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Miami Dade Leaders Call Isaac 'Practice Run'

Although Isaac turned out to be a minor storm for South Florida, WLRN Miami Herald Reporter Marva Hinton tells us Miami Dade leaders say it was a good dress rehearsal for the real thing.

Most families probably didn’t get a chance to use the extra supplies they bought before the storm.

But Miami Dade Fire Rescue Captain Louie Fernandez says, “Not only for emergency officials is this literally a good practice run, get our people out there, know the procedures and protocols, but the everyday resident says ‘hey, I haven’t started my generator since…’, so I think this was a good warm-up for the most part. We go through the paces, and we always learn from them.”

This marked the first time Miami Dade has had to put its Emergency Operations Center on the highest alert since Wilma seven years ago. That’s led some officials to worry about complacency.

But Miami Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez says, “Wilma is still fresh in a lot of people’s mind. What happened in Katrina in New Orleans is fresh in people’s mind. They know the power of Mother Nature, and they know that’s something that you don’t mess with.”

Gimenez says in South Florida it’s important to remember it’s not if another major storm will hit but when.

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