America’s PrepareAthon

March 2, 2017

America’s PrepareAthon! is a grassroots campaign for action to increase community preparedness and resilience. Join others around the country to practice your preparedness!

KNOW YOUR HAZARDS

Learn about your hazards and how to prepare.

TAKE ACTION

10 ways to participate in America’s PrepareAthon!

BE COUNTED

Create your account and register your preparedness activities.

SPREAD THE WORD

Select and customize materials to help you plan and promote your preparedness activities.

STORIES

Read stories about individuals, communities, and organizations across the country that are participating in America’s PrepareAthon!

RESOURCES

Download resources to help you prepare and promote your preparedness activities.

Equine Disaster Preparedness

January 24, 2017

equine disaster

UConn Animal Science and Extension are partnering with Connecticut Horse Council to offer a disaster preparedness workshop on Tuesday, March 7th at 7:30 pm. The workshop will be held at the Eversource Building at 107 Selden Street in Berlin. Speakers include: Matt Odishoo, Deputy Fire Marshall for the Town of Berlin, Lori Goulet from Connecticut Horse Council, and Dr. Jenifer Nadeau, UConn Equine Extension Specialist. Please RSVP to stacey.stearns@uconn.edu so that we can order enough ice cream. More information is available on the attached flyer.

Seasonal Preparedness

January 10, 2017

FEMA calendar

Are you prepared? This calendar from FEMA outlines the different emergencies and how to best prepare for them.

Preparing for a Hurricane

October 17, 2016

Quiet Corner Whispers: Hurricane threats sow anxiety like elections

By Marge Hoskin for The Bulletin

A hurricane named Matthew, described as “one of the most powerful of recent years” did much damage to the southeastern United States as well as Haiti. The storm, that at one time had potential to reach Connecticut, was reported as having “space lightning” or lightning “sparks” that shoot up toward the edge of space instead of down to the ground.

My state of anxiety, a general unease about current events with uncertain outcomes, already includes the presidential election and those new wrinkles on my forehead. A hurricane and its possible aftermath in the Quiet Corner was something else to think about.

It was UConn Extension Educator Robert M. Ricard’s recent review of Stephen Long’s new book “Thirty-Eight: The Hurricane That Transformed New England” that already had me adding hurricane supplies to my shopping lists. The review appeared in the latest issue of “Connecticut Woodlands” published by the Connecticut Forest & Park Association.

National Preparedness Month: September

September 2, 2016

OEM banner September is National Preparedness Month! Since 2004, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has sponsored this national effort to take time to prepare for all hazards. This year’s theme is “Don’t Wait, Communicate. Make Your Emergency Plan Today.” In spirit of this month, UConn’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM) will share preparedness information and attend community outreach events. The month will culminate with the adoption of the University’s new Emergency Operations Plan.

To get started, OEM recommends that community members review the Emergency Hazard Guide, as well as the variety of preparedness tips on www.oem.uconn.edu. Also check out FEMA’s preparedness page, www.ready.gov.

Download these two mobile apps:

myUConn app: http://mobile.uconn.edu/. The myUConn app not only allows users to access course schedules, view bus routes and submit maintenance requests; it now receives emergency alerts from UConnALERT (UConn’s emergency notification system).
FEMA app: https://www.fema.gov/mobile-app. This mobile app includes preparedness resources from ready.gov, as well as provides notifications/alerts from the National Weather Service for up to 5 locations.

Thank you for taking the time to help make UConn more prepared for emergencies. As always, the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) appreciates any feedback the community has to offer.

For more information, contact: OEM at 860-486-5174 or oem@uconn.edu

Connecticut Emergency Alert Mobile App

August 30, 2016

Governor Dannel P. Malloy announced the launch of a new emergency preparedness mobile application for Connecticut residents that provides information and alerts in emergency situation, and also helps residents prepare in advance of an emergency.

The “CT Prepares” app, which can be downloaded to most smartphones, incorporates and integrates text messaging, email, and social networking, allowing residents to communicate with family members during an emergency. Real-Time notifications including emergency news, state office closings, and public safety messages can be sent directly to the device, providing up-to-the-minute information for residents.

“We are constantly planning and constantly preparing to remain one step ahead of potential emergency situations. This is yet another tool in our goal to be as resilient as we can be as a state. As we have seen in past storms and emergency situations, communication is critical. The CT Prepares app will no doubt help us in that effort by providing residents with critical information during emergencies. I encourage residents to download this app to their mobile devices,” Governor Malloy said.

“With just a keystroke, anyone can download the CT Prepares app to their mobile devices and in a matter of a minute, be better prepared for any disaster or emergency they may face,” Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP) Commissioner Dora Schriro said. “And that’s especially important as we approach the height of this year’s hurricane season in Connecticut.”

