One of the greatest challenges facing emergency response personnel in the wake of Hurricane Andrew was determining what areas were hit the hardest by the storm. It took days for responders to know where the greatest damage had been done. 

Broward County’s Emergency Operations Center has developed a web-based tool that allows residents to report the severity of the damage to their homes and neighborhoods with their web-based cell phones. 

Chuck Lanza, Broward’s Emergency Director,explains how it works:

 ”Go to the county’s website, Broward.org/hurricane, bookmark it, and then when a storm hits, click the shortcut on your phone. Four pictures will come up, each one symbolizing a level of damage ranging from minimal to destroyed. Go outside and see which of the four damage categories matches your property.”

 Lanza explained that the cell phone user’s address is automatically picked up from the GPS coordinates on the cell phone. This system will allow emergency responders to get resources to the hardest hit areas within hours instead of days.

 As great as it is, this response system will only work if Broward residents use it. You can help by bookmarking this site on your cell phone and using it in the event of a severe hurricane. This site also offers tips for hurricane preparation and shelter registration for individuals with special needs.

Damage Alert Website: Broward.org/hurricane 

Resource: Ari Odzer, Channel 6 News South Florida ( http://tinyurl.com/25y6jxh) 

Photo: ydhsu (flickr.com) 

Broward County’s NatureScape.org offers a few suggestions below on how to utilize shade to maximize your energy efficiency:

Sunlight and Energy Efficiency Tips

As you continue to get to know your yard, look around for your shadow. The patterns of sun and shade in your yard affect where plants will grow best. Shading by trees can also play a big part in shrinking your energy bill. A Florida-friendly yard conserves resources using common sense – some of these tips may help you save some money:  

• Use trees to shade the east and west sides of buildings and A/C units.
• Identify the north, south, east and west points in your landscape, then draw a representative diagram. Show buildings, trees, shrubs and groundcover on your property and indicate the sunny and shady areas. Consider that areas full of sun in summer may have full or partial shade in winter.
• The location of a tree or shrub on your property or your neighbor’s affects shade patterns and movement of air currents. Appropriate tree and shrub placement can greatly improve your home or building’s heating/cooling capacity. Outdoor compressors and air conditioning systems use less energy when they are shaded from direct sunlight. It is estimated that tree shade can reduce air conditioning costs by 50 percent.
• Deciduous shade trees planted on the south side of the house will shade in summer and let warming light in during the winter.
• “Heat load” refers to the amount of heat collected and radiated on concrete areas such as patios, driveways and sidewalks. Think about how you can minimize heat loads with properly placed trees.
• Very important: don’t overlook the obvious! When developing your landscape design, consider the mature size of trees and shrubs, as well as the location relative to nearby structures. Remember to include underground and overhead utilities. 

For more information on native landscaping in Broward County visit: NatureScape Broward