After Hurricanes Helene and Milton devastated the greater Tampa Bay region within a span of 13 days, emergency leaders had to figure out how to handle a situation that most had never experienced before.
As Hillsborough County's emergency management director, Tim Dudley had an up-close, behind-the-scenes look at the damage the storms wrought and had a direct hand in determining how the county would respond to residents in need.
Little did he know that in the midst of the crisis, he would get a call from his own son that made the hurricanes really hit home.
"This job is not for the weak at heart," Dudley said. "I'm a retired 27-year veteran. I always tell my wife this: this is not a retirement gig, but it's something we train for."
In this interview, Dudley discussed how he handles the stress of leading hundreds of people during these large-scale disasters while being there for his family as well.
Portions of this interview were edited for length and clarity.
I know you said that there's a lot of courses you got to take throughout the year. For you directing all of this, is there anything specific that you have to do apart from that, to kind of prepare to manage all of this when chaos hits?
We're taking a look at the lessons learned. I know each one of my staff members, their strengths and weaknesses. I also assess myself. I look at the performance as a county as a whole. So we do strategic planning every year It's an elephant, and you eat an elephant one bite at a time. So we're very methodical and intentional about what we're going to focus on each year.
You're in charge of a bunch of staff. They're going through the same thing as you. They're seeing all this stuff unfold and, in some cases, watching their own homes get damaged while they're also working, and they need to focus on the safety of others. How do you, as a leader, kind of walk them through that process?
We try to start that early and encouraging the staff to get your families ready now, because once we get into it, it's going to be a challenge. And between Helene and Milton, it was a challenge for my staff. Helene personally impacted me that 11 o'clock when I told that surge came in, and I was getting emergency calls from surrounding counties asking for high water rescue vehicles and assistance. Along with my fire chief, my son called me, and I'm like, 'Why does he call me in the middle of the night?' 'Dad, the water's coming in.' I'm like, 'What are you talking about?' 'I didn't evacuate.' He was over in Pinellas County, and water's coming in, and it's in the house.
How was that for you? You're a dad too in that moment, you're not the emergency management director of Hillsborough County. You're a father.
It was very hard to focus. You know, I had to step away from this room we're sitting in now. Call my wife and explain to her. I'm freaking out right now. I can't get across the bridge. I can't come get him, and he's asking me for help. It was heavy on my mind till we could get him out. And that was late until the next day, but that was a challenge for me.
Honestly, can't imagine a challenge or many challenges harder than that.
You always push yourself to get better and to learn and grow. That was a new ceiling for me, but it gave me a greater appreciation for what we do here and why it's important.
Was there any particular memory that sticks out to you from that two-month crazy stretch? Apart from that, is there anything else? I know that's a huge one right there with your son.
Going out to a comfort station. This elderly lady stopped by. She wanted to get some ice and a few items we had to offer. And she just started weeping, and I was able to just put my arms around and tell her it was going to be OK, that her husband was at home, still working as hard as he could, and how much they appreciated me and the team and the things that we've done.
Just putting your arms around that woman and trying to reassure her, what's that do for you?
It brings it all home, of why you're doing this. You're tired, you're in disbelief of how much of the damage, the sheer amount of damage that's out there. But it always takes you back. And I always tell my people, I don't care what the plan is. I don't care about the amount of resources out there. It's always about people first.
