Get Ready for Winter Weather!
Winter
Preparedness Week in Virginia is Nov. 30-Dec. 6
Recent Virginia winters have been cold and snowy, and many
people had power outages. It’s so
important to be winter-ready that the National Weather Service and the Virginia
Department of Emergency Management have set aside Nov. 30-Dec. 6 as Winter
Preparedness Week.
No matter the predictions, a significant winter storm is
always possible. With an El Nino weather
pattern expected this season, there could be a wetter than normal winter. And El Nino winters can be snowier if
atmospheric conditions are right … just like the winter of 2009-10.
Remember: an important part of winter weather planning is
being prepared to stay where you are until conditions improve. To be ready, take these steps:
·
Get a kit. Basic
emergency supplies include:
ü Three days’ food that doesn’t need refrigeration or
electricity to prepare it
ü Three days’ water (a gallon per person per day)
ü A battery-powered and/or hand-crank radio with extra
batteries
ü
For businesses and offices, some bottles of
water, food bars and a radio or TV to hear local information about whether or
not it is safe to travel
ü
A power pack for recharging cell phones and
other mobile devices
·
Make a plan. Everyone needs
an emergency plan:
ü Decide who your out-of-town emergency contact will be.
ü Where will you meet up with family members if you
can’t return home?
·
Stay
informed. Before, during and after a winter storm, you
should:
ü Listen to local media for information and instructions
from emergency officials.
ü Be aware of winter storm watches and warnings and road
conditions.
ü Get where you need to go before the weather gets bad.
·
Download the
Ready Virginia app. Free app for iPhone®
and Android™ features:
ü
Location-specific
weather watches and warnings issued by NWS
ü
Disaster news
from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management
ü
A customizable
family emergency plan that can be easily shared
ü
A checklist for
gathering emergency supplies
ü
Links to register
for local emergency alerts, and more
-end-
Prepared by the Virginia Department of Emergency
Management, November 2014
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