OKEECHOBEE —If you are in need of help after the recent hurricane and its accompanying tornadoes, turn to your local library.

When people think about libraries, they usually think of books, maybe a movie or a magazine. The Okeechobee County Library prides itself on meeting the needs of the community no matter what those needs might be. If they can’t provide the help themselves, they know where to send you.

Most recently, the library is the home of the Multi-Agency Resource Center or MARC. The MARC consists of the Florida Department of Veteran Affairs, Florida Department of Health, Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulations, Career Source of Heartland, Hope Florida and Fema Disaster Survivor Assistance.

These agencies are ready and willing to walk you through the process and get you the help you need.

The MARC opened on Tuesday, Oct. 24 at 10:30 a.m. and closed at 5:30 p.m. They are located in the conference room to your right as you enter the library. They will be in Okeechobee Tuesday through Friday as long as there is a need.

Director Kevin Guthrie of the Florida Division of Emergency Management and Okeechobee County was in attendance for the opening of the MARC and spoke to several who had questions. Guthrie recently celebrated his 35^th year in public safety.

When asked if he felt the needs of the small rural areas were being met, he said the MARC was a classic example of meeting needs. “We are right here in Okeechobee which is the heart of rural Florida,” he said. Okeechobee residents can get the same resources as any other community in Florida.

He said the number one need in Okeechobee County is food replacement.

When asked about the milk “shortage.” He said he did not know why this occurred. In some areas, there were gas shortages, and in our area, it was dairy.

When asked if they were considering tornado sirens, he explained that Florida does not have the same type of tornado that is found in the mid-west. Those are big and sprawling. Florida’s are usually EF 0 to EF 2 or 3. He said the alerts that come on cell phones are a more effective warning system if people will heed them and treat them like they would a siren. “If you get a watch, that means a tornado is possible, but if you get a warning, you need to be moving to a safe area,” he said. “It is better for people to sign up for alerts than for us to use asirens.”

According to Okeechobee County Fire Rescue Chief Earl Wooten, there were 138 homes damaged during the storm, and two people were hospitalized with critical injuries. They are home now as far as the chief knows.

‘We would like to see the foot traffic pick up, but if we only help 10 people, then we helped 10 people. We want to make sure people know we are here to help. Come to the library and we can help you, said Guthrie.