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  • Flood Control
    • Overview
    • Emergency Management
    • Keeping Canal Right of Way Clear
    • Flood Protection Level of Service
  • Water Supply Planning
    • Overview
    • Upper Kissimmee Basin (CFWI) Plan
    • Lower Kissimmee Basin Plan
    • Upper East Coast Plan
    • Lower East Coast Plan
    • Lower West Coast Plan
    • Alternative Water Supply
    • Water Supply Facilities Work Plans
  • Water Quality Improvement
    • Overview
    • Restoration Strategies
    • Long-Term Plan
    • Everglades Technical Oversight Committee
  • Ecosystem Restoration - By Region
    • Overview
    • Everglades
    • Kissimmee River
    • Lake Okeechobee
    • Coastal Watersheds
    • Florida Bay
  • Ecosystem Restoration - Projects and Programs
    • Advancing Key Priority Projects
    • Biscayne Bay Economic Impact Study
    • CERP Project Planning
    • CERP Funding and Implementation
    • EAA Storage Reservoir Project
    • Feeder Canal Basin Water Quality Program
    • Lake Okeechobee Watershed Restoration Project
    • Lake Okeechobee Component A Reservoir (LOCAR)
    • Lower Kissimmee Basin Stormwater Treatment Area
    • Northern Everglades and Estuaries Protection Program
    • Picayune Strand Restoration Project
    • Water Storage Strategies
  • MFLs & Water Reservations, & RAAs
    • Minimum Flows & Minimum Water Levels
    • Water Reservations
    • Restricted Allocation Areas
  • Land Management
    • Overview
    • Vegetation and Exotic Control
    • Python Elimination Program
    • Land Assessment
  • Local Projects and Programs
    • C-100A Canal Vegetation Removal Project
    • C-15 Canal Vegetation Removal Project
    • Cocohatchee Canal I-75 Loop Interchange Tree Removal Project
    • Corkscrew Watershed Initiative Public Planning Project
    • Flood Protection Around Henderson Creek Canal
    • Lake Belt Mitigation Committee
  • Addressing Blue-Green Algae
  • Resiliency
    • Overview
    • Resiliency and Flood Protection
    • Resiliency and Water Supply
    • Resiliency and Ecosystem Restoration
    • Water and Climate Resilience Metrics
    • Central and Southern Florida Flood Resiliency Study
    • Sea Level Rise and Flood Resiliency Plan
    • Resiliency Coordination Forum
Hurricane Freddy exercise

Emergency Management

The South Florida Water Management District prepares year-round to ensure operational readiness for hurricanes and other emergencies that could impact regional flood control. These activities include:

  • The annual Hurricane Freddy exercise that features a full activation of the District’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC). Participation is District-wide and includes all levels of management.
  • A monthly technical feasibility test of the equipment in the Emergency Operations Center.
  • Monthly satellite phone tests between the District’s Water Operations Control Center, field stations and service centers.
  • Conducting onsite tabletop exercises with Field Station Incident Command Team personnel throughout the year to test operational planning capabilities.
  • Coordination of annual meeting for Emergency Coordination Officers with Florida's other water management districts, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and State EOC personnel.
  • Participation by regional representatives throughout the year in county Local Mitigation Strategy committees and Community Rating System efforts.
  • Supporting local jurisdictions with emergency modeling information to assist in both mitigation planning efforts, as well as response to flooding emergencies.
  • Coordination before, during and after storms with local drainage districts to disseminate information.
     

Emergency Resources

County emergency management agencies (EMAs) also prepare for emergencies year-round. Their websites provide information resources to assist residents in preparing for emergencies.

During emergencies, instructions and information regarding evacuation, shelters, food and water distribution are coordinated and disseminated by officials at county EMAs. They also provide contact information on their websites for local agencies within their counties that provide community support to impacted residents. Many county EMAs also maintain Facebook and Twitter accounts that are frequently updated with information.

