MONROE COUNTY, FL – The application period for Monroe County Emergency Management’s 2024 Business Placard Early Reentry Program is open through Tuesday, April 30, at 5 p.m. There will be no exceptions after this time to apply for the 2024 business placard. The program allows essential businesses and nonprofits based in Monroe County timely access to the Florida Keys to assist in restoring community lifelines more efficiently and timely.
 
Placards are only valid in the year they are issued. There is only one application form to fill out each year. Do not apply until you have read and compiled the required documentation described on the placard web page. A link to the application and program details are available at www.monroecountyem.com/placardprogram. Applications will be reviewed within 21 working days.
 
Each registered business is allowed to bring in only its essential personnel; it does not include friends and family of those workers. Entering the County under a State of Emergency using a placard grants access to an area that has not been deemed safe. Basic life support resources may not be available after a major event; those entering with a placard must be self-sufficient for 14 days with shelter, food, and water.
 
“Disaster response takes the effort of an entire community,” said Emergency Management Director Shannon Weiner. “Sharing your business’s skills and resources when needed most contributes to a swift recovery for all.”

Residents who wish to obtain or renew a Monroe County Early Reentry Placard for 2024 may do so through the Monroe County Emergency Reserve Corps at www.mercorps.org. Hurricane recovery courses are required for residents to receive the placard.
 
Reentry windshield stickers for residents can be picked up at Monroe County Tax Collector offices throughout the Florida Keys with proof of residency and vehicle registration. For more information and locations to obtain stickers, visit www.monroecountyem.com/reentrystickers.
 
Hurricane season begins June 1. Be prepared.

Preparation is everything, and this week a team of emergency responders conducted a drill to ensure the best response if a hurricane threatens. Key West Fire and Rescue, Monroe County Fire and Rescue, the Lower Keys Medical Center, and the U.S. Air Force Air National Guard all participated.

If Monroe County calls for a mandatory evacuation, hospital patients must be flown out to other hospitals. During the drill, volunteers posing at patients were transported from the hospital to the tarmac at the Naval Air Station Key West where they were boarded on a transport plane.
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“Teamwork and practice mean that we’re ready should a storm come our way,” said Key West Emergency Manager Capt. Gregory Barroso. “We need to be sure we coordinate ambulance and air service to keep the patients safe under a threat of a hurricane.”

The last mandatory evacuation order in the Keys was in 2017 for Hurricane Irma. But there are no guarantees, said Capt. Barroso. In 2004 there were four calls for a mandatory evacuation, and three the following year.
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While emergency managers are practicing, the community is reminded to do the same. Be sure your hurricane plan is in place in case we have more than a drill this hurricane season.