Sunday, October 28, 2012

Important Hurricane Sandy Resources

This post will be FAR to large to follow along on Facebook, so I decided to to create this in order to keep everything neat and tidy as well as being easily accessible. If you have any comments, questions, concerns or things to add feel free to let me know here or on Facebook. I will do my best to keep everything current and accurate.

First things first, this Hurricane means business. It has not been dubbed "Fraken-storm" because it is so close to Halloween. It has earned that name because of it's shear size and unpredictability. Meteorologist have openly stated that this will be a once in a life time storm.

With that said, even if by some miracle the storm decides to track east due to some anomaly it never hurts to keep yourself informed and prepared. So lets get a list of important resources going.



  • If you haven't done so, please take the time to sign up for emergency notifications. Cecil County Department of Emergency Services provides this service free to county residents and all you have to do is provide your information. You can sign up via telephone, e-mail or text message.


Community Notification Enrollment


  • Tracking the storm could almost pass as a job. That's why news agencies pay people to do it. However, there is a lot of information that the average Joe can look over and digest to get an idea where the storm is and what it is doing. Here are a couple of links:


NOAA National Hurricane Center

National Weather Service

The Weather Channel



  • The next thing I want to touch on is preparedness. There is no such thing as being OVER prepared. If you buy to much water you will use it eventually. Filled to many gas cans? Summer will be here in 6 months and your lawn mower gets pretty thirsty. So don't get the idea that you have to much. There is no such thing. Quoted from CCDES website: "There are several things that residents can do to prepare.  Every household should have an emergency kit that contains a minimum of 72 hours of water, non-perishable food items, daily medications, a flashlight, battery operated radio, and extra batteries. Remember all members of your household, including pets, when building your kit.  Your emergency kit should also contain copies of important documents including identification and your insurance policies. More information on building an emergency kit is available at:"


Ready.gov


  • Also check out this .pdf file from the Cecil County Health Department. It is a bit dated and I can not confirm that all the phone numbers are correct but it still contains a good deal of information:


Family Preparedness Guide


  • Because of the high wind and rainfall associated with hurricanes, there are some basic things that you can do to minimize damage to your home and possessions. Secure any objects outdoors, check and clear rain gutters and drains and check the serviceability of sump pumps if your home is so equipped. Additionally, if you are forced to leave your home ensure that you take your emergency kit, all required medications, copies of insurance and identification, and never drive through high water. Also remember that ATM machines and fuel pumps may not be available during power outages.

  • Continuing on with pets. We all know that pets are just as much a part of a family as anyone. It is important as previously stated when preparing for an emergency to take your pets in to consideration. Check out this link:


FEMA: Planning for your pets


  • With that said here is some important information regarding animals from CCDES:


"From August 31, 2012 through January 1, 2013, EMERGENCY calls for animal control services where there is a concern for the safety of a person, or a situation where a person is in danger will be handled by dialing 9-1-1.  The appropriate Law Enforcement agency will be dispatched to investigate the situation.  The investigating officer will determine the need for animal control.  If service is needed, the officer will contact the dispatch center and they will contact the on-call animal control technician to respond as needed.

            During the interim period or until a new vendor is selected, the County will not be able to handle calls or complaints for stray animals.  We apologize for this inconvenience and recommend that anyone who contains a stray animal contact one of the organizations listed under Animal Rescue and Other Resources.

            Complaints regarding wildlife should be directed to the Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Division at  1-877-463-6497."



  • Moving right along. Power outages are expected during any storm. The general consensus is that power outages from this storm will be widespread. It is important to note that if you see a down line STAY AWAY. Even if it is not arcing it could still be energized. Mostly everyone is Cecil County has Delmarva Power as their electric supplier. Rest assured, the Calvary has been called in. They have contracted resources from other states to be on hand to assist with power restoration efforts. 


Report Outages, Report Downed Lines or Life Threatening Emergencies

Delmarva Storm Center



  • For the parents. Cecil County Public Schools have the same eye on this storm that you do. With that said, at the time I am posting this they have not closed schools or cancelled any activities. Check their website regularly as they will post when the need arises.


CCPS



  • Flooding is also of concern for this storm. Immediately what comes to mind for me is Bridge Street in Elkton and well... all of downtown Port Deposit. The best advice we can give is to STAY OUT OF THE WATER! Whether it be standing water or moving water there is no way for you to gauge how deep it is or how quickly it is moving. The North East Fire Company has a well trained and well equipped group of volunteers that make up their swift water rescue team, but do you really want to be the person that has to call for them?  The smallest of creeks can become raging rivers in minutes. Don't risk it. Turn around, don't drown. For Port Deposit residents, knowledge is power. If you don't have this number saved, put it in your phone now. Conowingo Dam Spill Condition Hot line: 1-877-457-2525. Evacuations may become mandatory especially in the days following the storm. Long time residents know that they are not out of the woods when the rain has stopped falling. You can also check out the USGS website for river conditions.


Susquehanna River Conditions

or

NOAA/USGS River Conditions



  • I'll end this with a few final thoughts. We can weather this storm. It will leave behind a path of destruction that will be felt for months. The important thing to remember is to keep calm. The volunteer firefighters and EMT's of this county will be staffing their respective stations to deal with emergencies as they arise. The police departments are taking the necessary steps to provide coverage to the county. County and State road crews will be in their trucks clearing roadways as quickly as they can. The governor has made the state of emergency declaration which in essence means that no one but emergency crews should be on the roads during the height of this storm. Keep in mind that emergencies will be prioritized as needed. After the dust has settled it would be a good idea to check on neighbors.


Snuggle up next to your loved ones, dust off an old board game and spend some quality time indoors with your families.

Thank you for following our Facebook page. Please continue to share our Facebook page with everyone that you know so that they can receive our updates. We will provide continued updates throughout the storm.

Additionally, if you have pictures you would like to share feel free to share them on our Facebook page or send us an e-mail at: cecilcountyfireblog@gmail.com


From everyone at the Cecil County Fire Blog, stay safe and god bless.



ADDITIONAL LINKS:

American Red Cross

Cecil County Health Department

FEMA

MEMA

Cecil County Government

Alertpage


FIRE COMPANY WEBSITES:

Cecil County Department of Emergency Services

Station 1 - Cecilton

Station 2 & 12 - Chesapeake City

Station 3, 13 & 14 - Singerly (Elkton)

Station 4 & 44 - North East

Station 5 - Charlestown

Station 6 & 16 - Perryville

Station 7, 72 & 73 - Water Witch (Port Deposit)

Station 8, 18 & 28 - Rising Sun

Station 9 - Hacks Point



6 comments:

  1. another resource for keeping tabs on the Susie-Q: http://water.weather.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=phi&gage=cnwm2

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  2. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  3. Such great information! Thank you so much!

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