Be prepared during our Oklahoma storm season

5/5/2021 (Permalink)

Oklahoma storm season is fast approaching, and with it, comes the reminder of what has happened in the past storm seasons that has left many without power, property damaged and even loss of lives. This time however, we need to take sometime to prepare ourselves. It’s the responsible thing to do. Like a wise man once said, To be forewarned is to be forearmed.  Here is a  broad list of ways that you need to prepare for the storm season in Oklahoma. While this article is specific to Oklahoma, I’m sure you can apply it other areas of the US.

Have a Plan

Sounds simple but if you don’t have a plan of response you may find yourself panicking and doing all the wrong things. The first thing you need to do is sit down and discuss with your family or friends about the best actions to take. It may surprise you to find that although this is a tornado state, many people have not taken time to plan for a possible tornado storm.

Let your family know where to seek shelter, where the emergency kits are (you’ll need to put one together), and how to stay connected during the storm. At the same time, discuss different scenarios that can occur during a storm and how one would react to it.

Prepare Emergency Kits

The next thing you need to do is put together an emergency kit for you and each member of your family. This emergency kit should, at a minimum, contain non-perishable food, emergency blanket, water, pocket knife, first aid kit and a change of clothes, a flashlight, and an emergency radio. Have all this in individual bags that are easily accessible by members of your family. Sometimes a tornado can develop very quickly when you are at work while your kids are at home so make sure they know where these kits are.

Families with pets need to take extra caution to also have emergency kits for their pets. Depending on the type of pet, you may need the following:

• make sure your pet has a tag and that the information on the tag is current,
• have a recent photo of your pet for identification purposes,
• pet food
• first aid kit

There’s a more complete list of items you need for your pet here: https://www.ready.gov/animals .

Know Where To Take Shelter

Where you shelter during a storm in Oklahoma is very important as it may mean life or death. You need to think of shelter in a number of scenarios:

• when you’re at your home: you need to figure out if your home is safe enough for you to shelter there or not,
• when you’re at work: most commercial buildings are not built to withstand the kind of tornadoes in the state so it’s better to find a shelter near your workplace,
• when you’re on the road: it is strongly advised that you try and get to a shelter as soon as you can or if it’s too late, find a ditch to hide in

Communicate with your loved ones about these scenarios so they’re also aware about what to do before the storm.

LIGHTNING SAFETY TIPS

5/3/2016 (Permalink)

LIGHTNING SAFETY TIPS!

• BE AWARE: Check the forecast before participating in outdoor activities. If it calls for any thunder, postpone any outdoor trips or activities!
• GO INDOORS: Find a safe enclosed shelter when you hear thunder. (Safe shelters include: homes, offices, shopping centers, and hard-top vehicles with windows rolled up.)
• AVOID WINDOWS, DOORS, PORCHES, AND CONCRETE: Do not lie or lean on concrete floors and walls! Lighting can travel though any m...etal wires or bars in concrete walls or flooring.
• AVOID WATER: Do not bathe, shower, wash dishes, or have anything in contact with water during a thunderstorm because lightning can travel though a building's plumbing.
• AVOID ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT: Do not use computers, laptops, game systems, washers, dryers, stoves, or anything connected to an electrical outlet. Lightning can travel though electrical systems, radio and television reception systems, and any metal wires or bars in concrete walls or flooring. Equip homes and offices with whole-house surge protectors to protect appliances.