INVITE ONLY: Monroe County Emergency Operations Center grand opening and ribbon-cutting is Sept. 23

Monroe County cordially invites you to the grand opening and ribbon cutting of the new Monroe County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) on Monday, Sept. 23 from 10 a.m. to noon at the west end of the Marathon airport. The ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held outside of the EOC, and following the ceremony, guests will be invited to tour certain areas of the facility.

This is an invite-only event, and RSVP is required. Please RSVP here if you plan to attend: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/EOCRSVP.

The facility will house:

• Monroe County Emergency Management
• Monroe County Sheriff's Office 9-1-1 Communications
• Monroe County Fire Rescue Administration

"This is a major safety enhancement for our community that has been a long time in the making that will allow for continuity of services before, during, and after a disaster," said Monroe County Mayor Holly Merrill Raschein. "There was a great deal of thought put into this project, and I would like to express a special appreciation to the staff and all of those involved."

Facility Stats:

• Size: 28,321 square feet
• Design: Based on a 500-year storm
• Can withstand 220 mph winds
• Impact Rating: Windborne Debris Missile Criteria for Hurricane Shelter Safe Room
• First Floor Flood Elevation = 20.2 ft. (17 ft. above ground)
• Self-sustaining for 96 hours for up to 150 people, including food, drinking water, redundant generators for electric power, and wastewater storage
• Emergency communications via redundant fiber optic network services, plus satellite phone/internet service