CRESTVIEW — Strong storm cells’ passing reminds Florida residents that hurricanes aren’t the only severe weather patterns moving through the area.

Northwest Florida was hit by 55 hurricanes from 1851-2015, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The area receives a hurricane once every three years on average. However, Crestview receives 119 precipitation days per year, according to the National Weather Service.

“One nice thing about hurricanes is that we have time to prepare,” Okaloosa County Director of Public Safety Alvin Henderson said. “The challenge for us is supercells — storms that pop up over us.”

“Supercells often produce damaging wind, large hail and tornadoes,” the NOAA website states. They offer experts little time to issue watches and warnings and even less time for residents to prepare, Henderson said. The Emergency Alert System, in coordination with local media and a county smartphone app, spread the word, according to Henderson. 

Education is conducted at various levels and aimed to inform adults as well as children. The public safety department gives presentations at grade schools and conducts preparedness training to local government and civic groups. The department also operates an emergency plan to facilitate aid and resources to areas affected by severe weather, chemical spills and terrorist attacks.

Local roadway and public utility management play a role in storm readiness as well. Crestview has an emergency response plan covering events such as hurricanes, floods, fires and chemical leaks in its storm preparedness section, according to Public Services Director Wayne Steele. The plan details goals, responsibilities and expectations of public services personnel during emergencies.

The staff ensures public utilities are functioning and accessible as rapidly as possible during recovery phases. Alternative supply plans are also coordinated, in the event of a contaminated water supply for example.

Beyond utilities, the department ensures roads and evacuation routes are publicly accessible, the plan states. Coordination with local, state or federal authorities on the department’s behalf further increases these capabilities.

The public services department determines local needs, repairs infrastructure, restores governmental operations and tracks recovery costs.

Okaloosa County operates nine emergency shelters as needed, according to the county’s public safety website. On the north end, five of these shelters are in Crestview; one’s in Baker and one’s in Laurel Hill.

Designated area emergency shelters can open for any reason, including fires, floods or whenever there is a demand, Henderson said.

Crestview has constant plans in place to respond to various severe weather events.

See www.co.okaloosa.fl.us/ps/home for more information on what to do in case of immediate storm emergencies.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: How Crestview braces for storms

CRESTVIEW — Jean Todd keeps a class football ring beside her jewelry box, a place it’s sat for nearly two decades.

“I hope one day I find whoever it belongs to,” Todd said.

She found the ring while working at a local gas station around 1997-98 and has been searching for the owner ever since.

The front of the ring depicts a logo of the letter “D” with a large cat of some kind coming out from it. The words “Conference Champions” arch over and under the logo on the silver-and-black ring.

“We attach emotions to material things and that might be someone’s only emotional attachment to a memory,” Todd said. That’s the reason she’s held onto the ring for almost 20 years.

“I forget about it from time to time, but when I remember, I start looking again,” Todd said. “I’ve been doing it for all these years — no sense in stopping now.”

The ring isn’t the only thing Todd has attempted to reunite with its owner. She’s sought owners of lost wallets, jewelry, glasses, clothing and other personal items. Previously, she used phone books and word-of-mouth to find an item's rightful owner but social media and the internet have shifted her tactics.

She’s taken her search online for Scott Walls, the ring’s possible owner. The ring is engraved with his name and featured next to a helmet with the number 16 displayed.

The opposite side reads “1993” and an “11-2” record is etched into the details next to a state outline. Todd believed the state outline was Alabama, but a closer inspection of the ring reveals an outline resembling Arkansas.

The Arkansas Activities Association maintains a comprehensive list of high school athletic programs in the state, and a search discovered a school logo nearly identical to that of the ring.

De Queen High School, located in a town of the same name with a population of about 6,500 residents, appears to be the match. The school’s athletic director, Bob Sikes, could not be reached via phone calls to the school. Calls to head football coach Justin Kramer were also unanswered.

“I’ll leave it in my will and see if somebody else will [find Walls],” Todd said when asked what she would do if he was never located.

Todd might know the school but finding Walls about 24 years after he received the ring is still her goal.

With a new direction to search, Todd has begun to contact De Queen faculty coaches. The search for Walls continues.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Woman seeks missing ring's owner

TALLAHASSEE — A Crestview man has won the Florida Governor's Business Ambassador Award. The honor recognizes efforts to create jobs and opportunities for Florida families.

Gov. Rick Scott recognized Chained Concepts Bike Shop owner and veteran Mike Davila as an award winner Jan. 24 during a meeting of the Florida Cabinet in Tallahassee.

“I’m extremely honored to accept the Governor’s Business Ambassador Award on behalf of Chained Concepts. It has always been my dream to have my own business and I look forward to growing in the Crestview area,” Davila said.

He opened the shop, which specializes in cycling training, fitting and equipment, in 2014.

“I’m proud to recognize Chained Concepts with the Business Ambassador Award. It’s great to see a fellow veteran pursue their dreams in Florida and make an impact in their community. I’d like to thank (Davila) for his service to our country and for creating jobs for our families," Scott said.

See http://chainedconcepts.com/ for more information on Chained Concepts.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Scott recognizes Crestview business owner

CRESTVIEW — A Crestview resident is now Bridgeway Center Inc.'s chief operating officer.

Bonnie Barlow of Crestview has worked in BCI senior management for over 20 years. Previously, she was Bridgeway’s human resources officer and chief administrative officer. As COO, Barlow is responsible for the day-to-day clinical operations.

See www.BridgewayCenter.org or call 689-7810 for more information.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Bridgeway Center promotes Crestview resident

CRESTVIEW — Cold weather shelters may open this weekend in Okaloosa County as low temperatures are expected.

