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.

http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/general_info.htm

http://www.ndpandemicflu.gov/

http://www.ndflu.com/

Some precautions:  Wash your hands often for 20 seconds. (sing the Birthday song through twice). Cover your cough, use hand sanitizer,  use disinfecting wipes for surfaces such as counters, tables, telephones, remotes etc.

For your centerpiece please consider a box of tissues, a bottle of hand sanitizer and a container of disinfecting wipes surrounded perhaps by some decorations.

PLEASE Program this contact name into your cell phone

Contact name:  ICE    and then the number of the person you want contacted in an emergency

This will assure you, that your loved ones will be contacted if you can not respond!

In Case of Emergency

Most hazardous materials are required to be shipped in containers that meet specifications established by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). A DOT label is found on individual packages, drums, or other small containers and is in the shape of a 4-inch diamond. A DOT placard is also diamond-shaped, but is larger and found on the outside of the transport vehicle. Placards are used only if there are 1,000 pounds or more of various materials on board.

Diamond-shaped symbols are used in accordance with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) for indicating the various hazards of the material in a fixed location such as a storage warehouse.

Should you come upon an accident involving a container or truck marked with a label, or placard, do not approach. Do not come in contact with any released materials. Remember, hazardous materials may occur in liquid, solid, or gaseous state. Do not smoke or allow any combustion source in the area.

Advise bystanders that the material may be very dangerous and ask them to leave the area immediately. If the material is on fire, or several substances are mixing together, there is a risk of explosion or other violent reaction. Instruct everyone to evacuate from the area to a distance of at least one mile.

Report the incident to local authorities immediately. Communicating the following information will greatly speed up the response:

1. The exact location of the incident.

2. Type of vehicle (container) involved.

3. If there is a fire.

4. The color of the placard or label and any numbers or names printed on them.

5. Whether the material is leaking.

6. If anyone is injured.

7. Weather conditions in the area.

GATHER THIS INFORMATION ONLY IF IT IS SAFE, DO NOT ENDANGER YOURSELF SIMPLY CALL 911

Winter Storms, Summer Storms,Hazardous Materials Incidents, Floods, Fires, both urban and rural, and Drought . I’m sure this comes as no surprise to any of us.

As humans, we naturally think that nothing bad can happen to us, and we always will hope this to be true! No one wants a disaster to happen, but they can and do.

SO LETS BE PREPARED!

That’s what emergency management is all about and why, as Cavalier County Citizens we should prepare.

On this website, you’ll be provided with links to ideas and sites that are all about preparedness. For private citizens, there are links to all kinds of information. With ideas about winter and summer preparedness kits. How to survive on your own for the first 72 hours following a disaster. What to have in your disaster plan? What does shelter in place mean? What should you pack up to take in a hurry? How big of a generator do you need? What about pets, what do they need?

There are also links to business continuity planning. What happens to that Rolodex full of hot contacts when a fire or tornado destroys your place of business? Do you back up your data? Know a safe spot to keep your backups if you do?

These are all things that are well worth taking the time to plan out, so that you can think, when and if a disaster strikes, about the one important thing, saving lives.

For Emergency Services this site will contain training links and information on upcoming local training. Links to information that you can use to do the jobs that you have volunteered to do. We thank you for that!

Please read on, investigate the site, make comments about what you’d like to see here! Links to preparedness sites are on the left!