House hurricane committee postpones meeting

Continuing to look at dozens of proposals about hurricane-related issues, the chairwoman of a House select committee Thursday postponed a meeting scheduled for next week.

The House Select Committee on Hurricane Response and Preparedness, created after Hurricane Irma slammed into the state in September, was scheduled to meet Monday.

But Chairwoman Jeanette Nunez, R-Miami, sent a memo to members saying the meeting would be moved back a week.

“Based on the number of revised and new recommendations submitted by members over the holidays and the extent and complexity of the comments executive agencies have provided related to the member recommendations, I have decided to postpone our Monday, January 8th meeting until Tuesday, January 16th,” Nunez said in the memo. “We have devoted a great deal of effort towards evaluating and improving Florida's hurricane response and preparedness, and I believe it is important that we take the extra week to make sure we address these important issues in a thoughtful and inclusive manner.”

The committee is looking at ways to help the state recover from Irma and to better prepare for future hurricanes.

Proposals touch on numerous issues, such as evacuation routes, underground utility lines and aid for the agriculture industry.
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