Madison County. Family Manual

2009

Family

Manual

Madison County

1. Watch “Be Ready Family” DVD

2. Read Family Manual and other materials

3. Be Informed– Explore local websites,

complete questionnaire in Family Manual.

4. Be Involved- Mail “Be Informed”

questionnaire to Huntsville-Madison County

Emergency Management Agency (EMA).

5. Be Ready – make a kit, have a plan,

make a phone tree, prepare for fires

and severe weather.

a. Complete “Be Ready” checklist

in Family Manual and mail to

Huntsville-Madison County EMA.

b. Receive “We’re a Ready Family”

sticker & invitation to the BBQ!

Introduction - Table of Contents

Be Informed

3

Websites to Explore

Disaster Preparedness Materials

Be Involved

4

Volunteer

Give

Blood

Get

Trained—

take

CERT

classes

Be Ready

5-14

Communications

Plan

Home Fire Preparedness

Home Fire Escape Map

Make a Kit

Kit

for

home

Kit

for

evacuation

Severe

Weather

Preparedness

Be Ready Family

Mail-in Checklist

Insert

Don’t forget to put a return address

on your envelope to receive a

“We’re a Ready Family” sticker

and invitation to the BBQ!

Be INFORMED

W

EBSITES TO

E

XPLORE

These websites contain local Disaster Preparedness information

includ-ing hazards common to Huntsville, Madison County, and the State of

Alabama. Knowing where to find important local information online

can be essential. Some of the answers to the questionnaire insert can

be found on these websites!

L

OCAL

E

MERGENCY

M

ANAGEMENT

A

GENCY

:

http://www.madisoncountyema.com

M

ADISON

-M

ARSHALL

C

OUNTY

A

MERICAN

RED CROSS :

http://www.redcrossrelief.org

G

OVERNOR

’

S

“B

E

R

EADY

A

LABAMA

” W

EBSITE

:

http://www.readyalabama.org

D

ISASTER

P

REPAREDNESS

M

ATERIALS

Enclosed in your Be Ready Family packet are a series of

Disas-ter Preparedness maDisas-terials. These maDisas-terials will help you

an-swer some of the questions on the questionnaire insert!

ADPH “A

RE

Y

OU

R

EADY

?” B

ROCHURE

A

MERICAN

R

ED

C

ROSS

M

ATERIALS

Community Emergency Response Team- CERT

informational brochure

In an emergency, the more you know the better you will be able to help

your-self and your family stay calm. The first step in the

Be Ready Family

pro-gram is to

Be Informed

.

Explore the sources listed below to find answers to the questionnaire inserted

at the end of this manual. After you have found all the answers, mail it to

your local Emergency Management Agency (EMA)- envelope included.

Be INVOLVED

Volunteer

An important part of Be Ready Family is staying involved in your community. Volunteering

not only provides a service to others but it supports and strengthens communities. Countless

volunteer opportunities are available ranging from working with local neighborhood watch

programs, helping out at the library, to checking in on an elderly neighbor.

Give Blood

In America, a blood transfusion is needed almost

every two seconds. Since the need for blood

in-creases in an emergency, blood supplies can be

rapidly depleted. Make a commitment to donate

frequently and ensure that this vital resource is

available when we need it most. If you are not

able to give blood, consider making a monetary

donation to a local disaster response charity.

Get Trained

In most emergencies, bystanders or the victims themselves are the first to respond to the situation.

In a large-scale disaster, police, fire and medical response may be delayed due to interrupted

communication, blocked roads or limited resources. It is vital that individuals are able to assist

others until professional emergency responders can arrive. Your Be Ready Family materials

include local

Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)

training information.

Emergency

Communications Plan

Have a Family Communications Plan

Your family may not be together when disaster

strikes, so plan how you will contact each other.

Have a plan for each person to contact the same

out-of-state friend or relative in an emergency so there is

a common point of contact and information can be

shared more easily. Also, designate a neighborhood

meeting place where the family can reunite.

For Example:

A disaster happens when Dad is at work and Alex and

Tiffany are at two different schools. None of them

can contact each other, because l o cal phone lines are

jammed, but each of them can reach Aunt Terry in

Georgia. When Dad calls Aunt Terry, she tells him

she’s heard from Alex and Tiffany and they’re both

fine. Aunt Terry can th en call Alex an d Tiffany back

and let them know Dad is alright and she can tell

them where the neighborhood meeting place is for

the fami ly to reunite. Th is makes a poten tially

frightful situation mu ch easier o n the wh ole fami ly.

