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- kim nakahodo - Profile | Pictures | Blog
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So, it’s that time of year again when I talk about emergency preparedness. (Hey, it’s part of my job!) I feel the need to talk about it again because, honestly, it’s not a matter of if severe weather is going to hit our area, but when. The KC metro has been pretty lucky the past few years, but we are fooling ourselves if we think our luck can continue to hold.Our emergency responders in the metro are second to none, but key word is responders – they can’t prevent severe weather from striking. It’s up to us to better prepare our family for disasters. I know you can’t fully prepare for every event, but being prepared can give your family an edge when it matters most.On Friday, I attended a NOAA workshop to discuss the upcoming storm season. All in attendance agreed that the work that the National Weather Service does is amazing, but at the end of the day, no matter how much warning we have, we can’t prevent tornadoes from destroying communities. What we can hope to do is use the warning time they give us to notify as many people as possible. Hopefully with enough notice, families can enact their personal emergency plans.What is a personal emergency plan you ask? Glad you asked!The first step is to have a kit. Our kit is located in the basement next to where we ride out tornado warnings. I have a shelf of Tupperware containers that hold some old clothes, blankets & shoes. Yes, shoes. If we have learned anything from survivor interviews is that they ALL wished they had grabbed a pair of shoes on the way down to the basement. If you do nothing else, throw a pair of old shoes that you don’t use anymore in the basement. I also have some bottled water and a copy of emergency phone numbers since I don’t seem to remember phone numbers now that my cell phone does it for me.The second step is to have a plan. Do you know where your family should ride out a storm if you had to stay in your house? Experts say to get to the lowest level of your house and put as many walls between you and the outside as you can. That may be a bathroom or a closet depending on your house. Another question to think about is where would your family meet if a tornado touched down during the day and your home was destroyed? What if cell phones were rendered useless during an event? You won’t be able to get into the ‘hot zone’ for a while if there were a disaster… so where would your family meet up?The last step is to stay informed. We live in ‘Tornado Alley’ it’s on us to keep an eye on the weather. Also have a back-up plan for communications at night. Tornado sirens are not designed to be heard inside the home – especially with all the distractions we have today with TVs/videogames/iPods in every room. TV warnings and outdoor sirens are not much good when you are fast asleep in your bed. There is no magical solution, but a weather radio is a good start. They can be programmed to your county and they will alert you when a warning is issued for your area. There are also a bazillion smart phone apps that can do the same thing.A great resource for more detailed information is www.ready.gov. You can print out an emergency how-to kit and get the conversation started with your family. Having a kit and a plan does not guarantee your family’s safety, but it may make a difference in a bad situation.Be safe out there! I’m no expert, but after the weird winter we had… I’m worried we are in for a bumpy storm season!
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