advertisement
-
Lindsay Metcalf
on Jun 19 2013 - 06:00 AM
My top five most important moments of the summer so far
- read more
mara williams
on Jun 18 2013 - 06:00 AM
Hey, manchild, mama says: clean your room, wash the dishes, don't drink and drive.
- read more
Emily Parnell
on Jun 16 2013 - 06:00 AM
Eating fresh, local produce is good for body and soul
- read more
Jim Cosgrove
on Jun 13 2013 - 06:00 AM
I just want to buy some pants. Please, turn down the music.
- read more
- kim nakahodo - Profile | Pictures | Blog
-
Not sure if you are aware of this, but the KC metro recently received some bad news. We found out this week that Kansas City was cut out of the Department of Homeland Security’s Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) grant program. The Kansas City metro has been receiving funds since 2003 to better prepare our area in the event of a disaster. This Homeland Security funding is a result of the September 11, 2001 attacks.
The grant funding is coordinated by the Mid-America Regional Council’s Homeland Security Coordinating Committee. Disclaimer time, I am a member of this committee. The funds benefit the entire metro as they help fund personnel, equipment and training for all the Cities in the UASI funding area. (If you live in KC or a suburb of KC – this means your city has benefited from this funding.)
The UASI money has bought hazmat equipment, heavy-rescue equipment, rescue boats and has funded training exercises for emergency responders across the metro. These tools and training exercises make us better prepared should a major incident happen in the metro.
The funding is focused on preparing for an act of terrorism, but the personnel, equipment and training we have received can be applied to any disaster.The KC area is more likely to be hit by a major tornado than anything other massive disaster-related event. I have read several comments about this loss of funding and that we are in no real danger of “that happening here.” I’m sure that the residents of Joplin, Missouri never thought it wouldn’t happen to them either. (My thoughts and prayers are with them and if I am deployed, I will let you know.)
The truth is that violent storm systems are on the rise and residents look to governments to have a coordinated and unified response to these events. These funds helped the metro become better prepared for such an event, and it’s disappointing that they will not be continued. (Call your elected official and tell them you want them to fight to have this funding restored!!!)
So what does that mean for us?
I know I preach about it often, but being better prepared is a great way to start. I will be honest, I had no idea we were in a severe weather situation until my phone alerted me. We were watching DVDs at our house so there was no notice flashing across my TV screen. Several communities have CodeRED (a reverse 911 service) or an emergency notification service that you can sign up for. This is important to update if you have changed phone numbers or cut your land line.
The National Weather Service (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOAA) has some tools on their website as well. (NOAA’s funds are also on the cutting block as well so when you contact your elected officials, let them know that you want NOAA needs to be funded as well. They have several satellites that are at the end of their lifespan and they need to be replaced.)
Every home should have a weather radio. Outdoor tornado sirens are designed to alert people OUTSIDE of their homes (not inside.) All-hazards radios save lives by alerting people who are indoors when severe weather approaches. They can also alert people in homes, schools and businesses to other types of emergencies. These radios provide constant, useful and up-to-date weather information. They are equipped with a special alarm tone that will sound an alert and give immediate information in a life-threatening situation.
Project Community Alert (PCA) is a community-wide effort to distribute weather alert radios. The Metropolitan Emergency Managers Committee (MEMC) has partnered with Price Chopper grocery stores to sell the radios at a special price, $29.95. To locate a store near you, visit www.mypricechopper.com and click on "Store Locator.
To learn more about how to better prepare your family for emergency events, check out PrepareMetroKC, ready.gov or fema.gov.
