Danielle is a powerful hurricane that fortunately stayed 1,000 miles off the mid-Atlantic coast, Aug. 29 was the fifth anniversary of Katrina-related devastation of New Orleans, and Hurricane Earl is gathering strength and moving eastward across the Atlantic.
Appropriately, Sept.1 marks the beginning of National Preparedness Month.
Even though Delaware is enjoying a sunny, calm close of summer, emergency management officials encourage everyone to realize the state is not immune to natural hazards and other devastating events. Everyone should take advantage of this quiet time to update household emergency plans and restock emergency supply kits.
Danielle might have dodged the state and tropical storms don’t usually strike the mid-Atlantic shores with the intensity of a Katrina, but Delawareans can’t assume they will always be spared catastrophic storms or emergencies.
With memories of back-to-back blizzards in February and knowledge of September and October being frequent storm months, Delaware Emergency Management Agency joins the national initiative in encouraging and teaching preparedness. The agency, including Delaware Citizen Corps, offers materials, presentations and instruction in household and community preparedness.
Households should have enough emergency supplies on hand to last three to five days. Supplies need to include non-perishable foods, at least one gallon of water per day for each person and appropriate water for pets. Including checking kit supplies, in case of pending storms or other emergencies, residents should monitor messages from local emergency officials. Household emergency plans should include tips on how to decide whether to evacuate or stay in place, choosing an evacuation destination prior to an emergency and rehearsing packing out and following an emergency evacuation route.
Important items to have ready in case of an emergency include a battery- or crank-powered radio (like a NOAA weather radio), flashlights, extra batteries, medicines, a hand-operated can opener, utility knife and first aid supplies. Important documents should be copied and stored in a waterproof bag. These may include medical records, contracts, property deeds, leases, banking records, insurance records and birth certificates.
When creating or reviewing a family emergency plan, organizers should make sure to consider the potential needs of everyone. If anyone in the home has a disability, special steps for planning and carrying out the plan should be considered.
Pets also require special handling. They may become agitated during the onset of a storm, so an appropriate number of pet carriers should be on hand for safe travel. If evacuation destinations to stay with friends or family are not available, pet owners should pre-identify pet friendly hotels or pet boarding facilities within a certain radius of where they may evacuate. Pet shelters are available for those who must evacuate to identified public shelters, however, people and pets will be more comfortable in evacuation destinations of their own choosing.