Remember:

● It may be easier to make a long-distance phone call

than to call acro ss town, so an out-of-town contact

may be in a better position to communicate among

separated family members.

● Be sure ev ery memb er of your family kno ws th e

phone number and has coins or a prepaid phone card

to call the emergency out-of-state contact , i n c a s e

c e l l p h o n e s d o n o t w o r k !

Be READY

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Family Emergency Plan

Make sure your family has a plan in case of an emergency. Fill out these cards and give one to each member of your family to make sure they know who to call and where to meet in case of an emergency.

TION: ANT PHONE NUMBERS & INFORMA T ADDITIONAL IMPOR

Family Emergency Plan

EMERGENCY CONTACT NAME: TELEPHONE:

OUT-OF-TOWN CONTACT NAME: TELEPHONE:

NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING PLACE: TELEPHONE:

OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

DIAL 911 FOR EMERGENCIES

FOLD HERE

TION: ANT PHONE NUMBERS & INFORMA T ADDITIONAL IMPOR

Family Emergency Plan

EMERGENCY CONTACT NAME: TELEPHONE:

OUT-OF-TOWN CONTACT NAME: TELEPHONE:

NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING PLACE: TELEPHONE:

OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

DIAL 911 FOR EMERGENCIES

TION: ANT PHONE NUMBERS & INFORMA T ADDITIONAL IMPOR

Family Emergency Plan

EMERGENCY CONTACT NAME: TELEPHONE:

OUT-OF-TOWN CONTACT NAME: TELEPHONE:

NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING PLACE: TELEPHONE:

OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

DIAL 911 FOR EMERGENCIES

FOLD HERE

TION: ANT PHONE NUMBERS & INFORMA T ADDITIONAL IMPOR

Family Emergency Plan

EMERGENCY CONTACT NAME: TELEPHONE:

OUT-OF-TOWN CONTACT NAME: TELEPHONE:

NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING PLACE: TELEPHONE:

OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

<

>

<

>

Family Emergency Plan

Make sure your family has a plan in case of an emergency. Fill out these cards and give one to each member of your family to make sure they know who to call and where to meet in case of an emergency.

TION: ANT PHONE NUMBERS & INFORMA T ADDITIONAL IMPOR

Family Emergency Plan

EMERGENCY CONTACT NAME: TELEPHONE:

OUT-OF-TOWN CONTACT NAME: TELEPHONE:

NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING PLACE: TELEPHONE:

OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

DIAL 911 FOR EMERGENCIES

FOLD HERE

TION: ANT PHONE NUMBERS & INFORMA T ADDITIONAL IMPOR

Family Emergency Plan

EMERGENCY CONTACT NAME: TELEPHONE:

OUT-OF-TOWN CONTACT NAME: TELEPHONE:

NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING PLACE: TELEPHONE:

OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

DIAL 911 FOR EMERGENCIES

TION: ANT PHONE NUMBERS & INFORMA T ADDITIONAL IMPOR

Family Emergency Plan

EMERGENCY CONTACT NAME: TELEPHONE:

OUT-OF-TOWN CONTACT NAME: TELEPHONE:

NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING PLACE: TELEPHONE:

OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

DIAL 911 FOR EMERGENCIES

FOLD HERE

TION: ANT PHONE NUMBERS & INFORMA T ADDITIONAL IMPOR

Family Emergency Plan

EMERGENCY CONTACT NAME: TELEPHONE:

OUT-OF-TOWN CONTACT NAME: TELEPHONE:

NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING PLACE: TELEPHONE:

OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

Home Fire Escape Plan Worksheet

Step 1: Get your family together and draw a floor plan of your home,

marking all windows and doors.

Step 2: Show 2 ways out of each room in case your main route is blocked

by smoke or flames. Make sure windows can be opened easily.

Step 3: Agree on an outside meeting place where every family member

will wait for the fire department.

Step 4: Install smoke alarms in or near every sleeping area and on each

level of your home.

Step 5: Practice your plan at least twice a year.

