Inclement Weather, Natural Disasters, Preparedness

Be Prepared – Tornado

When you think of tornadoes, do you think they mainly only occur in the mid-west? Virginia has a long history of tornado activity–most recently last week when multiple tornadoes touched down in Richmond and several other Virginia areas. Several homes and business received significant damage and one fatality occurred. Tornadoes are not to be taken lightly!

Seconds count during tornadoes, so make sure you plan ahead. Have supplies in your home. Practice your plan with your family.  You should never question what to do when a tornado warning occurs–you should KNOW what to do because you prepared ahead. The video in this blog post highlights important tips to be prepared.

If a tornado warning  occurs while at NOVA, please follow the procedures outlined in the College Emergency Action Plan.

 

Alert, Preparedness

Be Prepared by “Being in the Know”

This is our final week of Preparedness Month and daily blog posts. In previous weeks, we talked about being prepared at the College, making an emergency plan, and making an emergency kit. This final week we will discuss how to be prepared for specific emergencies that are common to our area.

You frequently hear NOVA’s Office of Emergency Management and Safety encourage you to prepare and plan for “insert emergency here.” It can be confusing to recall recommended actions during different types of emergencies to keep yourself safe. If only there was an app to help us remember various emergency preparedness tips!

While there are many apps out there providing emergency information, two are highlighted below that provide great information to help you be prepared for various emergencies.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) App

  • Receive fast and reliable weather alerts from the National Weather Service for up to five different locations nationwide.
  • Learn how to prepare for emergencies and useful tips to keep you and your loved ones safe before, during and after disasters.
  • Prepare your emergency kit, make a family plan, and set reminders.
  • Locate open shelters and disaster resource centers near you.
  • Submit photos of damage in your area to help first responders.

American Red Cross Apps

  • Several apps that provide tools and preparedness information you need every day.
  • Apps include: first aid, pet first aid, tornado, hurricane, earthquake, flood, and many others.
  • Monster Guard app for kids aged 7-11 that teaches preparedness for real-life emergencies at home.

Additionally, there are two websites the Office of Emergency Management and Safety recommends to review.

www.ready.gov – Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Ready.gov is a tool to educate and empower the American people to prepare for, respond to and mitigate emergencies, including natural and man-made disasters.

www.vaemergency.gov – Sponsored by the Virginia Department of Emergency Management
Discover how to best prepare for natural disasters and emergencies impacting Virginia and how to find resources for recovery action plans.

Your local jurisdictions also provide location-specific alerting for residents and guests within their jurisdictions. Sign up today to receive local alerts—including traffic, weather, and more—where you live:

Remember – emergency preparedness starts with YOU and can save your life! Take the time to review this information prior to an emergency so you will be prepared to ACT.

Preparedness

Maintaining Your Emergency Kit

The theme for this past week’s blog posts was to make an emergency kit. We talked about your home, vehicle, and pet emergency kits. After assembling your kit remember to maintain it so it’s ready when needed:

  • Keep canned food in a cool, dry place
  • Store boxed food in tightly closed plastic or metal containers
  • Replace expired items as needed
  • Re-think your needs every year and update your kit as your family’s needs change

By regularly maintaining your kit, you can be assured it will meet your needs whenever an emergency may happen.

Preparedness

Add Vital Records To Your Emergency Kits

Be honest… how long would it take you to find the following documents in your house: homeowner’s insurance policy, birth certificate, and/or marriage license? If that sounds like a daunting task under normal circumstances, image how stressful it could be to compile everything as you may only have seconds or minutes to react. In those critical moments, your focus will be on your family’s safety.

Vital personal records are normally not readily accessible. You store them at home in a file cabinet, safe, or even online.  If you had to flee your home quickly, would you even think to bring them with you? How could you be sure you could retrieve your important records online if the power/internet infrastructure is down for days?

Once the threat of harm has passed, having your homeowners or renters insurance policy, back account information, and other vital household records/contacts will be very important to being the recovery process. Take the time now to make copies of your vital records that you may need after an emergency or disaster. To learn what you may need, FEMA recently released an Emergency Financial First Aid Kit to help strengthen your financial and home owner preparedness.

Preparedness

Don’t Forget Your Pet Emergency Kit, Too

Your pet is an important member of your household! The likelihood that you and your animals will survive an emergency such as a fire, flood, or tornado depends largely on emergency planning done today. Keep in mind that what’s best for you is typically what’s best for your animals.

Whether you decide to stay put in an emergency or evacuate to a safer location, you will need to make plans in advance for your pets. Below is a good starting point to ensure you pet is ready for an emergency.

  • Food. At least a three day supply in an airtight, waterproof container.
  • Water. At least three days of water specifically for your pets.
  • Medicines and medical records.
  • Important documents. Registration information, adoption papers and vaccination documents. Talk to your veterinarian about microchipping and enrolling your pet in a recovery database.
  • First aid kit. Cotton bandage rolls, bandage tape and scissors; antibiotic ointment; flea and tick prevention; latex gloves, isopropyl alcohol and saline solution. Including a pet first aid reference book is a good idea too.
  • Collar or harness with ID tag, rabies tag and a leash.
  • Crate or pet carrier. Have a sturdy, safe crate or carrier in case you need to evacuate. The carrier should be large enough for your pet to stand, turn around and lie down.
  • Sanitation. Pet litter and litter box if appropriate, newspapers, paper towels, plastic trash bags and household chlorine bleach.
  • A picture of you and your pet together. If you become separated, a picture of you and your pet together will help you document ownership and allow others to assist you. Add species, breed, age, sex, color and distinguishing characteristics.
  • Familiar items. Familiar items, such as treats, toys and bedding can help reduce stress for your pet.

For more information, please download Preparing Makes Sense for Pet Owners-Emergency Preparedness Pet Kit List (PDF)  to find out exactly what items your pet needs to be ready.