Each Month we will list one simple thing you can do to be better prepared for Disaster. This month we’d like you to focus on Power!

The following information is provided by http://do1thing.com/ The mission of Do 1 Thing is to move individuals, families, businesses and communities to prepare for all hazards and become disaster resilient.

Goal: Be able to safely meet your basic needs during an electrical outage.

Have flashlights ready in an easily accessible place and check batteries in flashlights and radios.

When the lights go out, the safest way to provide emergency lighting is with flashlights or battery-powered lanterns. Keep flashlights with fresh batteries in several places throughout your home and check them for proper operation regularly. Always keep a supply of extra batteries. Think about buying a rechargeable flashlight. Batteries might be hard to find in a disaster.

Acquire and learn how to safely use a portable generator.

Using a properly connected generator of adequate size during a power outage will reduce or almost eliminate the impact a power outage has on your life. Before you buy a generator, talk to an electrician about the size and type you need. Think about what you want your generator to run. Generators can be used to keep food cool, provide lights and electricity for phones and television, power furnace blowers and pumps.

The best way to use a portable generator is to connect it to your home using a transfer switch installed by a licensed electrician. This will keep the power from overloading the wiring in your home. It will also keep the power from your generator from traveling back into the power lines, which can injure or kill people working on power lines, or can unexpectedly re energize downed power lines near your home. You may also connect equipment directly to the outlets on the generator, but be sure that any extension cords are of the proper length and gauge to handle the power requirements.

Remember: Always run generators outside. Never use a generator inside a house, in a basement, or garage. Never use a cord from a generator to backfeed a circuit in your house.

Create a power outage plan and decide what you can do before, during and after a power outage to minimize the effect on your household.

Before the power goes out:

Fill empty space in freezer with containers of water. Frozen water will displace air and keep food cold longer. Remember to leave space in containers for ice to expand.

Have at least one phone with a handset cord in your home. Many cordless phones will not work in a power outage.

If you have an automatic garage door opener, learn how to use the manual release and open your garage door manually.

Try to keep your car’s gas tank at least half full. Many gas stations will not be in operation during a power outage. Fill up your tank if a major storm is predicted.

Make sure you have a car or lighter plug cord for your cell phone.

If you use special healthcare equipment like oxygen generators or dialysis equipment, notify your power company.

After the power goes out:

Unplug major appliances and electronics. When the power comes back on, there may be power spikes that can damage large appliances or delicate electronics.

Do not open refrigerators or freezers any more than necessary. An unopened refrigerator will keep food cold for approximately 4 hours, an unopened freezer will keep food frozen for approximately 24 hours.

Use a battery-powered radio to stay informed.

We count on electricity for heat, food, and medical needs. Many gas appliances even need electricity to run. A power outage is an emergency that often follows another emergency – like a hurricane, tornado, or winter storm. That makes it even more important to be prepared in advance.

Power Outage Safety

• Discard food if the temperature in your refrigerator exceeds 40 degrees for more than 2 hours.
• Stay away from downed power lines and anything they are in contact with such as fences or buildings.
• Never drive over downed power lines; they may be energized.
• Never use charcoal or gas grills inside a structure. You may be overcome by carbon monoxide.
• If you must use candles, be sure to use them safely. Never leave candles burning unattended.

Each Month we will list one simple thing you can do to be better prepared for Disaster. This month we’d like you to focus on Being Informed!

The following information is provided by http://do1thing.com/ The mission of Do 1 Thing is to move individuals, families, businesses and communities to prepare for all hazards and become disaster resilient.

Goal: Make sure everyone in your household can receive, understand, and act on information received in an emergency.

Make sure everyone in your family knows what to do when they hear emergency warnings.

Your community may have outdoor warning sirens (also called tornado sirens) to warn you in an emergency. These sirens are meant to let people who are outside know they should go indoors. When you hear the outdoor warning sirens sound in your area it is not safe for you to be outdoors. You should take cover inside a sturdy building and get more information from television, radio, internet, or by contacting a friend or family member.

Call your local fire department to find out if your area is covered by warning sirens, when they are tested, and when they would be activated. Make sure other members of your household know what to do when outdoor warning sirens sound.

