Be Rhody Ready: It only takes one hurricane to cause disaster

Josh Estrella
Posted 7/2/15

With the 2015 hurricane season officially underway, the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency (RIEMA) plans to hold a conference Aug. 25 and 26 on how the public can get prepared. So far there …

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Be Rhody Ready: It only takes one hurricane to cause disaster

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With the 2015 hurricane season officially underway, the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency (RIEMA) plans to hold a conference Aug. 25 and 26 on how the public can get prepared. So far there have been two named storms this season, Anna and Bill. Anna hit the coasts of North and South Carolina, doing little damage but with winds reaching 50 miles per hour and Bill, a tropical depression, brought Rhode Island a wet Father’s Day on Sunday and little more than some local flooding.

Alex Ambrosius from RIEMA said that this conference is an overarching lesson for preparedness on all emergencies, stating that with hurricanes there are three steps residents should follow, “Make a kit, make a plan and stay informed.”

Though experts predict this year will have fewer storms than in previous years, RIEMA encourages residents to prepare for this season, which ends Nov. 30.

RIEMA Director Peter Gaynor said, “Hurricane disasters can occur whether the season is active or relatively quiet. It only takes one hurricane, or tropical storm, to cause a disaster.”

Outlining the importance of the three steps, Ambrosius said when making a kit it is important that there are enough supplies to survive three days unassisted. In the case where emergency workers cannot reach a family within the first few days, kits will help people survive during that time.

Kits involve food and other basic items that people can use in case of a disaster; a full list of what kits should contain is listed on the RIEMA website at www.riema.ri.gov. Step two, making a plan, is all about communication between family members. According to RIEMA, ensuring all family members have an emergency contact list and dedicating a meeting location for everyone helps ensure that you stay in contact with loved ones.

RIEMA’s third step, be informed, is vital before, after and during an emergency. Keeping up to date with reliable information from government officials, knowing when to evacuate and when not to, and identifying possible hazards in your area are all essential to being safe in disasters.

“I will be collaborating across state agencies to make sure we are as prepared as possible for the upcoming hurricane and tropical storm season, but I also want to encourage all Rhode Islanders to prepare, too,” Governor Gina Raimondo said in a statement.

The two-day Preparedness Conference will be held at the CCRI Knight campus Aug. 25-26. Hosted by RIEMA alongside the Rhode Island Association of Emergency Managers and CCRI Emergency Management and Homeland Security Program, the theme of the conference is “Be Rhody Ready: An All-Hazards Approach to Community Preparedness.”

The conference will have speakers, training opportunities, forums and exhibitors, all in an effort to better train officials to help serve the public in case of emergency. In the past the conference was focused on hurricanes, but this year the conference is an effort to address multiple emergency management-related situations.

Geared toward emergency managers, municipalities, relative state agencies and non-governmental organizations, the conference is invite-only. For more information about the conference, contact RIEMA at 946-9996. For more information about staying prepared, visit the RIEMA website.

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