1. #Team ReadyHurricane Preparedness MHCIL Mounting HorizonsCenter for Independent Living Galveston County

2. Are You Ready?...If Not Get Ready!!! 3. IntroductionYou never know when a disaster is going to strike, so your best option is to try to be prepared ahead of time. The more you are prepared for a situation, the better it will befor you and your family. It is always better tobe safe than to be sorry. 4. Hurricane Basics Hurricanes are among the most fiercestforces on earth. They are a vast mass of clouds that formin the tropics, and bring heat to the poles. These tropical cyclones bring highwinds, heavy rains, and dangerous tidesfrom the coast to areas farther inland. 5. Hurricane Basics Continued Hurricanes can develop into very powerful storms if theconditions in the atmosphere are right. Below are several key factors in hurricane development.a) First, you need a spinTropical Disturbances develop from the convergence of trade winds in the tropics. All tropical systems must have some sort or rotation.b) Warm water a must--Hurricanes are a vast heat engine that need sea surface temperatures to be at least 80 degrees in order to grow and mature.c) No shearing allowedUnlike tornadoes, hurricanes are a vertically stacked system that move from east to west. Therefore, they must have high pressure and light winds aloft. 6. Stages of Hurricane Development Hurricanes go through several different stages ofdevelopment before they reach hurricane status. Tropical Wave--Is the first step toward a hurricane.They are areas of low pressure that lack a closedcenter of circulation. About hundred of thesedevelop each year in the Atlantic Ocean. Tropical Depression--Develops when a tropicalwave develops a closed low level circulation, andwind speeds in excess of 20 knots, or 25 mph. Tropical StormDevelops when a tropicaldepression has sustained wind speeds of 35knots, or 39 mph. HurricaneDevelops when a tropical storm hassustained wind speeds of 65 knots, or 74 mph. 7. The Saffir-Simpson ScaleOnce a tropical system matures to a hurricane, itcan continue to strengthen to even greaterheights.The stronger the hurricane, the morecatastrophic the damage can be upon landfall.Below is the Saffir-Simpson Scale, which is usedto measure a hurricanes intensity and potentialfor damage. 8. The Effects of a Hurricane Hurricanes can bring a variety of effects. Some aregreater than the others. Below is a brief description of each. RainProbably the most underrated of all effects from atropical storm or hurricane. Amounts can be as high asseveral feet. WindThe next most devastating effect behind stormsurge, hurricanes can have winds up to and above 200mph. TornadoesMany do not realize it, but hurricanes canproduce tornadoes upon landfall. The friction betweenthe storm and land produces a great deal ofinstability, and thus, Tornadoes. Storm SurgeThe most deadly effect from ahurricane, this rising dome of water that accompanieslandfall accounts for about 90 percent of all hurricanedeaths. 9. Gulf of Mexico Hurricane Tracking Chart 10. Top Ten Safety Preparedness Tip1.Create an Emergency Kit for your home and vehicle2.Have enough food, water, and medical supplies to last 3 to 5 dayswithout aid from others3.Keep a current list of the medications you are taking4. Make a communication plan with family and friends in case youare separated5.Take pictures of your property before a storm and have a plan forsecuring property with appropriate materials6.Review your evacuation plan and routes with your family7.Be familiar with alerts, warnings, and local emergency services8.Learn the community emergency plans9.Keep important documents, both personal and financial, in awaterproof portable container or zip lock bag10. Keep food, water, and medicines on hand for pets and make plansto ensure their safe shelter and care 11. Preparedness- Make a Plan Food: Pack food that is ready-to-eat, needs no refrigeration, anduses little water to prepare. Pack a manual can opener andflatware. Drinking water: Store water in clean, airtight containers (at least1 gallon/person/day). Clean your bathtub with bleach before fillingwith water for bathing. Boil tap water until officials say it issafe. Report broken water or sewer lines. Battery-operated radio: Listen for reports from local authorities. Medications: Have prescriptions, over-the-counter medicines,essential toiletries, and mosquito repellent in a first aid kit.Include spare eyeglasses, hearing aids, and batteries, if needed.Write special needs on waterproof lists for family members. 12. Preparedness- Make a Plan ContinuedClothing: Have at least two pairs of shoes.Communications plan: Choose an out-of-state contact for your familyto call if local phone lines do not work. Pick a meeting place away fromhome in case your neighborhood is blocked.Pets: The Humane Society offers the tips below :If you evacuate, DO NOT LEAVE YOUR PETS BEHIND.Note that many emergency shelters cannot accept pets.Keep the number of local animal shelters on your emergency info list.Securely fasten current ID tags to pets collar with your contact info.Pack a Pet Survival Kit in advanceIf you must leave your pet, confine it to a safe area indoors; NEVERleave your pet chained outside. Place notices to alert others that petsare in the house. Leave your number or a contacts as well as thename and number of your vet. 13. Preparedness- Protect Your Property Early preparation will make securing your property fasterand less of a hassle. Throughout the year, take thefollowing steps to prepare: Store emergency supplies in the trunk of your car. Take pictures of your property. Remove diseased or damaged limbs and thin out branches to maketrees more wind resistant. Keep gutters clear of debris to allow water to flow off your house. Keep plywood and other supplies on hand to avoid last minuteshopping. If planning to use a portable generator, place in a well-ventilatedarea and have working carbon monoxide detectors installed in thehouse. Keep important documents in one place in a waterproof, portablecontainer. 