|
Prepare for the inevitable — a coming storm
Although it is unclear at press time whether
Tropical Storm Ernesto will be a hurricane when it makes its way to
northeast Florida and southeast Georgia sometime Thursday morning, it can
still serve as a wake-up call to the residents of this area.
It’s only a matter of time before Camden County is struck — and struck
hard — by a hurricane or even a major tropical storm, which could easily
result in flooding, property damage and loss of electricity.
So now is a great time to take stock and figure out
if you have what it takes to make it through a hurricane intact and with
as little stress as possible.
Most important is to know when and if to evacuate.
In Camden County, there are several ways that residents are informed
about evacuations. In St. Marys and Kingsland, there is the CodeRED
system, which calls all phone numbers in the city to let residents know
the situation. The catch is, new residents and unlisted residents are not
on the system, so in St. Marys, visit www.ci.stmarys.ga.us or call (912)
882-5516 and in Kingsland, visit www.kingslandgeorgia.com or call (912)
729-5613 to add your phone number.
The City of Woodbine has a phone tree in place to alert its citizens when
a disaster is on its way. Please remember that most shelters and many
hotels do not accept pets, so be sure to have a plan for where to go if
you have pets at home.
If a mandatory evacuation is ordered, leave. Emergency personnel who do
stay behind will not be available during the height of the storm to help
you with an emergency, and after the storm, they will be busy dealing
with downed power lines, flooding and other matters and will not be able
to help people who chose to stay behind and ride out the storm.
They also will not be available to help people who return before they are
supposed to, so wait for word that it is OK to come back to town before
you do.
Make sure you have a disaster supply kit ready.
The essentials are extra prescription medications, a gallon of water per
day per person, flashlights, a portable radio and batteries,
non-perishable food for at least three days, extra clothing, a first-aid
kit with essential medicines, toiletries and important documents such as
insurance forms, medical records, bank account numbers and Social
Security card. Those should be kept in a waterproof container.
Also, in preparation, fill your bathtubs with water for use in flushing
the toilet, and fill your car with gas.
Have an evacuation plan and a meeting place set up in advance in case
your family gets separated. Also, have a designated contact for your
family in a location outside the path of the storm.
Although it has been a long time since a major event has hit Camden
County, the area is especially vulnerable because its land is mostly
low-lying and will flood quickly.
Emily Keller, Charlton/Camden/Kings Bay Service Center manager, said even
if your house is on high land, it is likely surrounded by lower land, so
you will become stranded and emergency personnel will not be able to
reach you if you stay. She added that a three-day supply of food and
water will not be enough.
Keller said it looks like Ernesto will not affect Camden County beyond
some wind and rain, but she added that hurricanes and tropical storms are
always unpredictable and Ernesto’s path could change at any moment.
Be prepared.
|