June 2013 Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Tagstoddler (21)
thoughts (20)
first time mom (13)
advice (10)
mom (7)
worries (7)
rant (6)
career (5)
retail (5)
boy (4)
daycare (4)
discipline (4)
fatty (4)
food (4)
moving (4)
pregnancy (4)
story (4)
stress (4)
baby (3)
birth (3)
birthday (3)
cat (3)
christmas (3)
concern (3)
disney (3)
emergency (3)
family (3)
kids (3)
mothers day (3)
pregnant (3)
sick (3)
son (3)
toddlers (3)
widow (3)
working (3)
almitra (2)
anger (2)
asthma (2)
autism (2)
bathroom (2)
big (2)
biracial (2)
car (2)
car trip (2)
choice (2)
crawling (2)
daddy (2)
first (2)
friends (2)
fun (2)
grandparents (2)
holiday shopping (2)
horror stories (2)
job (2)
laughing (2)
lovely (2)
milk (2)
mmr (2)
new job (2)
night out (2)
poop (2)
road trip (2)
room (2)
school (2)
schools (2)
spending (2)
teething (2)
toys (2)
travel (2)
vote (2)
wedding (2)
whine (2)
work (2)
18 (1)
alter (1)
amber (1)
american (1)
angry (1)
anyone (1)
aunts (1)
babies (1)
back (1)
bath (1)
becoming your mom (1)
bed (1)
behavior (1)
beyonce (1)
big love (1)
bilingual (1)
bills (1)
birthdays (1)
black friday (1)
blog (1)
blood (1)
boys (1)
bragging (1)
breaking (1)
budget (1)
cable (1)
cable company (1)
cancer (1)
candy (1)
car seat (1)
challenge (1)
child safety (1)
chirstmas (1)
chores (1)
clawson (1)
cleaning (1)
community (1)
cookbooks (1)
cooking (1)
cosleeping (1)
cousins (1)
crap (1)
cravings (1)
croup (1)
crying (1)
culture (1)
cynical (1)
dad (1)
date (1)
debt (1)
dentist (1)
dh (1)
diaper changing (1)
diet (1)
disaster (1)
dishwasher (1)
divorce (1)
doctor (1)
doctors (1)
dog (1)
drama (1)
drinking (1)
drive-in (1)
driving (1)
easter (1)
eating (1)
ebt (1)
economy (1)
elections (1)
elf (1)
entertaining (1)
er (1)
exercise (1)
expensive (1)
facebook (1)
fairy tales (1)
faith (1)
fat (1)
fears (1)
federal (1)
first birthday (1)
first day (1)
flight (1)
flu (1)
formula (1)
from (1)
frustrated (1)
frustration (1)
funding (1)
fundraiser (1)
fundraisers (1)
furlough (1)
future (1)
games (1)
garage sales (1)
gear (1)
gift (1)
girls (1)
give (1)
golden girls (1)
government (1)
growing up (1)
guest (1)
guilt (1)
guns (1)
hair (1)
hair cut (1)
halloween (1)
hater (1)
hatred (1)
hbo (1)
healthcare (1)
help (1)
hero (1)
hippy (1)
hoax (1)
home (1)
homeopathic (1)
homework (1)
hormone (1)
horror (1)
house project (1)
husband (1)
idol chit chat (1)
imdb (1)
infant clothes (1)
insurance (1)
internet (1)
interracial (1)
iphone (1)
issues (1)
jealous (1)
job loss (1)
jobs (1)
junk (1)
kc (1)
king (1)
labor (1)
late (1)
laundry (1)
learning spanish (1)
lets (1)
lets move (1)
list (1)
local (1)
locks of love (1)
long distance (1)
m2m meet-up (1)
magazines (1)
marriage (1)
mcdonald (1)
memories (1)
michael jackson (1)
milwaukee (1)
mistakes (1)
moms day (1)
move (1)
movies (1)
multiple kids (1)
multiple moms (1)
names (1)
natural (1)
nerd (1)
new friends (1)
new house (1)
new mom (1)
newborn (1)
night (1)
nighttime (1)
obese (1)
obesity (1)
obsession (1)
octomom (1)
opinion (1)
organic (1)
organic milk (1)
parenting (1)
parents as teachers (1)
park (1)
parties (1)
party (1)
pet (1)
peter pan (1)
phase (1)
phone (1)
pictures (1)
pixar (1)
plan (1)
playgroup (1)
politics (1)
poll (1)
potty (1)
pre-teen (1)
pregancy (1)
prepare (1)
preparedness (1)
presents (1)
pride (1)
priorities (1)
public service (1)
raw milk (1)
real estate (1)
reality check (1)
relationships (1)
restaurant (1)
returing to work (1)
ronald (1)
safety (1)
sahm (1)
sayings (1)
scary (1)
school district (1)
second (1)
second baby (1)
sex (1)
shelf (1)
shooter (1)
shower (1)
sickness (1)
side (1)
silly (1)
sleeping (1)
sleeping through the nigh (1)
sleepless (1)
sleepovers (1)
soap box (1)
soft (1)
soul (1)
spanish (1)
spongebob (1)
strollers (1)
summer (1)
tantrums (1)
taxes (1)
temper tantrums (1)
terminal (1)
terror (1)
texting (1)
thankful (1)
thanks (1)
things (1)
three (1)
time (1)
tips (1)
tooth (1)
tornado (1)
toy story (1)
trisomy (1)
tv (1)
uncles (1)
vacation (1)
vaccinations (1)
vaccines (1)
valentine (1)
vampire (1)
vegetarian (1)
veteran (1)
video (1)
villan (1)
visit (1)
vocabulary (1)
weather (1)
wills (1)
wondering (1)
working moms (1)
yo gabba=gabba (1)
young (1)
zombie (1)