to develop in the eastern Pacific Ocean, which basically means that the waters out there are warming more than average for this time of year. Typically, that helps diminish the amount of activity in the Atlantic Basin during hurricane seasons. However, we always want to emphasize you won't need to be ready. It only takes one. Our community, looking back at history, the entire 2004 hurricane season, Hurricane Andrew in 1992, Hurricane Betsy in 1965, we have plenty of history to teach us that just because the hurricane season may not be as active or record-setting, all we need is one storm to cause an impact. So the other thing is we're going to have a lot of interesting events. It's going to be a really fun summer in South Florida. And here in Miami-Dade County, we want to make sure not just that everyone is weather-ready, but they're really biting into the idea of the heat with the flooding rainfall, particularly when we get those afternoon thunderstorms, that you're ready for them and that you can adjust to them so you can stay safe. So it really is a big effort, a team effort, to be a weather-ready Miami-Dade. But one of those things requires you being willing to be prepared, being informed, and willing to take action when you need to. So, again, I'll be available for questions regarding the outlook this year. But hopefully we can avoid another impact to our community this year. But we need to be ready because nothing guarantees that we will avoid it. Thank you. Thank you so much, Robert. All right, I think we're ready for our Creole translation. This is Lionel. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And again, we have with us our public works director, our environment, our fire, our emergency management, all here to answer questions.