Emergency Management: Emergency Resources and Disaster Readiness

• Prepare your home to prevent cold winds entering your home. You can do this with insulation, caulking, and weather stripping.
• Prevent your pipes from freezing by wrapping them in towels, blankets, or spout covers.
• Install and test smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors with battery backups.
• Gather supplies in case you need to stay home for several days without power. Keep in mind each person's specific needs, including medication.
• Remember the needs of your pets.
• Have extra batteries for radios and flashlights.
• If you are unable to afford your heating costs, weatherization, or energy-related home repairs, contact the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) for help. 

Heating Safety

• Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from heating equipment, like the furnace, fireplace, wood stove, or portable space heater.
• Have a three-foot "kid-free zone" around open fires and space heaters.
• Never use your oven to heat your home.
• Have a qualified professional install stationary space heating equipment, water heaters or central heating equipment according to the local codes and manufacturer's instructions.
• Have heating equipment and chimneys cleaned and inspected every year by a qualified professional.
• Remember to turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.
• Always use the right kind of fuel, specified by the manufacturer, for fuel burning space heaters.
• Make sure the fireplace has a sturdy screen to stop sparks from flying into the room.
• Ashes should be cool before putting them in a metal container. Keep the container a safe distance away from your home.
• Test smoke alarms at least once a month.

Awareness

Tornadoes are violent rotating columns of air that extend from a thunderstorm to the ground. Tornadoes can destroy buildings, flip cars, and create deadly flying debris.

A tornado can:

• Happen anytime and anywhere.
• Bring intense winds, over 200 miles per hour.
• Look like funnels.

Response

• Go to NOAA Weather Radio and your local news or official social media accounts for updated emergency information. Follow the instructions of state, local and tribal officials. 
• Go to a safe shelter immediately, such as a safe room, basement, storm cellar or a small interior room on the lowest level of a sturdy building.
• Stay away from windows, doors, and outside walls.
• Do not go under an overpass or bridge. You’re safer in a low, flat location.
• Watch out for flying debris that can cause injury or death.
• Use your arms to protect your head and neck.
• If you can’t stay at home, make plans to go to a public shelter.

Preparedness

• Know your area’s tornado risk. In the U.S., the Midwest and the Southeast have a greater risk for tornadoes.
• Know the signs of a tornado, including a rotating, funnel-shaped cloud, an approaching cloud of debris, or a loud roar like a freight train.
• Sign up for your community’s warning system. The Emergency Alert System (EAS) and NOAA Weather Radio also provide emergency alerts. If your community has sirens, then become familiar with the warning tone.
• Pay attention to weather reports. Meteorologists can predict when conditions might be right for a tornado.
• Identify and practice going to a safe shelter such as a safe room built using FEMA criteria or a storm shelter built to ICC 500 standards. The next best protection is a small, interior, windowless room or basement on the lowest level of a sturdy building.
• Plan for your pet. They are an important member of your family, so they need to be included in your family’s emergency plan.
• Prepare for long-term stay at home or sheltering in place by gathering emergency supplies, cleaning supplies, non-perishable foods, water, medical supplies and medication.

Active Threat and Response

• Immediately go to a safe location that you have identified.
• Pay attention to EAS, NOAA Weather Radio, or local alerting systems for current emergency information and instructions.
• Protect yourself by covering your head or neck with your arms and putting materials such as furniture and blankets around or on top of you.
• In a car or truck: There is no safe option when caught in a tornado in a car, just slightly less-dangerous ones.
  • If the tornado is visible, far away, and the traffic is light, you may be able to drive out of its path by moving at right angles to the tornado.
  • If you are caught by extreme winds or flying debris, park the car as quickly and safely as possible -- out of the traffic lanes.
  • Stay in the car with the seat belt on. Put your head down below the windows; cover your head with your hands and a blanket, coat, or other cushion if possible.
  • If you can safely get noticeably lower than the level of the roadway, leave your car and lie in that area, covering your head with your hands. 
  • Avoid seeking shelter under bridges, which can create deadly traffic hazards while offering little protection against flying debris.

Know Your Risk

Know your area’s risk for thunderstorms. In most places they can occur year-round and at any hour. Sign up for your community’s warning system. The Emergency Alert System (EAS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio also provide emergency alerts.

