City sends help to areas impacted by Hurricane Michael

Officers deployed to Panama City to help in the recovery effort (some are undercover and their faces cannot be shown.)

Hurricane Michael has come and gone, but the devastation left behind will be around for a while.

For the most part, Pensacola dodged the storm’s wrath. Now, our neighbors to the east are picking up the pieces and the City of Pensacola will be helping in that effort.

“We were very fortunate to be spared by Hurricane Michael and can’t help but to think how close this storm came to us,” Mayor Ashton Hayward said. “Now it’s time for us to start helping our neighbors to the east of us. Pensacola is known for its compassion and volunteerism and we all want to help, but we need to make sure we're providing them with the right relief.”

Fire Marshal Annie Bloxson coordinating resources on Wednesday at the Emergency Operations Center.

Pensacola Police Department has six officers working with Gulf Power in Chipley. Another eight officers and a command vehicle were sent to Panama City. One officer is in the National Guard and was activated for duty.

Pensacola Fire has prepared to send an Engine Company and fire inspector with the next deploying Strike Team.

Pensacola Police and Fire have mutual-aid agreements through their unions which allows the City to be reimbursed through Federal Emergency Management Agency. The crews were coordinated through the State Emergency Operations Center so the correct and necessary resources are being deployed.

City of Pensacola directors meet to discuss appropriate resources to offer.

City employees who are deployed are expected to be self-sufficient so they do not drain resources from the affected areas, that means camping in tents and bringing food with them to cook.

The City of Pensacola will continue to work with our neighbors to make sure they get the help they want.

Want to help #hurricanemichael2018 victims? The most needed resource is dollars. The best place to donate is the Volunteer Florida disaster fund. Once donation centers have been identified we will share the info.

City partners with University of West Florida to host community survey

The survey will ask you about the health of our neighborhoods, how satisfied you are with city services and which ones are important to you, and how you like to learn about what is going on in the community. It should take about 15 minutes to complete.

Haas Center researchers will call a random sample of city residents. If you are one of the people called, please don’t hang up – your opinion matters! Caller ID will show the number 850-439-5401, and the researchers will introduce themselves by saying, “Hello, my name is __________, and I'm calling from the Haas Center with the University of West Florida.....”

Haas Center researchers will also conduct live, in-person surveys of city residents at various weekend festivals and farmers’ markets.

Thank you in advance! Your responses will help us balance priorities and improve services so that Pensacola remains a great place to live, work, learn and play.

The Haas Center is conducting a community survey to find out what is important to the residents of Pensacola.

Thanks to everyone who made it another successful Mayor's Cup!

Another great showing for the Annual Pensacola Mayor's Cup Golf Classic! On October 5, we had 28 teams play at Osceola Golf Course. The tournament benefits The First Tee of Northwest Florida. Thanks to all who came out!

City employees take part in Day of Caring

Dozens of City employees rolled up their sleeves last Friday to take part in the largest single-day volunteer event in Escambia County.

Day of Caring is put on by United Way. Employees from City Hall, Pensacola Energy and Pensacola Police were among the many who donated their time to better the community.

Fricker after school students “Step On Bullying”

Watch the video

Would you pledge to Step on Bullying?

The kids in the after school program at Fricker Resource Center did, and they want everyone to know what they plan to do to #StepOnBullying. They created a video and posted it on YouTube to get their message it out.

October is Bullying Prevention Month, so join us in our quest to make Pensacola and the world a nicer place by taking the pledge.

Operation Backpack: Resupply is back October 27

Operation Backpack is back with a new twist! Join the City of Pensacola Parks & Recreation and your Neighborhood Resource Centers for Operation Backpack: Resupply.

Help us kick off the giving season by donating backpacks and school supplies to prepare our kids for the second half of the school year. The kids we help through this campaign will be filled with joy, hope, and excitement as they enter into the second half of the school year. Help us rejuvenate our youth and help them to always succeed.

We will kick off our resupply drive at our annual Halloween Egg Haunt, Saturday, October 27^th at Roger Scott Athletic Complex (2130 Summit Blvd) from 5:30 to 8:30 PM. We ask those who can bring a school supply donation to PlayPensacola’s Information Table across from the Egg Field.

We will have a special collection blast on Tuesday, November 27, for Giving Tuesday. Special Offer/Incentive from Skyzone Trampoline Park for Giving Tuesday. If you donate a backpack at Skyzone Pensacola you will receive a buy one get one free pass!

Collection Sites:

Sanders Beach-Corrine Jones Resource Center
Brownsville Community Center
E.S. Cobb Resource Center
Fricker Resource Center
Vickrey Resource Center
Woodland Heights Resource Center
Skyzone Trampoline Park

Kudos! PPD officers receive recognition from resident

“Officer Gomez and Officer Rondel are periodically assigned to Suter and in addition to the security provided by their presence, they extend genuine and kind attention to the kids. Last Friday, they sat with my son Cole during his lunch period and left a wonderful impression for he and his classmates. These young officers will certainly be making a positive influence on the lives of many children. My family has long history of police service with the New Orleans Police Department. My father was twenty year veteran of NOPD, as were my uncle and cousin. I know first hand the difficult lives of police officers and their families. This perspective makes me particularly appreciative of Officer Gomez and Officer Rondel. Thank you to these officers and your entire department for the work you all do for the citizens of Pensacola.”

-Michelle

INSTAGRAM: Photo of the Week

Be sure to tag us using @cityofpensacola or #upsideofflorida so we see your pic!

Photo Credit: @hannahh_mackk