What to do before, during, after an emergency

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Scott Hoover
  • Office of Emergency Management
VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  September is National Preparedness Month, an annual campaign led by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to encourage Americans to take simple steps to prepare for emergencies in their homes, workplace and communities.

Oklahoma is diverse when it comes to weather conditions. Every state in the U.S. experiences severe weather and Oklahoma is no exception. Everyone is at risk.

Oklahoma weather can go from one extreme to another as the seasons come and go. Every year, thousands of people are impacted by severe thunderstorms, tornadoes and blizzards. There were more than 450 weather-related fatalities and nearly 2,600 injuries in 2012.

Take steps to prepare for severe weather strikes in your area. Know the most common weather hazards, your vulnerability and what actions you should take to save your life and others.

All thunderstorms are dangerous. Every thunderstorm produces lightning. While lightning fatalities have decreased over the past 30 years, lightning continues to be one of the top three storm-related killers in the United States.

Although most lightning victims survive, people struck by lightning often report a variety of long-term, debilitating symptoms.

Other thunderstorm dangers include tornadoes, strong winds, hail and flash flooding. Flash flooding is responsible for more fatalities than any other thunderstorm-associated hazard.

Oklahoma is well known for tornadoes. It is not called "Tornado Alley" for nothing. This year alone more than 70 tornados hit Oklahoma. Some tornadoes are clearly visible. Some are hidden by rain or low-hanging clouds.

Occasionally, tornadoes develop so rapidly that little, if any, advance warning is possible. Before a tornado hits, the wind may die down and the air may become very still.

A cloud of debris can mark the location of a tornado even if a funnel is not visible. The 2013 tornado that struck Moore, Okla., the afternoon of May 20, was an EF5 in strength. The winds were estimated at 210 mph, killing 23 people and injuring 377 others, demonstrating the full capability of these forces of nature.

One of the primary concerns with winter weather is its ability to knock out power, heat and communication services over a broad area, sometimes for days at a time.

In February this year, northwest Oklahoma was struck by a blizzard that left many without power for up to five days. Some areas were affected even longer. Heavy snowfall and extreme cold can immobilize an entire region.

The National Weather Service refers to winter storms as the "Deceptive Killers" because most of the resulting deaths are indirectly related to the storm. People die in traffic accidents on icy roads and of hypothermia from prolonged exposure to cold.

It is important to be prepared for winter weather before it strikes.

The odds of having a driving emergency are much greater in winter than during the other three seasons. It pays to keep a kit in your trunk with all the things you are likely to need.
Knowing what disasters affect your area is just the start of getting prepared. Being aware of what information resources are available to you is also critical.

The Garfield County Emergency Management website, www.gcem.org, is a great place to start. You can register your storm shelter or safe location and check for current advisories and alerts.

You should also follow the link to www.Nixle.com and signup to receive weather alerts via email and text messages.

The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management website at www.ok.gov/oem is a good source of information on previous emergencies and disasters that have occurred in the state. They also provide weather safety checklists and information for creating a family emergency plan.

Air Force Emergency Management provides preparedness information at www.BeReady.af.mil.

For more information on emergency preparedness and what you can do, contact the Vance AFB Office of Emergency Management, 213-6409, or the Enid/Garfield County Emergency Manager, Mike Honigsberg, (580) 249-5969.