Being prepared is something most of us have heard throughout our lives. Every region of the United States has the threat of a natural or man-made hazard; therefore, the concept of preparedness should not be an afterthought.
The Commonwealth of Virginia has several natural threats, ranging from severe weather (tornados, hurricanes, earthquakes, snow/ice storms, flooding, and mudslides) to man-made (cyber-attacks, active shooter, civil unrest, chemical, biological, nuclear, radiation, and explosives).
The risk of these threats occurring and developing into a significant incident is medium to high, thus communities must work to increase their resilience to respond to and recover from various types of disasters.
The big question asked by most of us is, how can I be ready when a disaster strikes? There are many actions we can take to prepare ourselves and families to be more resilient. Most communities have emergency preparedness personnel to assist with these activities. Local emergency managers, law enforcement, fire, and emergency services personnel host classes on how to respond to an active shooter, tornado drills, hurricanes, wildfires, floods, extreme heat, and many other disasters.
Practically all of us have cell phones, televisions, and radios, right? Your cell phone is usually equipped to receive emergency alerts, including WEA (Wireless Emergency Alerts). Emergency Alert System messages are broadcast on TV and radio, along with the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather radio alerts. It’s important to have several different methods to receive emergency alerts and know how to apply the information you have need before an emergency happens.
Before you leave home, look at the current weather forecast and check for updates hourly. Pay attention to changes in the weather and receive updates from the local weather service and/or news outlets for any watches, warnings, or advisories. Download the local emergency alert apps and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) app on your cell phone and personal computer. The FEMA app is found at https://www.fema.gov/about/news-multimedia/mobile-products?utm_source=website&utm_medium=ready&utm_campaign=3.0_launch.
Wireless emergency alerts are short emergency messages from authorized federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial public authorities that broadcast from cell towers to any WEA‐enabled mobile device in a locally targeted area. These features can be activated on your cell phone and allow you to receive a variety of emergency-related information. Go to https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/practitioners/integrated-public-alert-warning-system/public/wireless-emergency-alerts for more information. Additional information is available at https://www.ready.gov/alerts#wea.
All civilian, military, and contractors must sign up for on-post alert notifications. Please visit https://alert.csd.disa.mil/ (CAC-enabled) for more information.
The Digital Garrison App provides various types of information for garrison personnel, including emergency notifications. Go to the Google app store or the Apple Store and search for DG army. Download the DG Army app and follow the prompts to select Fort Gregg-Adams as your installation and register your account. You can also find information for the Digital Garrison app at https://www.armymwr.com/happenings/digital-garrison-app.
The Emergency Preparedness Handbook will help you and your family prepare for hazards at home and in the workplace. The handbook will guide you through the items you should have in your emergency kit, including how to return home safely after a disaster, preparing your home and business for a disaster, making sure your flood insurance is adequate and up to date, how to stay informed, and how to recover after a disaster. Please refer to the Emergency Preparedness Handbook for additional information at http://ready.army.mil.
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