A Message from Mayor O’Brien
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. | “The Town of Windermere is focused on our response goals of rapid reestablishment of Town critical lifelines and repair of infrastructure and services. Immediately after the storm subsided, Town Staff and contractors conducted a preliminary damage assessment and began to establish access to The Town for emergency services, staff and contractors for tree removal and power line safety. As of Monday, Noontime, 99% of Electrical Power has been reestablished, all main roadways are open and secondary trees and roadways have been prioritized for clearing. While our Community has experienced significant impacts, we are most concerned about the catastrophic damages, suffering and loss of life that we all know occurred to our fellow Floridians in Southwest Florida.
“The Town experienced a significant amount of tree damage and subsequent powerline and pole damage. These repairs have been completed allowing for Spectrum to also establish internet services in many cases. Emergency Debris Removal is in Day 3 and all yard waste is being picked up and transported to the Town Debris Management Site. All Parks are closed until Public Works staff can conduct a safety inspection in order to assess and repair any damages to docks, playground equipment, fences etc. Due to the amount of storm debris and high water levels of the lakes all Boat Ramps that serve the Butler Chain of Lakes have been closed until further notice.
“One of the major factors in the progress of Town recovery was the ability to have Town Staff and Police remain within Town during the storm. With the completion of our new Town facilities, all essential staff were available to respond to emergency calls, and compile damage reports in real-time. This allowed us to assess damages and bring in required contractors and staff much quicker than in past storms. Additionally, we focused on pushing information out to all residents to keep everyone informed before, during and after the storm. We will continue to address damages and prepare required documentation for insurance and FEMA reimbursement requests. Our goal is to be better each and every storm, preparation is the key to a quicker recovery.
“I would like to thank all of our residents for preparing and lending a hand to their neighbors in need as well as all of our Town Staff, Public Works, Admin, Police Department and Town Contractors for doing such a great job of this important stage of our recovery.”
Jim O’Brien Mayor Town of Windermere |