Summer Storms
Topic: Knowledge/Information| No Comments »The Cavalier County Office of Emergency Management tips for National Preparedness Month in September…Make a Plan…Build a Kit…Visit Ready.Gov
Works with local governments to respond to all types of disasters, in the last ten years Cavalier County has experienced seven major disasters, causing approximately $6,313,624.00 in property damages along with, untold amounts of damages to individuals, homes, and in agricultural areas. These disasters have been related to flooding, severe summer storms, wind and severe winter weather. We are also susceptible to tornados, hail storms, shortage of critical materials, drought, and wildfire, human caused and technological hazards.
This year, I would like to continue to promote a culture of preparedness across our county. Every person can do their part by taking the time to learn about the different hazards we face. Now is the time to make a plan, restock emergency supplies, purchase an all-hazards alert radio, and be ready to act when threatening weather approaches our area. Please read and share this information with your family, friends and coworkers. The time spent now just may save a life later.
Tornado Drill HOW-TO
Weeks before the drill
- Prepare
- Inform staff, students, residents, parents, neighbors, whoever you are involving.
- Review and refine a tornado plan.
- The day of the drill
- After 8:00 a.m.
- Consider a tornado watch to be in effect
- Announce watch to participants.
- Designate authority (coordinator).
- Evacuate tornado vulnerable areas.
- 10:10 a.m.
- Tornado warning
- Receive message.
- Coordinator determines threat.
- 10:20 a.m.
- Upon determination of immediate threat, give “take
- shelter” or “duck and cover” command (depending on
- space available at location). Implement your plan that
- you have prepared in advance
- 10:30 a.m.
- Termination of Watch and Warning
- Give instructions to return to normal activities.
- Terminate the drill as you
- see fit.)
- After the Drill Wrap up
- Following the drill, assess and revise plan as needed.
- Learn from the process and put the lessons learned into your plan.
NOAA Alert Radio
It’s the middle of the night and you are sound asleep in your bed. Outside lightening lights up the sky and there is the rumble of thunder in the distance.
You have a NOAA Alert Radio by your bed, this insures peace of mind so you can sleep that sound sleep. It has been correctly programmed and you know this because the weekly test has been coming through.
All of the sudden you hear the loud “Waah, waah, waah” of the radio alarm, you reach over to turn it up and you hear a tornado warning for Cavalier County and the threat is in your area. You wake your family and put your plan into action. Taking them to the safe area that you have pre-determined, your radio is battery powered and you routinely check the batteries, so you take it with you. This along with the portable radio that is in your safe area already will help you to stay informed of the path and progress of the storm.
Is this a bad situation to be in? Certainly, but you are prepared. You and your family have an excellent chance of surviving unharmed. However, most people do not have the lifesaving information that a NOAA Alert Radio can give them. This radio can be purchased for under $40.00 and gives you the ability to receive the broadcast from the Grand Forks National Weather Service office. The NWS meteorologists are watching the weather 24 hours a day, every day. Sophisticated radars and other technology help them decide when to issue watches and warnings. When the decision is made, the message is broadcast immediately to your NOAA radio to alert you to the danger.
NOAA radios are no longer just “weather radios”. They are “alert radios”, NWS staff work closely with Emergency Management agency’s all across the nation to provide other emergency messages such as, wildfire, or hazards chemical releases in your area. Emergency managers along with Law Enforcement, and government administrators will use NOAA Alert radios to broadcast any information on evacuations, or shelter in place instructions (in case of a chemical release, many are inhalation hazards, this alert could save your life, opening your door and allows in whatever chemical is out there).
NOAA Alert radios are manufactured by several companies are sold in many stores and are available for purchase on the Web. I would recommend that you buy an Alert radio with the Public Alert TM designation. This means that the radio can be programmed to alerts that are only important to you. This is also known as S.A.M.E. (specific area messaging encoding) technology. Set the radio with the Cavalier County code of 038019 and you will only receive the threats that affect our area. An added bonus to an Alert radio is that when it’s not warning you, you can turn it on and listen to the forecast at any time (handy for golfing, fishing etc.).
There are so many things that you can’t be warned about, why take the chance on something that you can?
Here is a great site!
http://www.ready.gov/america/beinformed/index.html
Stay safe and have a great summer.
Don’t forget to put batteries in your weather radios!
Please take the time to make a plan for yourself, family or business! Links are above, listed under prepare and business continuity you will find pertinent information.
