Recently, I was privileged to attend a luncheon regarding Emergency Preparedness sponsored by Interfaith of The Woodlands and The Woodlands Township.
Here are some important and practical tips:
- www.readyhoustontx.gov is full of information and videos to help you prepare your home, family and business. Interesting and informative videos are available.
- There are mobile apps that help to keep you informed. One can be seen at the ReadyHoustonTx site mentioned above, and FEMA also has an app. Or you can check the Google Play or Apple Apps store.
- For local news and weather in Montgomery County, you can listen to KSTAR radio (Conroe). If you live outside a major metropolitan area, learn which station is likely to have the most relevant reports for your area.
- If you have special needs or are elderly and are likely to be on your own in the event of an evacuation, you can call 211 to register for help.
- Persons who are elderly and/or have special needs may want to consider having a Knox lockbox on the outside of their home. Rescue personnel can use this to retrieve a key in order to enter the home in the event of an emergency.
- Consider putting your important documents in a waterproof bag in an easily accessible location for emergency evacuation.
- Keep emergency supplies, food, water and medication on hand, for yourself, family and pets. Also keep batteries and other emergency items and check and rotate them at least once a year.
- Make a family meeting place in case of emergency or evacuation and establish a way to communicate with each other, including having a trusted contact who lives outside the area.
- Sign up for emergency alerts. (as of this writing, emergency alerts are changing! If you have already signed up for CodeRed weather alerts to your phone, you will need to sign up again by October 2016 because the alert system is changing. The 911 system is in the process of upgrading too).
- Your local fire stations, homeowners associations, and city government may have additional meetings, resources, videos and supplies that are available to you for free in order to help you prepare for an emergency.
