Since the disaster last October, Linda Stoughton, the St. Johns County Director of Emergency Management has received much praise for her pivotal role in preparing and responding to Hurricane Matthew. In February she was named, “2017 Emergency Manager of the Year” by the Florida Emergency Preparedness Association and, three months later, received the “Governor’s Award” at the Florida Governor’s Hurricane Conference in Palm Beach.
As director, she is tasked with the entire orchestration of disaster response from start to finish. The thought of that much responsibility can be daunting – especially when the community was faced with its first major hurricane since 1967. When the waters receded and the recovery began, the numbers spoke for themselves: zero lives were lost. “The immediate response to Matthew was like a speeding bullet train,” said Linda of the recovery efforts. “The water came in, the water went out, and our goal was to get the bridges open, do search and rescue, make sure there wasn’t anyone that was injured or had a total loss of life or anything like that, and then it started.”
The EOC was activated on Wednesday prior to landfall, bringing in close to 200 partner agencies, government, and volunteers. By Thursday morning, people in high-level impact areas were told to evacuate. Friday the storm made landfall, and by Tuesday schools had been reopened.
Disaster plans are examined and tailored on a yearly basis, taking into account the best practices and lessons learned from other disasters and response efforts around the country. Unfortunately no matter how detailed and flawless the plan, nothing can emotionally prepare you when the storm actually hits. “The images that we saw when some of the media were going on the bayfront with the storm surge, some of those images will always stick with me because, at that point, we were collectively holding our breath that we would be ok,” said Linda. “It hurts when it’s your home and your community.”
Proper planning and execution can’t take all the credit for the positive results. Had the Category 3 storm turned slightly more into the coast, the impact could have been far more severe. “We are very lucky that the Category 3 storm stayed off of our coast,” said Linda. “Had it not drifted or slid back into us, we would’ve had a lot more damage. Wind damage is what we were spared. If those winds had come on shore at 115 mph it would’ve been catastrophic in most parts of the county.”
Linda has been a St. Johns County resident and county worker since 1985. Although she originally was interested in natural resources, she finds her work in emergency management to be both challenging and rewarding. “It’s an exciting career; every day is different. Whether it’s a sinkhole or an eclipse.”
During her tenure, the last disaster that even came close to matching Matthew’s intensity was in the wildfires of 1998 when the shelters were opened and the interstates closed. Even back then she said the community came together selflessly. “We’ve changed a lot since then, and to still see that community focus and the heart and the drive for everybody to help everybody and bring this community together is amazing.”
You can visit the Department of Emergency Management online at www.sjcemergencymanagement.org. Photography by Brian Miller.
