Alachua County Emergency Management

06/18/2026

The kids in Alachua had a great time and created some amazing disaster kits!

If you missed it, don't worry, we have more Storm Ready Storytime events at several more of our Alachua County Library District locations.

We still have Storm Ready Story Time and Safety Kit Fun for Kids-Millhopper Branch, Storm Ready Story Time and Safety Kit Fun for Kids-Headquarters Library, Storm Ready Storm Time and Safety Kit Fun for Kids-Newberry Branch, and Storm Ready Story Time and Safety Kit Fun for Kids-Micanopy Branch

06/18/2026

We're ready, are you?

Storm Ready Story Time and Safety Kit Fun for Kids-City of Alachua Branch is this morning (Thursday) at the Alachua County Library District Alachua Branch located at 14913 NW 140th Street, Alachua 32615

We will be there from 10:30am to 11:30am, so bring your kids down, have some crafting fun, and learn a little about emergency preparedness!

06/16/2026

We are continuing our Storm Ready Storytime events with the Alachua County Library District

Today, is our Storm Ready Story Time and Safety Kit Fun for Kids-Tower Road Branch event!

Come down with your kids and learn some great Emergency Preparedness info and have some crafting fun!

We will be at the Tower Road Branch Library located at 3020 SW 75th Street, Gainesville FL 32608 from 3pm to 4pm.

06/11/2026

From the Florida Forest Service

06/11/2026

Don't forget about your pets during you disaster planning! Check out ready.gov/pets for some great pet preparedness info!

As I’m sure we all know, hurricane season started last week. Jim Cantore and our amateur weather professionals, adoptables Sweet Potato and Alto (they got their qualifications from watching a lot of storm chasing videos and assure us that they’re legit, and we have no reason not to believe them in the face of that kind of evidence!) have a message for Alachua County residents.

As these three checked through our inventory to prep for the season, they realized that the shelter has a clear emergency response need: CRATES! Particularly 36’ and 42’ wire crates, vital for ongoing emergency response and activation as well as general operations in the event of large scale foster activation. If you have a few gently used crates sitting around gathering dust, or even have a crate or two you borrowed from ACAR that you haven’t had a chance to bring back (no judgement; we’ve all been there!) now’s the time to swing it by and drop them off at the shelter during open hours!

Now is also a fabulous time to check your pet emergency kits! Make sure to review our ‘Disaster Preparation’ section on the ACAR website for tips and tricks.

🚨Make sure your pet is microchipped and the information is up to date- remember you can come by ACAR for a $20 microchip on most weekday afternoons we are open to the public. Call 352-264-6870 for more information on hours and how to schedule this (and other!) low cost services.

06/10/2026

We are having a blast with our Storm Ready Story Time and Safety Kit Fun for Kids-High Springs Branch!!

Three events down, but plenty more to go. We will be at the Alachua County Library District Hawthorne Branch tomorrow, June 11th at 10:30am, but there are still many more available. Come to any of our events that is most convenient, and make sure your kids are "prepared" for fun! These kids understood the assignment, they even came to the event in their weather themed shirts!

Storm Ready Story Time and Safety Kit Fun for Kids-Hawthorne Branch

Storm Ready Story Time and Safety Kit Fun for Kids-Waldo Branch

Storm Ready Story Time and Safety Kit Fun for Kids-Cone Park Branch

Storm Ready Story Time and Safety Kit Fun for Kids-Tower Road Branch

Storm Ready Story Time and Safety Kit Fun for Kids-City of Alachua Branch

Storm Ready Story Time and Safety Kit Fun for Kids-Millhopper Branch

Storm Ready Story Time and Safety Kit Fun for Kids-Headquarters Library

Storm Ready Story Time and Safety Kit Fun for Kids-Micanopy Branch

Ready Story Time and Safety Kit Fun for Kids-Newberry Branch (see below link, FB won't tag that event for some reason) https://www.facebook.com/share/1CuecXt643/

06/09/2026

Today, June 9th at 12:30pm!

06/08/2026

Join us Tomorrow, June 9th from 12:30pm to 1:30pm at the Alachua County Library District Library Partnership Branch, 912 NE 16th Ave, Gainesville FL 32601!

During each Storm Ready Storytime session, Emergency Management staff will read Henry and the Hurricane by Brittany Perkins Castillo and engage children in interactive activities that make emergency preparedness fun and accessible. Participants will decorate their own safety kits, learn about severe weather safety, and discover simple ways their families can prepare for hurricanes and other emergencies.

"Hurricane preparedness starts with the whole family," said Alachua County Emergency Management Director Jen Grice. "Storm Ready Storytime combines literacy, crafts, and emergency preparedness activities to help children learn important safety lessons while giving parents and caregivers practical information they can use to prepare their households for the season ahead."

