Page 12 - Layout 1

TLBC1019.qxp_Layout 1 10/2/19 1:54 PM Page 10

Mayor’s Message

uring what’s been a busy storm season, let’s all be thankful that our community
remained unharmed by Hurricane Dorian. The devastation that we see in the
DBahamas is so deeply tragic, and a slight wobble in the storm track could
have brought those powerful winds and heavy rains to South Florida instead.
Dorian was one of two emergencies that the city of Fort Lauderdale faced this
summer. Earlier, at the end of July, a contractor broke the pipe from our wellfields to
the Fiveash Water Treatment Plant, causing the city to lose access to drinking water.

I wanted to take a minute to discuss both incidents and
the lessons learned from them.
The water pipe accident occurred when a subcontractor of Florida Power & Light
was working on electric lines near Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport. The crew was
in an area where they had not checked with the city in advance about the location
of underground pipes. They drilled down and ruptured the 42-inch pipe.
The city’s public works team worked as fast as possible to resolve the problem. They
managed to temporarily plug the hole, giving time to switch the water flow to a
Dean Trantalis
Mayor, backup line and replace the broken section of pipe. Despite the quick response, the
City of Fort Lauderdale impact to the community was significant. Several days passed before mandatory
state health tests determined the water was safe to drink again. Be assured that the
city intends to recover its costs from those responsible for the accident.
With Dorian, the area faced it most significant hurricane threat since at least
Andrew in 1992. This was a Category 5 storm headed toward us, and as it
hovered offshore, its winds reached 185 miles per hour. The damage that occurred
where it struck was made even worse because it was so slow moving.

If anything is true about hurricanes, it is that they are predictably unpredictable.
You cannot be too cautious about such a massive storm. Our dedicated city staff
trains throughout the year for these situations and prepared for the worst while we
hoped for the best.
Building inspectors ensured construction sites were secured. Fire-rescue personnel
visited all assisted living facilities to ensure they had an operational generator or an
evacuation plan. Debris collection crews were staged in strategic locations. The
Police Department was geared up and ready to deploy additional officers. Public
Works crews tested back-up generators and cleared storm drains and catch basins.
Fort Lauderdale’s volunteer CERT team provided invaluable assistance checking on
Office Contact: the needs of vulnerable populations.
Scott Wyman
Assistant to the Mayor So what did we learn?
Email: swyman@fortlauderdale.gov
Phone: 954.828.5004 I think the most important lesson of both the water main rupture and Dorian is that we
must ensure our infrastructure is well maintained and that it is hardened against any
threat. With the water main break, the city had difficulty switching over to a backup
line. With Dorian, imagine what would have happened to old facilities such as the
police station or the Fiveash Water Treatment Plant if there had been a direct hit.

The city has achieved great progress in upgrading our utility infrastructure over the
past two years. New 30-inch sewer mains have been installed downtown. New lift
stations were built, and others rehabilitated. Projects are underway to reduce
stormwater from entering the sewer system and overwhelming it. The City

10 The Landings & Bay Colony