In Anticipation of Severe Weather, FEMA Monitors and Encourages Residents to Prepare Now

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – With the potential for severe weather across the plains and several Midwestern states this week, staff at the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Region VII office are coordinating with state and local officials in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska and urge the public to be prepared and stay informed.

“As the threat of severe weather develops, we urge residents to listen to NOAA Weather Radio and local newscasts, monitor digital media feeds for updates and follow the  instructions provided by local emergency officials,” said FEMA Region VII Administrator Beth Freeman. “This severe weather threat is a reminder that everyone needs a family emergency plan as we can’t always anticipate when or where a disaster might strike.”

For more information on creating your family’s emergency plan, visit http://www.ready.gov/make-a-plan.

Preparing for Severe Weather Now

To prepare for power outages and the disruption of essential services, FEMA urges families to prepare an emergency supply kit for their homes and cars. For more information, visit http://www.ready.gov/build-a-kit.  When preparing a kit, remember water, medications, and items needed for the well-being of your pets.

Staying informed is equally important when preparing for any emergency, particularly severe weather threats. In addition to monitoring the guidance and reports of local emergency and weather officials, monitor social media before, during and after emergencies. Consider following the Facebook, Twitter or Instagram handles of your local emergency management office as well as hospitals, schools and voluntary organizations that serve your community. More information on building your own preparedness list is available from @FEMARegion7 on Twitter, using the hashtag #preplist, or by visiting www.twitter.com/femaregion7/lists.

Responding to Severe Weather

If you have severe weather in your area, keep in mind these safety tips:

• Become familiar with the terms used to identify a severe weather hazard and discuss with your family what to do if a watch or warning is issued. Terms used to describe weather hazards include the following:

• Watch: Meteorologists are monitoring an area or region for the formation of a specific type of threat (e.g. flooding, severe thunderstorms, or tornados).

• Warning: Specific life and property threatening conditions are occurring and imminent. Take appropriate safety precautions.

• Mobile homes, even if tied down, offer little protection from tornadoes and should be abandoned. A mobile home can overturn very easily even if precautions have been taken to tie down the unit. Residents of mobile homes must plan in advance and identify safe shelter in a nearby building.

• While community safe rooms offer significant reassurance and protection during a severe weather event, always make the safe and certain choice about where to seek shelter – particularly if there is little time to travel to the location of the community safe room. It is always best to seek shelter in your basement or in the lowest possible structure in your residence if time and warning are limited when severe weather hits.

• Know your surroundings and your structures if you’re planning to attend an event, take vacation, visit family, or if you are staying in a location other than your home like a hotel, campground or cabin. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the facility’s emergency plans including sirens and warnings, how to shelter in place, and steps to be taken in the event of an evacuation. 

• Do not touch downed power lines or objects in contact with downed lines. Report downed power lines and electrical hazards to the police and the utility company.

• After a disaster, be aware of possible structural, electrical or gas-leak hazards in your home. Contact your local city or county building inspectors for information on structural safety codes and standards and before going back to a property with downed power lines, or the possibility of a gas leak. They may also offer suggestions on finding a qualified contractor to do work for you. 

• Injury may occur when people walk amid disaster debris and enter damaged buildings. Wear sturdy shoes or boots, long sleeves and gloves when handling or walking on or near debris.

Follow FEMA online at www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema.  Find regional updates from FEMA Region VII at www.twitter.com/femaregion7. Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate’s activities at www.twitter.com/craigatfema.  The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

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