Home Fire Escape Plan Worksheet

Smoke Alarms

Roughly 70 percent of home fire deaths result from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms. Smoke alarms are the great safety success story of the 20th century— but only when they’re working properly! Every 15 seconds a fire department responds to a fire somewhere in the United States. Most fires don’t happen in homes. But most fire deaths and injuries do.

Don’t wait, plan your escape today!

Every family should have a fire escape plan. Include everyone in the planning process. Draw your plan, making two ways out of every room. Include windows. Pick a meeting place outside, well away from the building. Tell everyone to meet there after they’ve escaped. That way you can count heads and tell the fire department if anyone’s trapped inside. Don’t forget to call the fire department from a safe location.

Plans are great, but the only way to know if they work is to practice them. Hold a home fire drill. Getting out of your own home sounds easy, but your home can look very different if it’s full of smoke. Have someone press the button on the smoke alarm as the signal for the drill to start. Get out quickly, but carefully. Go to the meeting place.

Kitchen Fire Safety

With all that’s going on in our lives, it’s very easy to forget that you placed that pan on the stove. It’s a very common mistake. The following describes the types of fires you might expect in the kitchen and what to do about them:

Grease Fires:

Never, Never put water on a grease fire! Water splatters the grease and dramatically increases the size of the fire. You

will easily get burned! Grease fires may be put out by placing a lid on the pan (with an oven mitt to protect your hand) or using a large amount of baking soda to extinguish the fire, but if the flames are too high, don’t risk getting burned.

Dry Cooking Fires:

This is the most common type of cooking fire. Water or moisture boils out of the pan and the food left in the pan

scorches, producing smoke. The heat may sometimes damage the surrounding area. The smoke may leave a residue and an odor. Hopefully a little cleaning up is all it takes.

And remember-always keep cooking areas clean (grease, residue) and clear of combustibles (potholders, towels, rags, food packaging, plastic containers, etc.).

Tips for Safe Escape:

If you see smoke, try another way out. If you can’t avoid smoke, crawl under it on your hands and knees. Test doors before you open them. If you touch the door and it is warm, use another escape route.

Do security bars on windows have quick-release devices? Bars need to be opened easily and quickly from the inside by everyone in the household. Make sure to practice opening them.

Don’t stop or go back for anything. Possessions can be replaced. You can’t.

Fire Preparedness

Be READY

Make a Kit

Making an emergency preparedness kit involves planning for a variety of

events. It is most helpful to have a GO KIT as well as a STAY KIT. If you

are stranded on a highway for several hours, or if you are forced to

evacu-ate very quickly– you can use your GO KIT. If you are stuck in your home

for a few days without power or are told to shelter in place, you’ll have a

longer term STAY KIT.

GO KIT

Fill a back pack, travel bag, or a waterproof storage

tote with the items below. Put this GO Kit in a

ready, grab-and-go location, or leave it in your

vehicle or under your desk at work.

1. Water

2. Food– snacks and

vita-mins– travel sized for

the road.

3. Medications– one

month’s worth

4. First Aid Kit

5. Flashlight with batteries

6. Clothes– warm and cool, work gloves

7. Copies of Important Documents

A.

Prescriptions

B. Insurance– health, life, home, auto

C.

Identification

D. Legal Documents of Marriage, Birth, Titles

8. Personal Care Items– hygiene, tooth brushes, etc

.

STAY KIT

• Two weeks of non-perishable food– canned food, rice, raisins, cookies, powdered mashed potatoes, & tuna

• Copies of important documents in a waterproof container (Photo IDs, proof of residence, insurance, birth

certificates, deeds, and Soc. Security cards).

• Hygiene kit of toothpaste, toothbrush, soap,

deodorant, and feminine products

• Non-expired medication, medical contact

information, prescriptions, and a first aid kit

• Extra keys for house and car

• Bottled water (1 gallon per person/day) and

non-perishable food

• Battery operated radio, flashlight, and extra

batteries

• Contact and meeting place information for

your household and a small regional map

• Cash in small denominations and ATM card

• Comfortable shoes, rain gear, work gloves, and a blanket

• Any special care items– such as items for babies or seniors

Make a Plan & Buy a NOAA Weather Radio

There is a wealth of information to help you make an emergency plan at:

www.madisoncountyema.com/IndividualPlans

Everyone should have a NOAA Weather Radio!

www.weather.gov/nwr

Be sure to maintain the radio– check batteries!

