JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. –
National
Preparedness Month is an annual, month-long series of activities to drive awareness
about hazards specific to local communities.
“Make
a plan, build a kit, and stay informed, is the preparedness triad benchmark that
we want our JBLE populace to achieve,” said James Ferguson, JBLE Emergency Management
specialist. “Creating a plan that prepares your family for any type of disaster
is easier than it sounds. A good first step is to create a family communication
plan.”
While
conducting research on disasters, FEMA has found that during a disaster it is
often easier to contact someone on your phone who is outside the disaster area.
Choose an out of state relative or trusted friend to act as a third party for
your family’s accountability. Explain to your family that should they may not
be able to contact you during a disaster, they should call the out of state
contact. Remember to ensure each member of your family has your third party’s
contact information loaded in their phone.
Ferguson
continued to say that families, schools, organizations and individuals are
encouraged to come together to practice simple actions to stay safe before,
during and after emergencies.
“By
accomplishing these preparedness goals, we build a more disaster-resilient
joint-base community,” said Ferguson.
The
next step is building your family’s disaster supply kit. The objective of the
kit is to sustain your family for a period of three days without electrical
power.
A
basic disaster supply kit could include the following recommended items:
- Water-one
gallon of water per person for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation
- Prescription
medication
- Pet
food and extra water for your pet’
- Infant
formula and diapers
- First
aid kit
- Extra
batteries
- Cell
phone with chargers and a backup battery
- Whistle
to signal for help
Stay
Informed by signing up for local emergency alerts through your county or state and
get warnings sent to your phone.
Emergency
management personnel will make public outreach efforts across JBLE in the
coming weeks, including information booths at both Exchanges during the week of
September 10-14. Additionally there will be two different opportunities for a
free viewing of Deepwater Horizon at 1:30 p.m., Sept. 19, 2018, at the Fort
Eustis Theater and at 1:30 p.m., Sept. 28, 2018, at the Langley Air Force Base
Theater.
For more information about National
Preparedness Month, please visit https://www.ready.gov/ or www.beready.af.mil