Editor’s Note: In preparation for Citizen Emergency Rescue Training (CERT) classes being offered by the Grundy County Local Emergency Planning Committee next month, the Republican-Times is publishing a series of articles about CERT and local emergency planning activities, written by CERT program coordinator Matt Walker. Classes are scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 13 and Feb. 20, with those taking the classes eligible to be part of the county’s CERT team. The team will provide assistance to emergency service responders during major disasters.
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Introduction to Emergency Preparedness
“Risk assessment” may seem like a term you’d hear in a Tom Clancy movie, but it is a process that’s applicable to all of us in everyday life. Looking both ways before you cross the street is risk assessment.
Do you live close to a railroad or a major highway? Close to agricultural or industrial facility? Hazardous materials can present a threat to you specifically in your area. Persons living with those kinds of threats might keep more robust respiratory protection on hand to protect themselves in the event of a spill or gas leak. Do you live in a flood prone area? Is your driveway prone to become treacherous with excessive rain or snow and ice? It’s just a matter of considering what could happen and how you could deal with it.
While we each must consider the immediate environment of our homes and workplaces, many hazards aren’t unique to specific areas. For those types of hazards, the work has been done for us by our State and Local Emergency Management authorities. Here in Grundy County, our most common threats are weather related with manmade threats (in the form of hazardous materials incidents) being secondary. Winter storms and flooding have historically been the most damaging, but for all of us who plan for the worst and hope for the best, the specter of the Joplin tornado looms large.
Once you’ve considered the threats that you face, you can decide how your family will react to and deal with emergencies; how you’ll communicate, where you’ll meet if you aren’t together when it happens, planning to either shelter in place or evacuate. These things will, in turn, influence the types of perpetrations you make and supplies you gather. Obviously, being able to shelter in place allows you to store food, water and other supplies in much larger quantities than if you’re evacuating on foot or in a vehicle. An evacuation shelter may be a challenge, but you may not have the choice to shelter in place and you should always have a backup plan.
Whether you stay or go, the foundation of preparedness is basically the same and that’s what we’ll be discussing in the next article. To get started making your own plan, visit www.ready.gov. Those who don’t have Internet access can call 1-800-480-2520 to request free printed materials.
(Next: Evacuation
and Sheltering in Place)