Some communities have other ways of warning residents. They may call by phone, or send text messages or emails with emergency information. Check with your local emergency management or sheriff’s office to find out what other warning systems are used in your area. Talk to family members about what to do when emergency information is given.

Get a NOAA Emergency Alert Radio.

Weather can change very quickly. Severe weather may strike when people are sleeping or unaware of the forecast. This can be deadly if people do not seek a safe shelter. A NOAA emergency alert radio (sometimes called a weather radio) can turn itself on when an emergency alert is issued and warn you at any time – day or night.

Emergency alert radios can also be used to warn about other emergencies, such as a chemical spill. With the Emergency Alert Radio, you will be warned about dangerous situations in time to take shelter or other safe action.

Every home should have an emergency alert radio, just the way all homes should have a smoke detector. They can be purchased at stores that sell electronics. Prices start at about $20.00. Most run on batteries or have battery back-up.

Make sure everyone in your household can communicate in a disaster.

The way emergency information is sent out in your community may not work for everyone. If you don’t speak English well, or if you use an assistive device to speak or hear, make a plan now. Make sure you can get and give information in a disaster.

Communities may give information by television or radio, by automated phone call, text messages, email, or by sounding outdoor warning sirens. Police or fire may use loudspeakers to give information as they drive through the streets. Responders or volunteers may go door-to-door to talk to people directly.

If you think you may not be able to understand emergency information, identify someone (or more than one person) that you can contact for help in an emergency. Have more than one way to get in touch with them. Keep their contact information with you.

Getting correct information during an emergency is the key to taking safe action. Someone in your household may not be able to receive, understand, or act on emergency information. Think about what special needs your household may have. Take action now to make sure everyone in your family will be safe in an emergency. 

Things to consider:

• Emergency news or weather broadcasts may not be closed captioned.
• Information that is shown on screen may not be spoken aloud.
• Automated voices and voices over loud speakers may be hard to understand.
• Information comes quickly and the stress of a disaster may make it hard to understand or remember instructions.
• Words moving across the bottom of a television screen may move very quickly.
• The screen color or color of the text might make some information on television hard to read.

Each Month we will list one simple thing you can do to be better prepared for Disaster. This month we’d like you to focus on your Family Communications Plan!

The following information is provided by http://do1thing.com/ The mission of Do 1 Thing is to move individuals, families, businesses and communities to prepare for all hazards and become disaster resilient.

Goal: Have the ability to communicate with family members during a disaster.

Have a phone with a cord and a car charger for your cell phone standing by in case of a power failure.

Phones with cordless handsets won’t work in a disaster because they need more electricity than they can get from the phone jack. Old fashioned phones with a cord connecting the handset to the base will work even in a power outage. Make sure you have at least one phone with a cord in your home in case of a power outage.

Keep a car charger for your cell phone in your vehicle. If the power is out in your home, you can still charge your cell phone in your car.

If you don’t have a landline and you use a cell phone as your home phone, remember that cell phone towers may be tied up with calls in an emergency. However, a text message from your cell phone may get through when a phone call doesn’t. Make sure everyone in your family knows how to send and receive text messages.

Develop a plan for how your family will stay in touch during a disaster.

Develop a plan so you can stay in touch with your family in a disaster. Include phone numbers for all family members and those who can give you extra help, such as caregivers. Also include all work, school, and daycare phone numbers, if applicable. A wallet-size form you can use to write down this information can be found at www.ready.gov. Be sure each family member has a copy of your communication plan. Post the communication plan by a phone in your home, and include it in your go bag as well.

Outside the Area Contact

Local phone calls and long distance calls work on different circuits. When local circuits are overloaded, you may still be able to make long distance calls. Choose someone outside of the local calling area to be your outside the area contact. Make sure all family members carry this phone number with them. If something happens when your family is not together and you are not able to reach each other, each family member can call the “outside the area” contact and leave a message for the others.

Program In Case of Emergency (ICE) numbers into all family cell phones.

If you are hurt and can’t talk, first responders and hospital staff may not know how to contact your family right away. If you have a cell phone, you can provide the phone numbers for your emergency contacts to first responders and hospital staff.

1.Create a new contact in your cell phone’s phone book.

2.Name the contact ICE.

3.Enter all phone numbers for the person you would like to have notified in a medical emergency.