Category: Emergency Plan

Was That An Earthquake??? In Allentown??

August 24, 2011 Posted by admin under Earthquake, Emergency Plan, Parenting
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” I felt the earth move under my feet” Sorry had to bust out in some Carole King… All joking aside, it was a scary experience for some people and one not many of us will forget. The sad part is no one was prepared for it and there was no warning. Luckily, there wasn’t extreme damage and everyone in the LV and the region was OK. But how many of us found ourselves drawing a blank on what to do and either just ran out of the building you are in or just sat there. Most of us had tornado and earthquake drills in school, but for me that was at least 15 years ago or more. Who ever thought a earthquake would hit Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland? I was watching the Philly news last night and the one thing most people said was “I panicked and ran out of the building”…  My guess is if you are in a city, filled with lots of glass buildings that the windows can pop and shatter, one of the last things you should do is run outside. Just a thought. And I am by no means judging because I had no idea what to… more

Prayers to the south and what’s your emergency plan???

April 28, 2011 Posted by admin under Emergency Plan, Life in the Valley, Misc.
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I didn’t get to watch the news much yesterday as my TV has been taken hostage by a fire truck toting 2 year old with a slight attitude like his mothers (I can’t pass this one off on dad- It’s the feisty redhead gene that I passed on) so this a.m. when he was occupied watching the school buses out our front window, I snuck in some Good Morning America to see the royal wedding coverage and saw the footage of Tuscaloosa, AL where the storm surge yesterday just tore the town apart. My heart broke as you saw just piles of rubble where families had lived and their whole lives just laying spread around. I just heard the stories of my step mom and dad, who were stuck in a tornado in central Florida in the storms that hit there the end of March while they had flown south for the winter. It was scary and brought up memories of my own experience living through a tornado outside of Alexandria, VA on a girl scout trip when I was younger. It was one of the most scariest experiences of my life and one I will never forget. Growing up in… more

I didn’t get to watch the news much yesterday as my TV has been taken hostage by a fire truck toting 2 year old with a slight attitude like his mothers (I can’t pass this one off on dad- It’s the feisty redhead gene that I passed on) so this a.m. when he was occupied watching the school buses out our front window, I snuck in some Good Morning America to see the royal wedding coverage and saw the footage of Tuscaloosa, AL where the storm surge yesterday just tore the town apart. My heart broke as you saw just piles of rubble where families had lived and their whole lives just laying spread around.

I just heard the stories of my step mom and dad, who were stuck in a tornado in central Florida in the storms that hit there the end of March while they had flown south for the winter. It was scary and brought up memories of my own experience living through a tornado outside of Alexandria, VA on a girl scout trip when I was younger. It was one of the most scariest experiences of my life and one I will never forget. Growing up in the Northeast, we haven’t really seen tornadoes as regularly as some areas of the country, but it doesn’t mean that they can’t happen here. There have been tornadoes in the Poconos, Lehigh Valley, Reading, etc. in the past. They may not be the magnitude of what you see in the midwest or south, but they still can be dangerous. Do you know what to do if you get caught in a tornado??

On FEMA’s website they give you a list of what to do if you are in a tornado warning. Make sure your family also knows what to do because you aren’t there with them 100% of the time! Give them the survival tools that they need. You should also use this time to go over other emergency plans, too. It wouldn’t hurt.

If you are in a structure (house, office, etc.):

  • Get to the lowest level of the building (basement, storm shelter, etc.)
  • If there is no basement, go to the center of an interior room on the lowest level (closet, interior hallway) away from corners, windows, doors, and outside walls. Put as many walls as possible between you and the outside.
  • Get under a sturdy table and use your arms to protect your head and neck.
  • Do not open windows.  

If you are in a vehicle, trailer, or mobile home:

  • Get out immediately and go to the lowest floor of a sturdy, nearby building or a storm shelter.

If you are outside with no shelter:

  • Lie flat in a nearby ditch or depression and cover your head with your hands. Watch out for flooding
  • Do not get under an overpass or bridge.
  • Never try to outrun a tornado. Leave the vehicle immediately for safe shelter.
  • Watch out for flying debris.

You can read the full guidelines and more tornado information HERE. You can also read up on other types of disasters like fire, earthquakes, etc. HERE on FEMA’s website.

Take the time to read them and share it with your family. It could save their life someday. Also, if you are interested in how you can help out for the victims in Alabama and other areas of the south:

The Alabama division of the American Red Cross (will let you designate the counties/areas to help out)
   http://www.alredcross.org/index.asp?IDCapitulo=DRGYJ0Q5XZ

The main division of the American Red Cross (you can choose disaster relief or where the need is greatest, however it doesn’t mean that it will be guaranteed to the south, however, they will be helping where it’s needed the most)
   http://www.redcross.org/

Let’s keep those affected in our thoughts and prayers!