Hurricane Season Is Upon Us Again… Time to Prepare

Hurricane Season Is Upon Us Again… Time to Prepare

The beginning of hurricane season—June 1—is very nearly upon us. It’s been more than ten years since northwest Florida was on the receiving end of a destructive hurricane. However, we’ve been no strangers to devastating floods, tornadoes, and even an ice storm over the past few years. No matter what natural disaster lurks around the next corner, there are steps every single resident can take to reduce the impact storms have on your family and property.

Aluminum shutters are one of the many preventative measures panhandle homeowners can include in their hurricane preparedness. Photo: Carrie Stevenson

Aluminum shutters are one of the many preventative measures panhandle homeowners can include in their hurricane preparedness.
Photo: Carrie Stevenson

The week of May 15-21 has been designated “Hurricane Preparedness Week,” and there will be lots of information in the media about the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season, including preparation checklists and mock hurricane drills. As part of the effort led by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), we will be sending out daily reminders and tips over Extension social media outlets during Hurricane Preparedness Week to remind readers of practical tips for preparing.

The main thrust of the message is fivefold: Know your evacuation zone http://flash.org/hurricane-season/ ; have an insurance checkup http://www.flash.org/homeownersinsuranceguide/ ; build a disaster supply kit http://www.redcross.org/get-help/prepare-for-emergencies/be-red-cross-ready/get-a-kit ; strengthen your home http://www.rebuildnwf.org/ ; and help your neighbor http://www.fema.gov/community-emergency-response-teams .

In Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, residents can contact Rebuild Northwest Florida http://www.rebuildnwf.org/ to learn how to mitigate windstorm damage at a quarter of the actual cost. Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training is available in many communities, which builds teams of neighborhood leaders to help with immediate response before professional emergency personnel can arrive.

It is easy to be complacent when we haven’t had a big hurricane in a while. However, it’s important—especially for newcomers to the area—to be educated about your options and make a plan in case it’s ever needed.

If you’re interested in learning more, check out NOAA’s information at http://www.nws.noaa.gov/com/weatherreadynation/hurricane_preparedness.html or the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH) website http://hurricanestrong.org

Sea Turtles in the Florida Panhandle

Sea Turtles in the Florida Panhandle

 

Florida has the highest number of sea turtles of any state in the continental US. Three species are common here including loggerhead, green and leatherback turtles. The Federal Endangered Species Act lists all of sea turtles in Florida as either threatened or endangered.

Sea turtle nesting season for the area began May 1, 2016. Adult females only nest every 2-3 years. At 20-35 years old, adult loggerhead and green female turtles return to the beach of their birth to nest. At this age, they are about 3 feet long and 250-300 pounds. The turtles will lay their eggs from May – September, with 50-150 baby turtles hatching after 45-60 days, usually at night. One female may nest several times in one season.

If you happen to see a sea turtle nesting, or nest hatching, stay very quiet, keep your distance, and turn any lights off (no flash photography). You should never try to touch a wild sea turtle. Also, do not touch or move any hatchlings. The small turtles need to crawl on the beach in order to imprint their birth beach on their memory.

During nesting season, it is important to keep the beaches Clean, Dark and Flat. Clean, by removing everything you brought to the beach including trash, food, chairs and toys; dark, by keeping lights off, using sea turtle friendly lighting and red LED flashlights if necessary; and flat, filling up all holes and knocking down sand castles before leaving the beach. If you see anyone harassing a sea turtle or a sea turtle in distress for any reason, do not hesitate to call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission hotline at 1-888-404-3922.

There has been encouraging sea turtle news in Florida as a result of the conservation actions being undertaken. There is an increasing number of green turtle nests and a decreasing number of dead turtles found on beaches.

If you want to see a sea turtle and learn more about these fascinating creatures, visit the Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Center, Navarre, FL, the Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park on Okaloosa Island, Fort Walton Beach, FL, or Gulf World Marine Park in Panama City, FL.

 

County Beach nesting area (miles) Number of loggerhead sea turtle nests Number of green sea turtle nests Number of leatherback sea turtle nests
Franklin 56 608 14 0
Gulf 29 451 14 0
Bay 44 170 12 5
Walton 30 94 4 3
Okaloosa 24 73 6 0
Santa Rosa 7 17 4 0
Escambia 39 86 4 1

Table 1: Data from the 2015 Florida Statewide Nesting Beach Survey available at: www.myfwc.com.

 

 

Young loggerhead sea turtle heading for the Gulf of Mexico. Photo: Molly O'Connor

Young loggerhead sea turtle heading for the Gulf of Mexico. Photo: Molly O’Connor

 

 

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Helping Turtles Cross Our Highways… Safely

Helping Turtles Cross Our Highways… Safely

When doing programs about snakes I find plenty of people who hate them… but I have never found anyone who hated turtles. I mean what is there to hate?  They are slower, none of them are venomous, they have shoulders… people just like them.  And to that point, when people see them crossing the road almost everyone wants to help.  But that can be dangerous – for you and for the turtle.  Here are couple of safety tips you should know before helping a turtle cross the road.

This small turtle can be held safely by grabbing it near the bridge area on each side. Photo: Molly O'Connor

This small turtle can be held safely by grabbing it near the bridge area on each side.
Photo: Molly O’Connor

Your Safety

 

You would be surprised by the number of people, particularly children, that are hit by cars while trying to help turtles cross the road. One story I heard involved nine-year-old girl who was riding in the backseat with her grandmother.  They both saw the turtle trying to cross a busy highway and wanted to help.  The grandmother pulled over to the side but before she could even get the car in park the little girl opened the door and ran into the highway only to be struck by an oncoming car.  We all like turtles, and do not want to see them hit by cars, but as sad as it is to see a turtle hit – it is horrific to see the same happen to a child.  No matter what your age – please watch for traffic before attempting to help a turtle.

 

Turtles Bite

Yep… unlike their reptilian cousins the snakes, lizards, and alligator, turtles do not have teeth… but they do have a beak. The beak is made of a hard bony like material that is blade sharp in carnivorous turtles, and serrated like a saw in herbivorous ones – both can do serious damage.  Some species of turtles feed on a variety of shellfish, and if they can crush shell they can certainly do a number on your hand – so you have to be careful.  First thing you should do is determine whether the turtle needs to be handled.  If traffic is not too bad, or the road not too wide, you may be able to just manage traffic so the turtle can cross on its own.  If you feel that you must handle the turtle, there are safe ways to hold them.  Smaller turtles can be held safely from the sides by grabbing the bridge area – the portion of the shell connecting the top (carapace) to the bottom (plastron).  Many turtles will begin to kick their feet when you do this and their claws may scratch – be prepared for this.  There are two groups of turtles that have extended necks and your hands, grasped near the bridge of their shell, are still within range of their mouths – these are the snapping and softshell turtles.  Both are notorious for their bites.  So how do you handle those?  Below is a short video put together by the Toronto Zoo that gives you some ideas on how to handle those situations.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Lgd_B6iKPxU

 

Turtle Direction

Turtles cross highways for a variety of reasons – females looking for high dry ground to nest, individuals looking for more productive ponds, males looking for females – whatever the reason they are heading that way and will continue to do so. Placing them on the side of the highway where they came from will only initiate another attempt to cross.  Move them to the side of the road they were heading.

 

The majority of turtle crossings occur during spring and summer. Untold numbers are killed each year on our highways – many gravid females carrying the next generation of the species.  Though we encourage turtle conservation in Florida you do have to be smart about it.  If you have any questions about Panhandle turtles in Florida contact your local extension office.