When three hurricanes hit Polk County in 2004, the county’s Emergency Management department was prepared. But it still learned many lessons and used those to move forward with an even better plan for the future.

When Hurricane Irma hit last September, the county managed the disaster from a new Emergency Operations Center in Winter Haven – something that existed only because Pete McNally, the director of Emergency Management, saw a need following the 2004 trio and acted to fix it.

 “It was apparent during the 2004 hurricanes that Polk County’s facilities were inadequate for emergency and recovery operations,” said County Manager Jim Freeman. “Pete led the effort to obtain state and local funding for the new, state-of-the-art Emergency Operations Center (EOC) that opened in 2010. The EOC has proven to be a valuable asset during subsequent natural disasters, most recently Hurricane Irma”

Now, after more than 12 years as the person responsible for keeping residents safe during disasters, McNally is retiring, effective Feb. 1.

Freeman says the Quincy, Mass., native will be missed.

“The Emergency Management division has a relatively small staff. Therefore, effective emergency and recovery operations require strong collaboration between numerous public and private organizations,” Freeman said in an email. “Pete’s ability to work with others to achieve the required level of cooperation has been a key to success for many years.”

During more than 20 years with the county, McNally upgraded planning and held ongoing training sessions to ensure everyone was prepared for various scenarios, Freeman said. Polk County’s Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan is a result of his work, he said.

Following retirement, McNally, 62, and his wife plan to move to New Jersey to be closer to two of their children.

His departure leaves a large void.

“He has brought professionalism; a strong technical knowledge of emergency management principles; and calm, steady and competent leadership during emergencies and natural disasters,” Freeman said.

To find out more about McNally and what changed during his tenure, read on.

Q. Describe to me how hurricane preparations within county government changed from 2004 to now?

A. County preparations really didn’t change a lot after the 2004 season, except for the fact that many of the areas that we could only simulate in pre-2004 training and exercise sessions (for example, warehouse operations, actually sheltering large numbers of folks, relations with the media) we had experienced hands-on during that season.

I do think there was a culture change as well after that year because many people thought we couldn’t be hit really hard in a county located in the center of the state. After the third hurricane, all that changed, and we were ready for anything – and our readiness has not abated since.

I think the major change in county operations — aside from the experiences and lessons learned we applied to our operations from what we went through in the three storms — is that in 2010 we opened a new state-of-the-art Emergency Operations Center (EOC). Until then we were running response operations from a small EOC set up on the Bartow Airbase and the larger recovery operations from the W.H. Stuart center in south Bartow, a facility that we had to set up and break down each time we used it. Our new facility in Winter Haven allows us to be ready at all times, training in the facility in which we will be working and acclimating our EOC staff to the environment they will be operating in during an event. That, and the training events we schedule each year, helps keep readiness in the forefront of everyone’s mind.

We always did preparedness presentations for our citizens leading up to every hurricane season, but after the residents actually experienced three storms, they realized the seriousness of what we had been saying and were very receptive to the information we were putting out during subsequent sessions.

Q. It's been about four months since Irma passed through Polk. Was there more overall damage from Irma or the three hurricanes in 2004?

A. The amount of damage is probably similar to what we experienced from the three storms 13 years ago, but to tell the truth, it seemed to be easier this time around. Maybe because we were better prepared for what might happen and our team has been continually training with the lessons learned from our 2004 experiences in mind. I really think the “Harvey Effect” had much to do with the overall county response to Irma. I think people saw what happened in Texas, and with the dire warnings we were hearing about Irma as she approached, the residents’ response in preparing was outstanding.

Q. Everyone I've spoken to was very anxious/nervous/unsettled as Irma approached. Forecast models would change hourly. Explain to me the anxiety you felt, if any, as it approached?

A. I was very anxious, like everyone else, but also very confident in our ability to respond to the county’s needs. Our emergency management team is very well seasoned and knows its role very well. We always prepare for one category higher than the storm is forecast so we can be ready for just about anything.

The anxiety really does build in the EOC until we know the extent of the impact on the community and how bad the damages really are. I’m always more concerned for our citizens, really, especially those who either don’t prepare themselves or don’t have the means to prepare.

I’m confident in how our team will be able to handle their roles in the response and recovery operations.

Q. When you're not dealing with hurricanes, what does your job entail?

A. The role of Emergency Management is to help coordinate response and recovery operations following major incidents in the county. We are also responsible for emergency planning, training and exercising of Board of County Commission divisions and our partner agencies across the county. As such, we are always looking to improve our abilities to respond as a team to disasters, planned and immediate. (I consider a hurricane a “planned” emergency because we always review and exercise our plans and procedures before the season begins and usually have some lead time before the storm hits to complete preparations and be ready to respond in a methodical fashion after impact.)

We have a document called the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan that helps guide the actions of our Emergency Management Program, to include the activities of our partnering agencies in a disaster. Most of our exercising involves testing this plan.

We also hold numerous training sessions every year, either training that we conduct ourselves or FEMA-sponsored courses instructed by state-approved teams. Since we work in and plan for an environment that considers “all potential hazards,” our planning includes all types of disasters, including hurricanes. All these events are focused on helping our EOC team be as prepared as possible for any eventuality.

Another key aspect of our readiness is to meet with citizens’ groups to discuss their preparedness needs. These can be scheduled at any time during the year, but tend to be requested more frequently in the spring, as people prepare for hurricane season.

Q. What is the best advice you can give residents when a disaster strikes?

A. Listen to the instructions and guidance given by local authorities, civic leaders, law enforcement, fire/rescue and, yes, emergency management, before, during and after an incident.

Preparation for disaster is also very important. For instance, we all know hurricane season starts June 1, so people should seek guidance before that date on how best to prepare to be a survivor should a storm strike. There are numerous websites that discuss the planning actions people can take to be ready.

We, Polk County Emergency Management, have brochures and pamphlets ourselves, and information and links on our website as well, that can help direct people as to what they need to do to be better prepared.

Aside from hurricanes, folks should be aware of the other potential dangers in their neighborhood and how they might be impacted by those threats. For example, every day in the summer we see potentially strong thunderstorms across the county that could produce severe winds, flooding rains and tornadoes. Just an overall awareness of our hazardous environment and what the best response to whatever that threat may bring will keep our citizens one step ahead of a disastrous result. We may live in paradise, but there are many threats we have to be ready for to continue to enjoy our community.