Learn about weather conditions in our area from the National Weather Service of

Huntsville at:

www.srh.noaa.gov/hun

Emergency Plans

You may also want to

inquire about emergency plans at

places where your family spends time:

work,

church, daycare and school.

If no plans exist, consider volunteering to help create one. Talk to your

neighbors about how you can work together in the event of an emergency. You will be better prepared to

safely reunite your family during an emergency if you think ahead and communicate with others in advance

.

1. Severe Thunderstorms- including damaging lightning and straight line winds

To do to Be Ready: - Prepare Your Home

Remove dead or rotting trees and branches that could fall, causing injury or damage in a severe thunderstorm. Secure outdoor objects that could blow away or blow into your home causing damage.

Straight Line Winds- (also known as a microbursts, downbursts, etc.) occur 5 to 8 times more often than tornados. These winds, which come from collapsing thunderstorms, can have winds up to 100 mph. Year after year, they do more property damage than tornados. Be alert: they often occur without warning and can produce damage similar to that of a tornado.

Lightning- According to the National Weather Service, since 1990, lightning has killed sixteen people and injured 186 in the State of Alabama. In an average year, lightning will claim more victims than tornadoes or hurricanes.

Remember the 30/30 Lightning Safety Rule: Go indoors if, after seeing lightning, you cannot count to 30 before hearing thunder. Stay indoors for 30 minutes after hearing the last clap of thunder.

SEVERE WEATHER PREPAREDNESS

The most common severe weather disasters in Madison County are:

3. Tornados

To do to Be Ready:

-Storm shelters or basements provide the best protection.

-If underground shelter is not available, go into an interior room or hallway on the lowest floor possible.

-In a high-rise building, go to a small interior room or hallway on the lowest floor possible.

-Stay away from windows, doors and outside walls. Go to the center of the room. Stay away from corners because they attract debris.

Most injuries are caused by flying debris; put as many barriers (walls and

floors) and padding (blankets, coat or mattress) as possible between you and a tornado. Crouch down, keep as low as possible.

- At work, school, or church, follow the facility severe weather plan– if there isn’t one, consider volunteering to help create a severe weather plan for the facility.

Photo courtesy of Donald Derrick - Huntsville

2. Floods

To do to Be Ready:

- Find out if your home is at risk for flood. Visit www.FloodSmart.gov - Elevate the furnace, water heater and electric panel in your home if you live in an area that has a high flood risk.

- Most home insurance plans do not cover floods!

- Learn about the National Flood Insurance Program and find local agents at

www.FloodSmart.gov

You won’t know how deep

the water is or if the road

under water is damaged so-

IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS

Call 911 in case of an emergency

During a disaster, avoid calling 911 unless you are

in danger, as 911 lines are needed to help those in life

threatening situations, if everyone affected by the disaster

calls, time may be taken from those in immediate danger.

Information or dispatch lines of local agencies involved in

disaster preparedness:

Huntsville-Madison County Emergency Management Agency:

256-427-5130

American Red Cross- Madison-Marshall County Chapter

256-536-0084, Ext. 310 for Disaster Services

Madison County Sherriff’s Department:

256-722-7181

City Police Departments:

City of Huntsville: 256-722-7100

City of Madison: 256-722-7190

City Fire Departments:

City of Huntsville: 256-722-7120

City of Madison: 256-722-7190

Madison County Association of Volunteer Fire Departments:

256-851-6947, Fire Marshal’s office

2009

Thank you for participating in Be Ready Family 2009!!

+

Existing Outdoor Warning Sirens

Existing Siren Coverage

Each siren can be heard within a one mile radius of the siren location.

Source: Madison County EMA Date Updated: Sept. 2008

Created By: City of Huntsville, Planning Division, Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

The sirens are sounded when a tornado warning is issued for Madison County. They may be acti-vated for other life threatening situations which require emergency preparedness response actions by the population. When you hear the sirens, go indoors and turn on your local media for important information. The siren warning system is tested the

first Wednesday of the month at noon, except dur-ing instances of threatendur-ing weather or City of Huntsville holidays.