County Emergency Management Websites and Social Media

  • Broward Click for Broward County Emergency Management on Facebook Click for Broward County Emergency Management on Twitter
  • Charlotte Click for Charlotte County Emergency Management on Facebook Click for Charlotte County Emergency Management on Twitter
  • Collier Click for Collier County Emergency Management on Facebook Click for Collier County Emergency Management on Twitter
  • Glades Click for Glades County Emergency Management on Facebook Click for Glades County Emergency Management on Twitter
  • Hendry Click for Hendry County Emergency Management on Facebook Click for Hendry County Emergency Management on Twitter
  • Highlands Click for Highlands County on Facebook
  • Lee Click for Lee County Emergency Management on Facebook Click for Lee County Emergency Management on Twitter
  • Martin Click for Martin County on Facebook Click for Martin County on Twitter
  • Miami-Dade Click for Miami-Dade County Emergency Management on Facebook Click for Miami-Dade County Emergency Management on Twitter
  • Monroe Click for Monroe County Fire Rescue on Facebook Click for Monroe County on Twitter
  • Okeechobee Click for Okeechobee County Emergency Management on Facebook Click for Okeechobee County Emergency Management on Twitter
  • Orange Click for Orange County Emergency Management on Facebook Click for Orange County Emergency Management on Twitter
  • Osceola Click for Osceola County Emergency Management on Facebook Click for Osceola County Emergency Management on Twitter
  • Palm Beach Click for Palm Beach County Emergency Management on Facebook Click for Palm Beach County Emergency Management on Twitter
  • Polk Click for Polk County Emergency Management on Facebook Click for Polk County Emergency Management on Twitter
  • St. Lucie Click for St. Lucie County on Facebook Click for St. Lucie County on Twitter

State and Federal Websites and Social Media

  • Florida Division of Emergency Management Click for Florida Division of Emergency Management on Facebook Click for Florida Division of Emergency Management on Twitter
  • Federal Emergency Management Agency Click for Federal Emergency Management Agency on Facebook Click for Federal Emergency Management Agency on Twitter
  • Ready.gov Click for Ready.gov on Facebook Click for Ready.gov on Twitter

 

Operations

Throughout the year, SFWMD Operations and Maintenance staff oversee approximately 2,175 miles of canals and 2,130 miles of levees/berms, 98 pump stations and more than 936 water control structures and 620 project culverts. With specialized expertise, they maintain all the equipment to ensure this vast water management system is ready to manage flood control during and after summer rainstorms, tropical storms or major hurricanes.

During times of disaster and emergency recovery, access to canals becomes extremely essential as recovery teams navigate through the canal system to perform emergency maintenance tasks. Field staff continually perform routine maintenance, repair and debris removal as well as keep rights-of-way clear to maintain access to canals.
 

Headquarter Facilities

SFWMD Facilities staff maintain critical functions vital to emergency storm response. Year-round tasks include checks and deployment of the following for headquarter buildings, including the Emergency Operations Center:

  • Shutters, emergency generators and satellite phones
  • Supplies, tools and portable gas cans for chainsaws
  • Fleet vehicles and boat tie-down
  • Diesel fuel
     

Map: Who to Contact for Localized Flooding

Local (secondary) canal systems in South Florida are maintained and operated by cities, counties and water control districts – also known as 298 districts for the chapter of Florida Statutes that outlines their responsibilities. These secondary canal systems receive water from neighborhoods and store excess water or move it to the regional flood control system managed by the South Florida Water Management District.

More than 100 water control districts and local governments operate secondary canal systems within the SFWMD's 16-county region. To see which entity is responsible for the secondary system where you live, type your address into the search bar on the map below. You can find contact information and more details in the Near Me box or by clicking directly on the map.

* NOTE TO MOBILE USERS: For a mobile-friendly version of this map, please click here.

 

Florida Natural Hazards Interagency Work Group Annual Report

In compliance with Florida Statutes (F.S.) 252.3655(2)(a), the Natural Hazards Interagency Work Group of the Florida Department of Emergency Management provides an annual progress report on the implementation of the state’s hazard mitigation plan. The report includes an assessment of agency efforts to address the impacts of natural hazards and to strategize and prioritize ongoing efforts to address the impacts of natural hazards.

  • Read the 2018 Report
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South Florida Water Management District

Contact Information

3301 Gun Club Road
West Palm Beach, FL 33406

561-686-8800

800-432-2045 (Florida Only)

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