September 10, 2018
Dear PSEC Friends,
Our rain soaked, and in some places tragically flooded, Conference is headed for more wet weather. Please read the following guidance from Deputy Director John Corcoran, Montgomery County Department of Public Affairs. If you have not already done so, look for the free emergency alerting system in your area that you maybe able to sign up for online.
Rev. Karl Jones, our Conference Disaster Ministries Coordinator, and I encourage you to hope and pray for the best and plan for the worst.
Rev. Bill Worley
Conference Minister
STORM PREP
There’s a reason why September is National Preparedness Month, as evidenced by the line of hurricanes stacked up over the Atlantic Ocean like planes waiting to land at a busy airport. Hurricane Florence was upgraded to a Category 4 storm today by the National Weather Service and is expected to make landfall somewhere along the Carolina coast late Thursday or early Friday. Hurricanes Helene and Isaac are further out to sea and it is still too early to know where they are likely headed.
So, after several days of soaking rains and several more predicted for the coming weekend, now is an excellent time to make a plan for how you and your family will respond if disaster strikes. Severe weather is becoming increasingly destructive and when a storm or other some other large-scale disaster destroys neighborhoods, it can take days for help to arrive. First responders will be overwhelmed by the demand for their services and they have to prioritize what they will respond to first. That’s why it is critical that people be prepared to take care of themselves and their families for at least three days.
The first thing to consider how will you receive emergency alerts and warnings. Montgomery County offers ReadyMontco, a reliable and free emergency alerting system you can sign up for online: www.montcopa.org/readymontco.
The next step is to discuss with your family what you will need to shelter and be self-sufficient for at least three days. Your next shopping trip would be a good time to stock up on the supplies you’ll need. You should have at least a three-day supply of non-perishable foods and water (one gallon, per person, per day). You will then need to consider what you will need to have ready if you have to evacuate on short notice, including important documents and items specific to each family member’s needs, and how you will maintain communications with your family if you are separated. A detailed guide for making an emergency plan for you family can be found on the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s web site: https://www.ready.gov/make-a-plan.
Please take the time now to think about what you will need in an emergency.
