New Location, New Risks
Have you recently relocated to a different part of the country? If so, your surroundings may be new in many ways. A new location can bring new weather hazards, therefore it's important to know and understand your risks and to properly prepare for them.
Let America's PrepareAthon! get you and your family ready for the hazards you may face in your new community. America's PrepareAthon! provides free resources to teach you about six common hazards - earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, and winter storms. Review a map of historic activity for each hazard to help understand your risk and learn how to protect yourself before, during, and after the hazard.
America's PrepareAthon! also offers simple steps you can take now to prepare for these hazards, including:
As you complete these activities, be sure to register your actions on the America's PrepareAthon! website and be counted among the millions of actions already taken by individuals, families, and communities around the country.
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Spartanburg County Gets Results
On Wednesday, March 11, Spartanburg County was the first community in South Carolina to participate in America's PrepareAthon!, and they went all out. The day kicked off with a countywide tornado drill at 9:00 a.m. with schools, businesses, and two hospitals across the county participating.
According to local officials, approximately 60,000 people reported participating in the drill which coincided with the South Carolina statewide tornado drill that was conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service and the South Carolina Emergency Management Division.
The Spartanburg County PrepareAthon! was led by the Spartanburg County Office of Emergency Management with support from the local Emergency Planning Committee, and together they spread the word by generating significant media coverage for their efforts. Local media coverage included stories on WSPA-TV (CBS) , WFXG-TV (Fox) and in the Spartanburg Herald Journal .
This is the greatest effort we have undertaken to promote a community drill targeting businesses, schools, industry, hospitals, and our citizens to participate in a preparedness activity on the same day, said Spartanburg County Emergency Management Director Doug Bryson.
Congratulations to everyone in Spartanburg County for making your community more prepared!
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Returning Home After a Disaster
When returning home following an evacuation order, it's important to know what to expect as unseen dangers may exist. Ready.gov provides the following tips when first arriving to your home:
- Walk carefully around the outside and check for loose power lines, gas leaks and structural damage;
- Keep a battery-powered radio with you so you can listen for emergency updates and news reports;
- Use a battery-powered flashlight (turned on outside and before entering) to inspect the damage;
- Be mindful of animals and use a stick to poke through debris; and
- Be cautious of fallen objects, downed electrical wires, and weakened walls.
FEMA also offers a free, online training module Coming Home After a Disaster to help you navigate the recovery process, including:
- Understanding what kind of repairs homeowners may handle themselves;
- Creating a recovery action plan;
- Learning how to assess and document damage; and
- Developing a homeowner's action checklist.
This training module is part of FEMA's Preparedness Activities for Communities Everywhere tools, which educate individuals about easy ways to prepare for various hazards.
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Dates for Your Calendar!
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