Fort Belvoir, Va. (May 1, 2014) - Residents at Fort Belvoir, Department of Defense civilians and non-government civilians in the local community learned how to prepare for severe spring weather events, Wednesday during the Federal Emergency Management Agency's PrepareAthon at the Fort Belvoir Exchange.
The campaign strives to increase understanding of the types of disasters which may occur in the area like tornados, wildfires, floods and hurricanes, as well as inform people on what should be done to stay safe and mitigate damage.
"Our objective is to get people to start preparing in the spring for these possible weather events," said Mark Kennedy, Fort Belvoir Garrison Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security, emergency manager.
America's PrepareAthon was created in response to Presidential Policy Directive-8: National Preparedness, which directs all federal agencies to work with stakeholders to coordinate a comprehensive campaign to build and sustain national preparedness, including public outreach and community-based and private-sector programs.
Those present learned of resources like Ready Army and www.ready.gov that provide information on how to prepare an emergency kit for your Family in the event of a severe weather situation. An emergency kit should contain enough supplies to last 72 hours, contain one gallon of water per person, per day, and food that can be eaten without being cooked. The kit should also have a battery powered radio and flashlight.
"You have to plan for being at your home or shelter without power for up to 72 hours," said Kennedy. "Make sure you have the medications you need, and adequate water and food for pets, too."
Attendees were also advised to have a special kit for important documents like passports, birth certificates, marriage license and wills. It is important to have these documents protected in the event a Family loses their house, according to Kennedy.
"There's a good chance if you go to a shelter because of a tornado you could lose your house," said Kennedy. "It's never easy after you lose your house, but if you have all these documents it makes the aftermath of a situation like that a little easier," said Kennedy.
As far as preparing for an evacuation, Kennedy said the event type will dictate whether or not a Family needs to evacuate or shelter in place. If a Family does need to shelter, Kennedy said they need to get to the lowest part of their home.
"Get to a low spot in your basement if you have one," said Kennedy, "Or, the interior part of your home."
Social Sharing