The program will be offered at all library branches throughout Alachua County during June:

-Library Partnership Branch – June 9, 2026, at 12:30 p.m.
-High Springs Branch – June 10, 2026, at 3 p.m.
-Archer Branch – June 10, 2026, at 11 a.m.
-Hawthorne Branch – June 11, 2026, at 10:30 a.m.
-Waldo Branch – June 13, 2026, at 11 a.m.
-Cone Park Branch – June 13, 2026, at 2 p.m.
-Tower Road Branch – June 16, 2026, at 3 p.m.
-Alachua Branch – June 18, 2026, at 10:30 a.m.
-Millhopper Branch – June 22, 2026, at 3 p.m.
-Micanopy Branch – June 23, 2026, at 3 p.m.
-Headquarters Library – June 26, 2026, at 11 a.m.
-Newberry Branch – June 26, 2026, at 3 p.m.

The program is free and open to the public. Families are encouraged to attend the session most convenient for them.

Residents can also stay informed during hurricane season by signing up for emergency alerts through Alachua County Ready. Text ALACHUA to 888-777 to receive emergency notifications and preparedness information.

For more information about Storm Ready Storytime, visit the Alachua County Library District events page at https://attend.aclib.us/events?term=storm&r=range&start=2026-06-01&end=2026-06-30 or contact Alachua County Emergency Management at 352-264-6500.

06/01/2026

Today marks the official start of the Atlantic Hurricane Season.

As we officially start the 2026 Atlantic Hurricane Season, it is important to remember that preparedness isn’t a one-time chore, it’s a year-round commitment to protecting what matters most. Our community’s strength lies in our shared ability to anticipate, plan, and adapt before severe weather threatens our community.

Whether you are looking out for your household, protecting your local business, or checking in on your neighbors, staying ready ensures a quicker, safer recovery for everyone. Real preparedness doesn't have to be overwhelming or expensive. It starts with small, deliberate actions today:

-Make a Plan: Coordinate with your family and employees so everyone knows exactly what to do when a storm approaches. Don't forget to account for unique needs, medications, and pets.

-Build a Kit: Build a disaster kit that works for you and your family. Focus on essential supplies that you may need if you have to go without power for several days, if you have to evacuate your home, or if you can't access essential services after a disaster.

- Stay Informed: Ensure you have multiple reliable ways to receive real-time, local weather alerts. Go to weather.gov/jax for official weather forecasts for our area. Go to hurricanes.gov for information on current tropical activity. And finally, go to alachua.weatherstem.com to view any of the 9 WeatherSTEM weatherstations throughout the county.

Take a few minutes today to explore these excellent local and state resources to lock down your plan:

Resources:

-Sign up for disaster text alerts by texting the word ALACHUA to 888-777

-Build your custom disaster plan for families and businesses at FloridaDisaster.org/PlanPrepare.

-If you or someone in your family has a medical condition that may require extra assistance during an evacuation, go to alachuacounty.us/specialneeds

-Download a comprehensive disaster kit checklist at FloridaDisaster.org/Kit.

-Go to ready.gov/kids for specific information on how to make sure that your kids are prepared for disaster

-Find all sorts of different information on local preparedness by going to alachuacounty.us/EM

Let’s look out for one another and keep our community safe, resilient, and ready all year long.

05/30/2026

Emergency Support Function (ESF) 19: Information Technology

We're wrapping up our countdown with our final ESF feature to introduce the 19 Emergency Support Function (ESF) positions that serve as the foundation of our coordination within the Emergency Operations Center during large-scale incidents. We are focusing on ESF 19, which manages Information Technology. This position operates within our EOC Support Section, coordinating the essential data systems, software platforms, and technical infrastructure needed to support our community during critical times.

The Alachua County Information & Telecommunication Services Department (ITS) serves as the lead agency for ESF 19. Working closely with county departments and external communication vendors, this team ensures that our networks remain secure, resilient, and fully operational throughout any emergency event.

A key priority for ESF 19 is establishing and protecting the digital landscape that allows our emergency operations to function. The team manages everything from deploying critical hardware and maintaining network connectivity to overseeing specialized incident software support. They ensure all agencies within the Emergency Operations Center have uninterrupted communication access to seamlessly share real-time updates and coordinate critical resource missions.

Other vital roles of ESF 19 include:

-Implementing advanced cybersecurity threat detection and monitoring measures to safeguard critical infrastructure data from exploitation.

-Providing dedicated IT application and website support to ensure public-facing platforms stay updated with reliable community information.

-Sourcing and configuring auxiliary technology hardware and network gear for newly activated field sites or staging centers.

-Promoting proper digital hygiene protocols to minimize security vulnerabilities across county networks during high-stakes operations.

Watch this final video in our series below for a look at these operations from ITS Director Gee Chow and follow our page daily as we count down to the start of the season.

Stay Informed: Text ALACHUA to 888-777 to receive real-time updates during large-scale incidents.