These Crestview shelter locations will open 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. Jan. 26-29 if temperatures drop below 40 degrees Fahrenheit:

•Jan. 26: Woodland Baptist Church, 824 Ferdon Blvd. N.

•Jan. 27: First Presbyterian Church, 492 Ferdon Blvd. N.

•Jan. 28: First United Methodist Church, 599 8th Ave.

•Jan. 29: Lifepoint Church, 400 Ferdon Blvd. S.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Okaloosa County issues cold weather shelter advisory

CRESTVIEW — The northbound outside lane of State Road 85 will not be available temporarily as road crews repair lighting.

The lane closure is 9-11 p.m. Jan. 26 at the Interstate 10 overpass. The route for southbound State Road 123 drivers will shift to the newly constructed bridge Jan. 27. Crews will halt traffic temporarily during the shift.

No additional traffic impacts are anticipated.

Use caution, especially at night, when traveling through the construction zone, and pay attention as workers will be entering and exiting the work area. All activities are weather-dependent and may be delayed or rescheduled due to inclement weather.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crews schedule night-time repairs, re-route on State Road 85

CRESTVIEW — Being an expert means having detailed knowledge about whatever it is one is an expert of. Therefore, experts are often questioned about their field, job, advice or sometimes matters not related to their job at all.

What are the most common questions some Crestview professionals receive? Here's a sample. 

• “ 'What’s your soup of the day?' gets asked a lot. Servers get, 'What’s your best pizza?' by people who have never been here before." — Kirk Williams, cook, Hideaway Pizza
• “ 'What flavors do you guys have?' or really anything about our menu; the coffee, the food, the cookies. 'What’s your Wi-Fi password?' is another really common one." — Taylor Tidwell, barista, Casbah Coffee Company
• " 'Where’s my paycheck at?' or some kind of joke, sarcastic question I get a lot but it’s usually people having fun like that." — Marvin Gee, carrier, United States Postal Service
• “ 'Where’s a good place to eat?' People always want to know where the best food is in town." — Linda Roper, leasing consultant, Spring Creek Apartments
• "Mostly questions related to medicine such as recommendations on over-the-counter medications or side effects."  — Hal Densman, pharmacist, Crestview Pharmacy
• "Questions about transportation, especially [State Road] 85, and I guarantee that’s the question almost all our elected officials receive." — David Cadle, Crestview mayor
• " 'What does it take to be an officer?' A lot of people want to know about the requirements and the schooling you have to do to join." — Tony Taylor, chief, Crestview Police Department
• "When people see me in uniform they ask what branch I’m in. When they can tell I’m Army, or know about it, they ask what I do." — Keifer Guizard, Private Second Class, U.S. Army

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 8 questions these Crestview folks often hear

As you save and invest for retirement, what are your ultimate goals? Do you plan on traveling the world? Purchasing a vacation home? Pursuing your hobbies?

People often think and plan for these costs. Yet, too often, many of us overlook what potentially could be a major expense during our retirement years: health care.

By preparing for these costs, you can help yourself enjoy the retirement lifestyle you've envisioned.

Many of us may ignore the impact of health care costs because we just assume Medicare will pay for everything. But that's not the case. In estimating health care costs during retirement, you may find that $4,000 to $6,000 per year per person for traditional medical expenses is a good starting point, although the amount varies by individual.

Furthermore, this figure does not include the costs of long-term care, which can be considerable. To illustrate: The national average for home health aide services is about $45,000 per year, and a private room in a nursing home is about $84,000 per year, according to a recent survey by Genworth, a financial security company.

So what can you do to help cope with these costs? Here are a few suggestions:

•Estimate your costs. Try to estimate what your out-of-pocket health care costs might be, based on your health, your age at retirement, whatever supplemental insurance you may carry and other factors.

•Know the key dates. Things can change in your life, but try to identify, as closely as possible, the age at which you plan to retire. This will help you spot any coverage gaps before you become eligible for Medicare at age 65. Also, be aware of the seven-month window for enrolling in Medicare, beginning three months before your 65th birthday.

•Review your insurance options. Medicare-approved insurance companies offer some other parts to Medicare, including Part D, which covers prescription drugs; Medigap, which covers gaps in Parts A and B (in-hospital expenses, doctor services, outpatient care and some preventive services); and Part C (also known as Medicare Advantage, which is designed to replace Parts A, B, Medigap and, potentially, part D). You have several options for Part D, Medigap and Medicare Advantage, each with varying coverage and costs, so choose the plans that best fit your needs. (To learn more about Medicare and supplemental insurance, go to www.medicare.gov.)

•Develop a long-term care strategy. To meet long-term care costs, you could self-insure or purchase insurance coverage. To learn about long-term care insurance solutions, contact your financial advisor.

•Invest for growth and rising income. Health care costs typically rise as you move further into retirement, so make sure that a reasonable portion of your assets is allocated to investments with the potential for both growth and rising income.

•Think about health care directives. If you were to become incapacitated, you might be unable to make health care decisions — and these decisions may affect not only your quality of life but also your financial situation, and that of your family. Talk to your legal advisor about establishing a health care directive, which allows you to name someone to make choices on your behalf.

Health care costs during your retirement may be unavoidable. But by anticipating these costs, you can put yourself in a position to deal with them — and that's a healthy place to be.

This article was written by Edward Jones on behalf of your Edward Jones financial adviser.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Prepare for health care costs during retirement

Have a cute photo of your kids out and about? They could be our next The Bulletin Kid! Email a photo with your child's name, age, hometown and a description of the action to news@crestviewbulletin.com.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: The Bulletin Kids

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 3 things to do this week in Northwest Florida