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Preparedness, Uncategorized

National Preparedness Month – Make a Plan

Emergencies and disasters can strike anyone, anytime and anywhere—even on NOVA campuses. They can happen quickly and without warning, and they can force you to evacuate your classroom, office, neighborhood, or require you to stay in your home.

It is vital that you understand what a disaster could mean for you and your family. Each person’s needs and abilities are different, but every individual can take important steps to prepare for all kinds of emergencies and to put plans in place. Get ready now by visiting the Virginia Department of Emergency Management’s (VDEM) Make a Plan page or visit the following VDEM links for specific individual planning considerations.

Family Emergency Plan

For Older Virginians

For People with Disabilities

For Pets

Sample Emergency Plan Components:

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Preparedness

National Preparedness Month – Take 10

Picture2Everyone has 10 free minutes, right? Take 10 encourages the NOVA Community to take 10 minutes at least every semester to review College emergency procedures and ensure their contact information is up-to-date in NOVA Alert.

There are 165,600 minutes in the academic semester and many of them are spent on academics. However, it will only take 10 minutes to better prepare yourself for an emergency.   

 

 

Preparedness

September is National Preparedness Month

September is National Preparedness Month and this year’s theme is “Don’t Wait. Communicate. Make Your Emergency Plan Today.” We   Picture1are encouraging everyone to take part, make a plan and know what to do during an emergency. This means having an up-to-date contact list for those you may need to reach during a disaster and establishing alternate methods of communication in case traditional means are not available.

Uncategorized

Emergency Preparedness at Home – Do 1 Thing – Be Informed (September)

Do 1 ThingGetting 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.

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

Choose one (or all) of these things to do this month:

  • Make sure everyone in your family knows what to do when they hear emergency warnings.
  • Get a NOAA Emergency Alert Radio.
  • Make sure everyone in your household can communicate in a disaster.

Each month on this blog, OEM will post Do 1 Thing’s monthly topic and we encourage you to follow the program at http://do1thing.com.

Uncategorized

Be Prepared as You Start a New Year!

The Office of Emergency Management would like to welcome you to NOVA or welcome you back if you are a returning student!  We want you to be safe and prepared for any emergency that may happen while here at NOVA.  We encourage you to take a few minutes during your first weeks on campus to look around for the nearest exits to your classrooms in case of a fire or other emergency evacuation.  Also, look for the nearest Severe Weather Shelter location to your classroom in case there is a tornado or an especially severe storm.  These locations are marked by a green sign with a picture of a tornado.  Each classroom also has an Emergency Procedures poster.  Take a look at this as well as it describes what to do in just about any emergency situation you may encounter while on campus.

For more information on emergency preparedness at NOVA, please visit our website.