Storm Season is Here - Are You Ready?

Last winter Fircrest was hit by major storms that caused the power to be out for hundreds of residents for as long as a week. This summer possible water contamination caused the City to issue a boil-water advisory. Will you be prepared the next time you’re without power and/or water for a prolonged period?

3 Days, 3 Ways

“3 Days, 3 Ways, Are You Ready?” is a public motivation cam­paign urging you, your family, and the community to prepare for emergencies and disasters.

The message is simple, be ready to survive on your own for a mini­mum of 3 Days following a disaster. For large disasters, you may not receive any government assistance for up to seven days.

Become prepared in 3 ways – make a plan, build a kit, and get involved. Any step we take today will put us in a greater position for resiliency, whether from a major earthquake, a winter storm, a terrorist act or a pandemic flu outbreak.

1. MAKE A PLAN

What exactly is a disaster preparedness plan? How can a plan help us during a disaster? A plan is a pre-determined set of action steps that you will take during a disastrous event. As we never know, if or when a disaster will strike, identifying our actions beforehand increases our safety, lessens our anxieties during an event, and alleviates some of our fears towards disasters.

1.        Learn what hazards can cause disasters where you live. Determine your family’s needs and how you can survive these hazards. Consider special needs populations such as people with disabilities and the elderly in your planning.

2.     Develop and practice a communications plan. Would you know what to do should phone lines shut down? Have an out-of-state contact for family members to call if local lines don’t work.

3. Develop and practice an evacuation plan should you need to leave home.

3.          BUILD A KIT

In case you have to shelter-in-place at home, work, school or car, have a kit with essential survival sup­plies

1.     Have a Disaster Supply Kit at home with a minimum of three days worth of food, one gallon of water per person per day and including a battery-operated radio, flashlight, batteries, blanket, extra clothes, sturdy pair of shoes, ibuprofen, thermometer, alcohol-based hand wash.

2.     Have basic items such as food, water, light, first aid kit and a blanket for your car, work or school. Include extra change should you need to use a phone booth.

3. Have special needs items in your kit like a supply of needed medications for a minimum of three days, an extra pair of eyeglasses or extra cane, surgical mask, and food/water/leash for your pet.

3.       GET INVOLVED

Know resources around you, including agencies and groups that provide safety training. Be a resource to someone else who may need help preparing. Remember: during a major disaster we will depend on each other.

IntelliCast Automatically Calls Residents,
Provides Recorded Emergency Information

The City can now use the IntelliCast system of Pierce County Emergency Management to provide alert and emergency information to residents. This software system can deliver a prerecorded voice message using the 911 tele­phone data bank. The system can make over 1,000 calls per minute. This will be very useful during emergency situa­tions to communicate with Fircrest residents.