Transcript Prepare! Are You Ready? Presented by: Deborah Tootle Did You Know…? • 75 tornadoes in AR in 2011 -- fourth most active year for tornadoes.

Prepare!
Are You Ready?
Presented by:
Deborah Tootle
Did You Know…?
• 75 tornadoes in AR in 2011 -- fourth most
active year for tornadoes in Arkansas since
1950.
• Last 2 weeks of April 2011 – one of busiest
periods of severe weather in recent memory
• Spring 2011 floods created record crests along
Black and lower White rivers; levees along
Mississippi threatened by rising waters
ARE YOU READY FOR 2012?
Preparing Makes Sense
• You CAN be prepared
• FEMA, the Arkansas Department of
Emergency Management (ADEM) and UA CES
recommend that everyone:
– Get a kit
– Make a plan
– Stay informed
Get A Kit
• What’s a kit? A kit is a set of emergency
supplies
• Actually need 2 kits
– Sheltering at home
– Evacuating
• Kits need to contain water, non-perishable
foods, clothes, medications, flashlight and
radio, first aid kit, sanitation supplies.
Sheltering at Home Kit
• Water – one
gallon/day/person. At
least 3 day supply.
Extra for pets.
• Non-perishable foods,
canned goods and canopener. At least 3 day
supply for each person,
including infants. Pet
food.
Sheltering at Home Kit
• All medications
• First aid kit
Sheltering at Home Kit
• Battery powered radio, NOAA weather radio,
and extra batteries
• Flashlight and extra batteries.
• Cell phones and whistle (to call for help)
Sheltering at Home Kit
• Dust mask, plastic sheeting, duct tape
• Sanitation supplies (hand sanitizers, garbage
bags, plastic ties)
• Dry clothes and warm blanket for each person
Sheltering At Home Kit
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Extra cash
Household cleaners and bleach
Fire extinguisher
Candles and matches
Wrench and pliers
Paper products
Sheltering At Home Kit
• Store emergency supplies in large tote boxes,
new garbage cans, storage bins or clean
barrels
• Store water separately
• Periodically check expiration dates
• Keep home and financial records
in safe, waterproof boxes
Evacuation Kit
• Basics will be same as sheltering as home kit,
but on smaller scale.
• “To go kits” need to contain water, nonperishable foods, clothes, medications,
flashlight and radio, first aid kit, sanitation
supplies. Also need maps.
• Need all home and financial records in safe,
waterproof box.
Evacuation Kit
• Must be easy to carry and waterproof.
Make A Plan
• Plan NOW for what you and your family will
do in emergency.
• You will need 2 plans
– Make a plan for sheltering in place
– Make a plan for evacuation
• Both plans must contain family
communications strategies.
Make A Plan – Sheltering in Place
• When can (or should) you shelter in place?
– After you have assessed the situation and you
know that it is safe to remain home.
– When you are prepared and have enough
emergency supplies to last until assistance is
available or the situation is no longer dangerous.
Make A Plan – Sheltering in Place
• Make sure you have a strategy in your plans
for contacting friends and relatives.
Make A Plan – Evacuating
• Plan in advance where you and your family
will go.
• Plan on where you and your family members
will meet if you are separated.
• Choose several destinations in different
directions. Be familiar with different routes.
Make A Plan – Evacuating
• Know how to get to
emergency shelters in
each direction.
• If you travel with pets,
make sure you know in
what shelters or
facilities they are
allowed.
Make A Plan – Evacuating
• Take your emergency
evacuation kit with you.
• Let neighbors, children’s
schools and employers
know where you will be
and how they can reach
you.
• Carry emergency kit
wallet cards.
Stay Informed
• Use a NOAA weather radio to stay informed
about extreme weather conditions.
• Follow local media – newspaper, TV, radio.
• Learn more about potential threats in your
area such as flooding, tornadoes and ice
storms www.ready.gov
Stay Informed
• Know how to reach local emergency contacts
– Fire
– Police
– Sheriff
– Ambulance services & hospital
– Utilities services
• Know when these contacts are available –
most cannot come out during disaster
Stay Informed
• Be familiar with local geography.
– Know which roads and bridges may flood.
– Know alternate routes through your town.
• Be aware of issues specific to you, your family
and property, such as:
– Family members with disabilities or special needs
– Pets and livestock
– Lack of fire defensible space
Stay Informed
For more information on preparedness, call
your County Extension Office or the State
Office in Little Rock. The mission of the
Cooperative Extension Service is to
provide research-based information
through non-formal education to help
Arkansans improve their economic wellbeing and the quality of their lives.
REMEMBER
ALL disasters begin and end
locally. You may be on your own
for the first 72 hours.
PLAN NOW
Questions?