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An emergency may be an earthquake, major winter storm, a hazardous materials spill or even a human caused event. Any of these could be severe enough to close stores, gas stations, businesses, and restaurants for days. There could be little to no warning for you to prepare when the event hits our community. By taking some simple steps today you and your family can be ready when an event hits. Our disaster preparedness section has important information designed to help you prepare for those disasters. When thinking of family planning, ask this question, "can we get by for 3-7 days without going to the store or gas station, use the water from the faucets, or electricity in the home, and not stay in our home that is damaged?" When planning, try to think about surviving without these normal services.
To help you and your loved ones be ready the sections below include some helpful information and links to other sites that will help you be better prepared.
Community/Neighborhood Teams
In many communities, the city or fire department offer training and coordination helping you neighborhood to work together during a major emergency. Some examples are Community Emergency Response Teams, (CERT) or Neighborhood Emergency Teams (NET). This helps by using the strengths of those in your immediate neighborhood to work together, helping each other until the local emergency responders can help. South King Fire & Rescue partners with both the City of Federal Way and Des Moines to offer neighborhood emergency training.
Critical Documents
Consider making copies of important personal documents and have a family member in another area store them for you. Important things to include are:
- Will, insurance policies, contracts, deeds, stocks and bonds
- Social security cards, passports, immigration papers, immunization records
- Bank account numbers
- Credit card account numbers and companies
- Family records (birth, marriage, death certificates)
- Medical insurance and Medicare cards
Some families use a small watertight container with a handle for these documents.
Emergency Kits
Use the following link to the American Red Cross to find how to build a disaster kit.
The links below will provide important information on personal preparedness and help you to assemble your emergency kits.
Shelter Information
It is important to listen to Emergency Officials during a disaster because directions they give will likely save your life. Every household should have a battery powered radio (with extra batteries) to listen for important information during an emergency. In the city of Federal Way tune your radio to AM
One direction Emergency Officials may give is to "shelter-in-place." You may need to shelter-in-place at home, at work, at school, or even if you're outside.
- Know how to shelter-in-place
- Designate and equip a shelter-in-place room
- Include shelter-in-place supplies in disaster kit:
- Pre-cut plastic for windows and vents
- Duct tape
- Towels to put under door
Three Days, Three Ways
Use this link to the King County partnership site that includes critical information on emergency preparedness listed below:
Emergency Notices
During a major event, your emergency managers may issue notices or other important information in a variety of methods. It's best if you have several ways to receive that message. Here are some examples:
- Local television news stations may be asked to share important information for those that still have electricity and working televisions.
- Local radio stations will also be asked to share important emergency information. Be sure to have an AM radio with extra batteries. The City of Federal Way has an AM radio transmitter to broadcast emergency information, it will use AM 900. This is a great station to have your emergency radio set on ahead of time.
- Many public agencies will post information to their websites that you can check if you have connection and electricity.
Home Generators
Every year during widespread power outages there are unfortunate cases of people injured or even killed due to improper use and placement of generators. In preparation for projected wind storms, South King Fire & Rescue urges the following safety tips on the use of generators:
- The generator MUST be kept outdoors while running;
- DO NOT refuel the generator while it is running;
- If fuel is accidentally spilled in close proximity to the generator, make sure that the fuel spill is cleaned up before restarting the generator;
- Have an ABC Fire Extinguisher immediately available;
- Do not plug your generator into a household outlet. Power may back-feed and injure people working to restore power in your neighborhood;
- Be certain that the exhaust and/or muffler is kept away from, and is pointed away from, any combustible material;
- Be careful not to overload the electrical capacity of the generator when connecting to household appliances; and
- When using extension cords to connect the generator to household appliances, make sure that exhaust cannot enter the house at the same point extension cords come in.
If power is out, the use of flashlights instead of candles is recommended. If candles are the only option, do not leave candles unattended with children or pets. Families are also encouraged to have disaster supply kit at home and in their car 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, and blankets. Additionally, have special needs items stored such as medications for three days, an extra set of eyeglasses, and food/ water/leash for your pet. For more information on disaster kits, visit www.3days3ways.org.
Links and Resources
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