PROTECT YOURSELF DURING A POWER OUTAGE
- Keep freezers and refrigerators closed.
- Only use generators outdoors and away from windows.
- Do not use a gas stove to heat your home.
- Disconnect appliances and electronics to avoid
damage from electrical surges.
- Have alternate plans for refrigerating medicines or
using power-dependent medical devices.
- If safe, go to an alternate location for heat or
cooling.
- Check on neighbors.
SHELTER IN PLACE
There may be a time when an emergency takes place in our
community due to a hazardous materials release. The outside air quality may be
affected to the point that it isn't safe to be outside or to evacuate. In a
case like this it is usually safer to shelter-in-place until wind disperses and
moves the material away.
Here
are some tips for sheltering in place:
- Local
authorities may not immediately be able to provide information on what is
happening and what you should do.
- Watch TV and
listen to the radio or check the Internet often for official news and
instructions as they become available.
- Bring your
family and pets inside.
- Lock doors,
close windows, air vents and fireplace dampers.
- Turn off
fans, air conditioning and forced air heating systems.
- Take your
emergency supply kit unless you have reason to believe it has been
contaminated.
- Go into an
interior room with few windows if possible.
- Seal all
windows, doors and air vents with thick plastic sheeting and duct tape.
Consider measuring and cutting the sheeting in advance to save time.
- Cut the
plastic sheeting several inches wider than the openings and label each
sheet.
- Duct tape
plastic at corners first and then tape down all edges.
- Be prepared
to improvise and use what you have on hand to seal gaps so that you create
a barrier between yourself and any contamination.
“Sealing
a room” is considered a temporary protective measure to create a barrier
between you and potentially contaminated air outside. This type of sheltering
in place requires pre-planning, by purchasing plastic sheeting and duct tape
that you would keep in your
emergency supply kit.
(Source ready.gov)