Strengthen Your Home

Cut down or trim trees that may be in danger of falling on your home. Consider buying surge protectors, lightning rods or a lightning protection system to protect your home, appliances and electronic devices.

Make an Emergency Plan

Create an emergency plan so that you and your family know what to do, where to go and what you will need to protect yourselves from the effects of a thunderstorm. Identify sturdy buildings close to where you live, work, study and play.

Stay Safe During Thunderstorms

If you are under a thunderstorm warning:

• When thunder roars, go indoors! Move from outdoors into a building or car with a roof.
• Pay attention to alerts and warnings.
• Avoid using electronic devices connected to an electrical outlet.
• Avoid running water.
• Turn Around. Don’t Drown! Do not drive through flooded roadways. Just six inches of fast-moving water can knock you down, and one foot of moving water can sweep your vehicle away.

Extreme heat is a period of high heat and humidity with temperatures above 90 degrees for at least two to three days. In extreme heat your body works extra hard to maintain a normal temperature, which can lead to death. Extreme heat is responsible for the highest number of annual deaths among all weather-related hazards.

Older adults, children and people with certain illnesses and chronic conditions are at greater risk from extreme heat.

Humidity increases the feeling of heat

Prepare for Extreme Heat

• Learn to recognize the signs of heat illness.
• Do not rely on a fan as your primary cooling device. Fans create air flow and a false sense of comfort, but do not reduce body temperature or prevent heat-related illnesses. 
• Identify places in your community where you can go to get cool such as libraries and shopping malls or contact your local health department to find cooling options in your area.
• Cover windows with drapes or shades.
• Weather-strip doors and windows.
• Use window reflectors specifically designed to reflect heat back outside.
• Add insulation to keep the heat out.
• Use a powered attic ventilator, or attic fan, to regulate the heat level of a building’s attic by clearing out hot air.
• Install window air conditioners and insulate around them.
• If you are unable to afford your cooling costs, weatherization or energy-related home repairs, contact the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) for help.

Active Response to Extreme Heat

• Never leave people or pets in a closed car on a warm day.
• If air conditioning is not available in your home find a cooling option.
• Take cool showers or baths.
• Wear loose, lightweight, light-colored clothing.
• Use your oven less to help reduce the temperature in your home.
• If you’re outside, find shade. Wear a hat wide enough to protect your face. 
• Drink plenty of fluids to stay hydrated.
• Avoid high-energy activities or work outdoors, during midday heat, if possible.
• Check on family members, older adults and neighbors.
• Watch for heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
• Consider pet safety. If they are outside, make sure they have plenty of cool water and access to comfortable shade. Asphalt and dark pavement can be very hot to your pet’s feet.
• Heat waves may cause you to lose power. Visit Power Outages to learn how to stay safe.

Know the signs of heat-related illnesses and ways to respond. If you are sick and need medical attention, contact your healthcare provider for advice and shelter in place if you can. If you are experiencing a medical emergency call 9-1-1.

Get more detailed information about heat-related illnesses from the CDC and National Weather Service.

Heat Stroke

Signs:

• Extremely high body temperature (above 103 degrees Fahrenheit ) taken orally
• Red, hot and dry skin with no sweat
• Rapid, strong pulse
• Dizziness, confusion or unconsciousness

If you suspect heat stroke, call 9-1-1 or get the person to a hospital immediately.  If possible, move the person suffering from heat stroke into a cool, shaded area; remove any outer clothing; place a cold wet cloth or ice pack on the head, neck, armpits and groin, or soak the person’s clothing with cool water; elevating their feet.

Heat Exhaustion and Heat Cramps

Signs: 

• Cramps: muscle pains or spams in the stomach, arms or legs
• Heavy sweating
• Paleness
• Muscle cramps
• Tiredness, weakness
• Fast or weak pulse
• Dizziness
• Headache
• Fainting
• Nausea
• Vomiting

If you have signs of heat cramps or heat exhaustion, go to a cooler location and cool down by removing excess clothing and taking sips of sports drinks or water. Call your health care provider if symptoms get worse or last more than an hour.