August 25, 2011 9:50 AM
Loudoun: Hurricane Preparedness
Courtesy Loudoun County Office of Emergency Management. Although we're not in the zone where we need to evacuate or even board up our windows, we can sustain some heavy damage in northern Virginia. And when the power goes out, those of us who live in the country have no water supply as our private wells depend on electricity to pump up our water.Here's a reminder to stock up on drinking water and fill our bathtubs with water to flush toilets, But there are some ideas here I've never heard - like freezing containers of water to keep your refrigerated food cold if the power goes out:
Hurricane Preparedness
Hurricanes are born and thrive in the ocean, but they can also have disastrous effects far inland. Heavy rains from weakening tropical systems have led to some of Virginia's worst disasters.
It is important to remember that every county and city in the state is vulnerable in some way to the destructive forces of hurricanes, even counties that are far inland, like Loudoun, are vulnerable to the effects of hurricanes. Whether the threat comes from violent winds, storm surge, flash flooding, or spawned tornadoes, the important factor in saving lives and property is being prepared. Hurricanes, once they make landfall, can produce extensive flooding and high winds hundreds of miles from the coast.
The following tips are designed to protect lives and reduce damages before, during and after hurricanes and flooding.
Before the Storm
Develop an emergency preparedness plan for your family and/or business. A user-friendly, online tool specifically designed by Northern Virginia jurisdictions is available to help you develop a plan:
Familiarize yourself with the terminology:
Flood Watch means that a flood is possible in your area;
Flood Warning means flooding is already occurring or will occur soon in your area;
Flash Floods can develop in a matter of minutes, so if you hear a Flash Flood Warning take action immediately.
Monitor your local news and the NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) for weather-related information. NWR is broadcasts continuous weather information direct from a nearby National Weather Service office on warnings, watches, forecasts and other hazard information 24 hours a day.
Secure garbage cans, lawn furniture or anything that could fly around and cause damage.
Trim back dead or weak branches from trees.
Learn the safest route from your home or place of business to areas that are safe from high winds or flooding. If there is a flood, you may only have minutes to get to safety.
Decide on an out-of -state friend or family member to be the single point of contact for your family (after a disaster, it's often easier to call long distance). Make sure everyone in the family knows the name, address, and phone number of the contact person.
Decide on a meeting place away from home where you and your family will gather if you become separated (this will be useful in other types of disasters as well).
Keep a family emergency kit stocked and handy. Include items like flashlights and batteries, battery-operated radio, water, first aid supplies, canned food and can opener, etc.
Purchase flood insurance. Flood damage to your home and its contents is not covered by your homeowner's insurance policy. A 30-day waiting period is required for your flood insurance policy to become effective.
Make an itemized list of all your personal property for insurance verification purposes.
When a Hurricane is Approaching
If you have space in your refrigerator or freezer, consider filling plastic containers with water, leaving about an inch of space inside each one. (Remember, water expands as it freezes, so it is important to leave room in the container for the expanded water). Place the containers in the refrigerator and freezer. This chilled or frozen water will help keep food cold for several hours if the power goes out.
Fill your bathtub with water to use for toilet flushing in case water services are unavailable following the storm.
Fill your car's gas tank. Functional gas stations will be in short supply in a power outage.
When a Flood Warning is Issued
Be alert to signs of flooding. If floodwaters are threatening your home, evacuate immediately. Move quickly to higher ground.
Follow recommended evacuation routes. Shortcuts or alternate routes may be blocked or damaged by floodwaters.
If you are driving and come upon rapidly rising waters, turn around and find another route. The water may appear calm on the surface, but could be flowing rapidly below. Furthermore, the roadway may have been washed away by the water and no longer exist. The depth of the water may not be obvious and two feet of water will carry away most automobiles. Most flood fatalities are caused by people attempting to drive through water.
If Heavy Rains Occur
If advised to evacuate, do so immediately; move to a safe area before access is cut off by floodwater.
Keep your battery-operated radio tuned to a local station, and follow all instructions. If you are told to evacuate, move out of the house or building to safe, high ground.
Be aware that floods are deceptive. Do not wade into flooded areas. Turn around and go back to higher ground.
Never drive across a flooded road. The road could be washed out and rapidly rising water could lift your car and carry it away. As little as six inches of floodwater can cause you to lose control of your vehicle; two feet can sweep it away. If you find floodwaters on the road while driving, turn around and find an alternate route.
More Information
Posted in Loudoun County, Safety, Virginia, Washington DC | Permalink
Comments
A few things we learned after Charlie, Frances & Jeanne...
1) Turn your a/c down as cold as you can stand if you believe you may lose power. You won't be inside sweltering in the heat unable to open windows because of blowing rain.
2) If you are like me and prefer ice cold drinks instead of lukewarm, either buy bags of ice or use what you have in your freezer. Seperate into sandwich bags (double bagged)and leave in the freezer or fill a cooler so you can grab just enough ice for your drink without leaving a cooler or freezer open for an extended period of time.
3) If you have a freezer full of food, you may be okay. But if you are running low on frozen goods, fill up containers with water and pop as many as will fit into the freezer. (never thought about putting any in the fridge though)
4) Any thing that needs a battery to run, make sure it is charged or you have extra batteries.
5) ONLY trim dead branches if you are sure that they will be picked up before the storm. Since we had 3 storms hit us in short order, we still had storm debris from prior storms that had not been picked up. Neatly stacked branches and cut up trees wound up all over neighborhoods in the following storm.
6) HAVE CASH. This one I can not stress enough. If the power is out, the ATM won't work. The credit/debit card machine at the register/ gas pump won't work. With cash, you can still pay for necessities.
7) I think the most important thing though is to NOT cook using charcoal or propane inside an enclosed space and do not run a generator inside. Even after the last storm hit us, there were still people in the Central FL area who died because of carbon monoxide from cooking or a generator used incorrectly.
I am praying for all of those who will be affected by this storm.
Posted by: j dan | August 25, 2011 2:11 PM
I was doing some research on our well and I found out you can buy hand pumps for your well. I don't know exactly how they work but it seemed you could attach it while your electric pump was working normally and just use it when you had no electricity. I know you're just renting but with the size of your family and winter coming it may be a good investment :)
Posted by: Alison | August 25, 2011 5:35 PM
When I lived in the Philippines, rolling black-outs were common, and we never knew when our power was going to be next shut off, or for how long.
Our well required an electric pump, so we bought large, new Rubbermaid trash cans and filled them with water in the bathroom and kitchen. Use a plastic dipper to scoop out water for flushing toilets, rinsing the sink or showering.
Posted by: Rachel | August 25, 2011 8:47 PM
