Localities Encourage Residents to Be Prepared for Emergencies

Local emergency preparedness officials want area residents to remember that being prepared for an emergency doesn’t just mean hurricanes, storms and piles of snow.

Preparedness also means being ready for small emergencies, such as an unexpected power outage, a gas leak or even a traffic accident that forces a longer commute.

During an emergency preparedness seminar hosted by the Herndon Police Department on Sept. 14, Jeff Fletcher, the deputy coordinator for the Loudoun County Office of Emergency Preparedness said emergencies can be very personal events.

He said if a resident is forced out of their house because of a gas leak in the neighborhood, they need to have a plan ready for where they’ll go, who they need to talk to, and how to go about everyday life until they can get back in their house.

Fletcher said if a resident doesn’t know what they would do in an event whether small or large, they aren’t prepared enough.

Roy Shrout, director of Fairfax County’s Office of Emergency Management agreed with Fletcher. He said people call 9-1-1 for everything from a gas leak to a cat in a tree. He said things like winter storms can be debilitating for a resident who loses power, and residents should be prepared for the things that are most likely to happen, such as loss of power.

Lt. Earl Sheffer of the Herndon Police Department said during last winter’s snow storms many Herndon residents were unable to get places because roads were shut down and it can take time before local governments can make roads safe for travel again.

Virgil Gray of the Virginia Department of Emergency Preparedness, said there have been some pretty severe emergencies in recent weeks, including the fires in Dismal Swamp, Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee, as well as the earthquake in August.

Gray said those types of emergencies can lead to other smaller emergencies. On the day of the earthquake many people left work early, causing traffic jams when there wouldn’t normally have been any traffic. He said during the flooding earlier this month there were more than 150 people who had to be placed in shelters because they lost their homes.

When area residents can’t get home, they need to have a plan, Gray said. He said they need to make sure their children know where to go if they can’t go home, have a way to stay in touch with a point of contact who lives outside the area, and know where to meet. He said everyone has a responsibility to be prepared.

Those taking part in the panel discussion also touched on what people should look for in suspicious activity. Sheffer said anyone hanging out somewhere they don’t seem to belong, who seems anxious, or wearing clothing that doesn’t match the season should be reported to the police.

He said if someone is seen purchasing large amounts of bomb-making materials like fertilizer or other types of fuel with large sums of cash, rather than debit or credit, should also be considered suspicious.

Shrout said the different emergency management agencies across the region have the ability to connect with each other quickly at any time. He said they all use compatible equipment, which helps support the regional emergency management system. He said officials across the entire region, from Northern Virginia to Washington, D.C. to Maryland to Richmond can see what’s happening.

Fletcher said part of his job is to make sure different departments and agencies have what they need. During emergencies he said they bring in subject matter experts to help assist in addressing emergency issues. He said if one area is hit particularly hard, they can get backup from other localities.

The region works together to create things like standards of operating, and even purchases some equipment together, Fletcher said. He said the region is well prepared for emergencies, but they need individuals to be prepared as well.

To find more information on making your own family or business emergency preparedness plan, visit ReadyNOVA.org, Fairfax County's Office of Emergency Management, or Loudoun County's Office of Emergency Management. ReadyNOVA also includes links to other localities' emergency preparedness information.