Be Ready in 2011: Make a Plan

Be Ready in 2011: Make a Plan: " Originally Posted By: Rachel Racusen, Director, Public Affairs FEMA

We make plans for almost anything. In a typical day, you might plan for how you’ll make your morning commute, what you will have for lunch, how you will accomplish projects at work, and what meal you will have upon returning home.

As the New Year approaches, we’re encouraging Americans to take three simple steps to get prepared before a disaster strikes: get a kit, make a plan, and be informed. Planning for a potential emergency can ease the stress of an emergency situation, and can ultimately save your life, or the life of someone you love.

We hope you will take this opportunity to Resolve to be Ready in 2011 and create your emergency plan today. Here are a few tips from Ready.gov, FEMA’s preparedness website, to get you started:

• Write down your family’s plan, and store it in a safe place (preferably with your emergency kit).
• Decide on a safe meeting place in your home, in your community, and in a nearby town. In case your home or community is damaged, family members will know where to go.
• Review (and practice!) your family emergency plan at least two times per year.
• Decide how family members will communicate after a disaster. Text messaging often works despite phone network disruptions, so teach family members how to use text messaging.
• Subscribe to alert services in your area. Many communities now have systems that will send instant text alerts or e-mails to let you know about bad weather, road closings, local emergencies, etc. Sign up by visiting your local Office of Emergency Management web site.

What creative ways does your family, or workplace, practice its emergency plan? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

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Preparedness Presentation at the Federal Courthouse

Bob George, Marny McLee and Justin Kates of Delaware Citizen Corps provided two separate Preparedness Presentations at the Federal Court House in Wilmington (one in the morning and one in the afternoon). Members of the United States Attorney General’s Office, United States Marshals’ Service, United States Attorney’s Office, Federal Public Defender’s Office, United States Probation Office, United States District Court Clerk’s Office, and the United States Bankruptcy Court Clerk’s Office attended the training .  The presentations were done jointly with the Wilmington Office of Emergency Management, Director George Giles and Margie Williams which briefed on the cities evacuation plan. The POC’s for the Presentation were Joe Papili of the U.S. Marshals Office and Bob Prettyman of the U.S. Attorneys Office.

Winter Storm Tips

Freezing rain from an ice storm covers everything with heavy, smooth glaze ice. Ice-covered roads become slippery and hazardous, as the ice causes vehicles to skid out of control, which can cause devastating car crashes as well as pile-ups. Pedestrians are severely affected as sidewalks become slippery, causing people to slip and fall, and outside stairs can become an extreme injury hazard.

In addition to hazardous travel conditions, branches or even whole trees may break from the weight of ice. The weight of the ice itself can easily snap power lines and also break and bring down utility poles, just one quarter of an inch of ice accumulation can add about 500 pounds of weight per line span.

The following winter storm home-preparation suggestions may be helpful:

• Make sure flashlights and battery-powered radios are working, and keep extra batteries, candles and matches on hand.
• Unplug sensitive appliances such as the TV, VCR, computer and microwave. If the power goes off, turn off all major electrical appliances.
• Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed. If you lose power, frozen food will generally keep for 48 hours. Discard perishable food that has been at 40 degrees for more than two hours. Odor or appearance is not an indicator that food is safe. When in doubt, throw it out. 
• If you use an emergency-heating source such as a wood stove, kerosene heater or fireplace, keep fuels away from the flames and ventilate properly. Never leave a fire unattended.
• If it seems likely that your home will be without heat for several days, drain your water pipes.
• If you use a generator, read all the instructions that accompany it and be aware of the hazards that come with misuse. Use a qualified electrician to connect a generator to the house wiring. Never run a gasoline-powered generator in the house-the fumes are deadly.

Wilmington District Churches CERT Class

The State Community Emergency Response Team taught a (CERT) Training course for the Wilmington District Churches.  Fourteen members attended the class which was held at the Emmanuel AME Church in Hartly Delaware, Pastor Rev. Michael Washington. The POC was Rev. Rita Mishoe-Paige, she asked that another class be scheduled for next year and that a Disaster Preparedness Presentation be scheduled for her place of employment at the Delaware State Housing Authority. In Oct a CERT class was taught for the Dover District Churches held in Frankford DE.

Citizen Corps Takes CERT Training to Delaware Tech

The Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) Citizen Corps and State Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) taught a CERT Train-the-Trainer Class at Del Tech. Del Tech faculty, staff, and students completed a CERT class last year, formed a CERT Team and will now be able to teach the course for their current and incoming Criminal Justice and Homeland Security students.   The Del Tech team will teach their first CERT Course next month with assistance from the State CERT Team.             

Chinese Community Presentation

Bob George, Delaware Citizen Corps Program Manager provided a Disaster Preparedness Presentation to a Chinese American Community Group in Hockessin. The presentation was conducted through an interpreter provided by the Community Group to approximately 75 members. The message was very well received and appreciated, and Citizen Corps was invited back to do an additional presentation in Feb, 2011. The POC for the group was Helen Yates.

Medical Reserve Corps CERT Training

Bob George and Marny McLee, along with the State Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) taught a CERT Class for the Delaware Medical Reserve Corps on Oct 22-23, 2010. The class was held in the DEMA Training Room, with twenty –four (24) members in attendance plus two (2) individuals from the CERT waiting list, one from DelDOT (Dover) and one from Wilmington Trust Bank of Wilmington.  The POC for the class was Nicole Desmarais of the Public Health Preparedness Section and DMRC State Coordinator.  This was the third class taught for the MRC which falls under the Citizen Corps umbrella, another class is scheduled for Oct 7-8, 2011.