Monongalia County

Office of Emergency Management

    The message of this page is PREPAREDNESS.  Preparedness is everyone's job.  Not just government agencies, but all sectors of society -- service providers, businesses, civic and volunteer groups, industry associations and neighborhood associations, as well as every individual citizen -- should plan ahead for disaster.  During the first few hours or days following a disaster, essential services may not be available.  People must be ready to act on their own.

  Everyone should have a family disaster plan -- steps you can take to ensure the safety of your family.  These steps include:

Step 1 - Find out what could happen to you.

1. Find out what types of disasters are most likely to occur in your community and how to prepare for them.  Be sure to include other forms of disasters besides natural [i.e. man-made, hazardous materials].

Step 2 - Create a Disaster Plan.

1. Meet with your family and discuss why you need to prepare for disaster.  Explain the dangers of fire, severe weather and other potential incidents. 

2. Pick two places to meet ... right outside your home in case of a sudden emergency, like a fire & outside your neighborhood in case you can't return home.  Everyone must know the address and phone number.

3. Ask an out-of-state friend to be your "family contact".  After a disaster, it's often easier to call long distance.  Other family members should call this person and tell them where they are.  Everyone must know your contact's phone number.

4. Discuss what to do in an evacuation. 

5. Plan how to take care of your pets.

Step 3 - Practice and maintain your plan.

1. Practice and maintain the plan.  It is important that you practice the plan on a regular basis so family members will remember what to do when disaster strikes.  There may not be much time in an actual emergency. 

2. Quiz your kids every six months so that they remember what to do.

3. Replace stored water every three months and stored food every six months.

4. Test and recharge your fire extinguisher(s) according to manufacturer's instructions. 

5. Test your smoke detectors monthly and change the batteries at least once a year.

Step 4 - Complete this checklist.

1. Post emergency telephone numbers by phones.

2. Teach children how and when to call 9-1-1.

3. Show each family member how and when to turn off the water, gas and electricity at the main shut-off.

4. Check if you have adequate insurance coverage.

5. Teach each family member how to use the fire extinguisher [ABC type] and show them where it's kept.

6. Install smoke detectors on each level of your home, especially near bedrooms.

7. Conduct a home hazard hunt.  During a disaster, ordinary objects in your home can cause injury or damage.  Anything that can move, fall, break or cause a fire is a home hazard.  Inspect your home at least once a year and fix potential hazards. 

8. Stock emergency supplies and assemble a Disaster Kit.  Items to include are: a battery operated radio and flashlight, water, a first aid kit, prescription medications and non-perishable foods.

9. Take a first aid and CPR course.

10. Determine the best escape routes from your home.  Find two ways out of each room.

11. Make an itemized list of personal property, including furnishings, clothing and valuable.  Photographs of your home inside and out are helpful.  These will assist an adjuster in settling claims and will help prove uninsured losses, which are tax deductible.

12. People who live in frequently flooded areas should keep on hand materials such as sandbags, plywood, plastic sheeting, and lumber which can be used to protect property.

13. Buy flood insurance.  You should contact your property/casualty agent or broker about eligibility for flood insurance, which is offered through the National Flood Insurance Program.  Generally, there is a thirty-day waiting period for the policy to become effective, so don't wait until the last minute to apply.

  PROTECTIVE ACTIONS are actions we take to safeguard our family members and ourselves from harm. We take these actions every day -- at work and at play. For example, we buckle seatbelts in cars and airplanes to protect us in the event of an accident. Some of us wear protective clothing while doing our jobs or playing sports -- safety glasses, steel toed boots, helmets, protective pads, to name a few.

    There are other protective actions you may already have heard about or will soon. These protective actions may be necessary in the event of an emergency -- such as a flood or tornado or a highway, railway or industrial plant accident -- that threatens your community. The most common emergency protective actions are evacuation and shelter-in-place.

• Evacuation means to leave the area of actual or potential hazard. Emergency managers carefully develop plans and procedures for evacuation to avoid confusion and get people out of an area safely and quickly. 

  If an evacuation is called for, your local officials will tell you what routes to take and the locations of centers that will provide food, shelter, and other necessities. It is a good idea to know which routes are designated evacuation routes before an emergency happens.

   

• Shelter-In-Place means to stay indoors -- in homes, schools, businesses, or public buildings. It includes additional precautions such as turning off air conditioners and ventilation systems and closing all windows and doors. Shelter-in-place can be used when there is little time to react to an incident and it would be more dangerous to be outside trying to evacuate than it would be to stay where you are.

  If shelter-in-place is recommended, you will be told exactly what to do until the danger is past or until conditions indicate that an alternative protective action is called for. Shelter-in-place must be ended properly in order to provide the best protection. Your emergency managers will calculate the right time for you to exit your shelter.

    Evacuation and shelter-in-place may be necessary in the unlikely event a chemical stockpile accident threatens our community.  You should stay calm and immediately follow the protective measures recommended by your local officials and emergency managers. You will be told when it is safe to return to the evacuated area or to discontinue shelter-in-place.

How You Can Help?

    If disaster strikes ... remain calm and patient.  Put your plan into action.  Listen to your battery powered radio for instructions and news.  Do not get caught up in hysteria caused by rumors.  Do not react until you know the facts!