Other features of the app include:

Send an “I’m Safe” message to contacts via email, text, and social networks
View real-time alerts for emergencies, weather and traffic
View current and extended National Weather Service forecasts based on current location
Access Connecticut Emergency Management Agency news and events
View emergency preparation guides for different types of emergencies
Locate Connecticut Emergency Management contacts and other useful emergency resources

The app can be downloaded for free from the iTunes Apple Store for Apple devices and Google Play for Android devices by searching the keyword “CT Prepares.” It was developed jointly by DESPP and Connecticut Interactive.

National Preparedness Toolkit

August 23, 2016

Preparedness logo

September is recognized as National Preparedness Month (NPM) which serves as a reminder that we all must take action to prepare, now and throughout the year, for the types of emergencies that could affect us where we live, work, and also where we visit. Due to the success of last year’s theme, “Don’t Wait, Communicate. Make Your Emergency Plan Today,” will be returning for this September with a continuing emphasis on preparedness for youth, older adults, and people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs. You can access a toolkit at https://www.ready.gov/september. Thank you for taking time help make America more prepared for emergencies.

UConn OEM: New Emergency Hazard Guides

July 28, 2016

hazard guide icon The Office of Emergency Management (OEM) is excited to announce new additions to the Emergency Hazard Guide. The Emergency Hazard Guide offers readers a “what-to-do” for various hazards, including how to prepare for, respond to and special considerations for different types of emergencies. The Guide also defines emergency terminology used by UConnALERT, the University’s official emergency notification system. The new additions include:

Suspicious Package
Infectious Disease

The Emergency Hazard Guide can be accessed here:

http://publicsafety.uconn.edu/emergency/hazard-guide/

Currently under development and up next:

Tornado
Extreme Temperature

As always, the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) appreciates any feedback the community has to offer.

For more information, contact: OEM at oem@uconn.edu or 860-486-5174

National Household Survey

July 13, 2016

 In July 2015, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) conducted a nationally representative household survey to measure household and individual preparedness and awareness of preparedness information.
 The survey also included a series of oversamples in U.S. counties where specific hazards present a relevant risk to those populations. These hazards included: earthquakes, extreme heat, floods, hurricanes, nuclear events, tornadoes, wildfires, and winter storms.
 The survey findings indicate that specific levers can be used to influence and increase overall individual and community preparedness.
- – The survey’s findings also indicate that having an increased awareness of the necessary steps to take to prepare for a specific hazard can motivate individuals to take steps to prepare for that particular hazard.
- – This raised awareness also increases the likelihood individuals will take the basic (i.e., non-hazard-specific) preparedness steps to develop and discuss a household emergency plan; make copies of critical documents; store supplies; and know how and where to get real-time alerts and warnings.

The results of the survey can be viewed on the FEMA website.

Emergency Preparedness for Families in Coastal Communities in Southeastern Connecticut

July 8, 2016

Karen-Mary Ellen — Karen Filchak and Mary Ellen Welch shared family and home emergency preparedness information at the Community Safety, Health and Wellness Day held for Stonington residents in May.
Photo: Faye Griffiths-Smith

UConn Extension has received a two-year grant from USDA-NIFA to work with residents in four Southeastern Connecticut coastal communities promoting storm (coastal or heavy precipitation event) preparedness. The coastal communities of Connecticut and Rhode Island are impacted by flooding, storm surge, and wind causing property damage during major storm events such as nor’easters and hurricanes. The Universities of Connecticut and Rhode Island are collaborating to provide preparedness education and planning support for select communities including town officials, commissions and residents. The multistate team will target densely populated coastal towns and will conduct assessments of vulnerability, determine risks, and identify how the risks can be mitigated through preparatory actions. One of the primary goals is to educate citizens, towns, and businesses to make sound decisions in advance of storms.

Extension will engage a variety of community partners and citizens to participate in

Karen-Faye — Preparing emergency go-kits for family members and pets as well as organizing financial and household records were a few of the topics addressed by Karen Filchak and Faye Griffiths-Smith.
Photo: Mary Ellen Welch

workshops to learn how to assess and protect vulnerable properties, including residential, common community, business and agricultural properties. Extension and Sea Grant Educators will offer workshops on community preparedness, family preparedness, assembling a family emergency kit and go pack, family financial emergency records preparation, and household preparation. Another goal is to introduce Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) materials to these populations to make them familiar with these online resources and those available through land grant universities and agencies such as NIFA/HUD, FEMA and Red Cross. We will identify and market existing on-line resources and apps to deal with property impacts before and after storms in the selected communities. Stonington has been identified as the 2016 pilot community for the project.

For more information, contact Mary Ellen Welch, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator and Principal Investigator on the grant at mary.welch@uconn.edu