MANATEE COUNTY, FL (January 22, 2025) – After an unprecedented 2024 Hurricane Season, Manatee County residents may have new or lingering questions about storm readiness, flood zones, evacuation levels and how to get the most accurate information. To answer those questions, Manatee County Emergency Management is hosting a series of “Coffee and Questions” meetings at the Emergency Operations Center (located at 2101 47th Terrace E., Bradenton). The first gathering is scheduled for Friday, February 14, 2025, from 9 to 11 a.m.
“We want to make sure no question goes unanswered,” said Manatee County Emergency Management Chief Matt Myers. “We are starting these sessions earlier in the year and reaching out to more citizens to help ensure this important information is reinforced and remembered.”
As they have in years past, Manatee County Public Safety staff will be conducting numerous Hurricane Information Sessions and in-person presentations to individual Homeowners and Condo Associations, church groups, senior centers and business organizations in preparation for the storm season. Those meetings are typically held in the late Spring in the weeks leading up to the start of the Hurricane Season June 1. This February gathering will enable seasonal visitors who may miss those sessions to get their inquiries handled before they head north. Residents and visitors can always refer to frequently asked storm-related questions (and answers) at
mymanatee.org/stormseasonfaqs.
Those who sign up at
mymanatee.org/coffeechat will not only have the opportunity to attend and get their questions answered directly by experts, but they’ll also get an exclusive chance to visit the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and see where essential county staff do work that matters during weather-related emergencies.
“Understanding the work that goes into emergency activation and response is important,” said Manatee Public Safety Director Jodie Fiske. “What happens in the EOC during storm activation affects us all!”
Other EOC informational sessions are planned for April 11, 2025, and June 6, 2025.