14. Preparedness- Protect Your Property Continued When a hurricane enters the Gulf, make the following last minutepreparations: Bring inside lawn furniture, outdoor decorations or ornaments, trashcans, hanging plants, and anything else that can be picked up by thewind. Patch weak spots in doors, windows, and roofs. Cover all home windows. If you dont have shutters, use precut-inch outdoor plywood. Install anchors for plywood and pre-drillholes in plywood so you can put it up quickly. Tape will not keepwindows from breaking. If no one will ride out the storm at your house: Turn off water to your house at the citys shut-off valve (usually inthe front yard). Turn off the main power supply to the house at thecircuit breaker. 15. Checklists 16. Overview Emergency Prep Kit These are just some Preparedness Plansuggestions to get you Food & Drink thinking about what you and your family may Medicine & need. Toiletries Stock up now before Toolslines are long and Documentssupplies are short Clothing & Bedding Entertainment Pets 17. PlansPreparedness Plan Register individuals with special needs with your countysEmergency Management Office (211). Designate an out-of-state contact and share number withfamily. Know your homes vulnerability and decide if you willevacuate or shelter-in-place. Select a meeting place for your family in case you cannot getinto your neighborhood. Stock up on supplies for you, your family, and your pets. Make a list of prescriptions that you will need to refill prior to astorm. Discuss plan with family and friends 18. ProvisionsFoodDrinks Tuna Honey Bottled Water Ready-to-eat soup Frozen Water bottles Canned Fruits Gatorade Nuts Granola Bars Canned Juice Crackers Canned/Powered Milk Cereal Peanut butter Instant Coffee Bread Jelly Have enough nonperishable foods to last 2 weeks. Store them in a waterproof box. Avoid foods that are salty, dry, or high in fat or protein as they increase thirst. 19. Medicine & Toiletries First Aid Kit Baby Wipes Eye Drops Toothbrush Prescription Medications Toothpaste Common Pain Killers Deodorant Bug Repellent Mouthwash Glasses/Contacts Hairbrush Contact lens Feminine Hygiene Itemssolution/case Razor/Shaving cream Antibacterial wipes Soap/Shampoo Baby powder Hand Sanitizer 20. Tools Flashlight Fire Extinguisher Batteries Charcoal/Lighter Fluid Battery- operated Grillradio or TV Plastic Trash bags Matches in waterproof Hammer and nailscontainer Cleaning Supplies Thermos and coolers Propane Tanks Manual can opener Tarps Gas can Duct Tape Generator Tree Saw Chaffing fuel Hand Tools 21. DocumentsImportant Papers Important Telephone numbers Cash and travelers check Bank account numbers Phone cards Family records List of Allergies for each family(birth, marriage, and death membercertificates) List of special needs for each Inventory of valuable family memberhousehold goods Evacuation map Photos of home prior to storm Passports, social security Copy of will, insurance cards, and immunizationpolicy, deeds, stocks, andrecordsbonds.Keep these items in a Credit Card account numberswaterproof containers or inplastic bags. 22. Clothing & Bedding Clothing Bedding Rain Gear Blankets Sturdy Shoes Sleeping Bags Gloves for cleaning up Pillows At least one completechange of clothes andshoes per person Long-sleeve, loose shirts 23. EntertainmentDistraction Board Games Books Crayons & paper Playing cards Toys Instruments 24. PetsPet Survival Kit Food, water, andmedicine for 5 days Veterinary records Carriers, blanket orbed, and toys Litter box and litter Leash Current photo withphysical description andinfo on allergies/illnesses 25. Planning For a Hurricane VideoThe smartest thing to do when ahurricane is in the Gulf of Mexico is tomonitor TV and radio broadcasts andto listen to instructions from localofficials.Hurricanes may take several days toarrive. Go over your evacuation planswith your family before the storm.Make sure you have road maps andyou know the evacuation routes.When a storm is in the Gulf, fill yourgas tank and keep it full. Make sureyour emergency supply kit is ready togo.Your emergency preparedness kitshould include: radio, flashlight, extrabatteries, cash and credit cards, copiesof prescriptions, copies of insuranceinformation, bottled water and non-perishable food.Hurricanes are dangerous andunpredictable. Plan for the storm to beworse than predicted. 26. Evacuation and Special NeedsIf you or family members have specialneeds -- leave before a mandatoryevacuationWhen a hurricane threatens, make specialplans for babies the elderly and medicallyfragile family members.It will take much longer to travel during amandatory evacuation. Make travel easier onthem by leaving early.If you are traveling with babies, the elderly orfamily members with special health careneeds -- remember the special supplies andequipment that they will need for severaldays.If you yourself have any special health careneeds and you can travel on your own --its a good idea to leave ahead of the crowd.If you depend on special medicalequipment, you may also want to leavebefore a mandatory evacuation.Make sure youve got special medicalsupplies and equipment in your emergencykit. 27. Emergency SuppliesSupplies in your emergency kitYour supplies should include: Credit cards, cash and road maps. Battery-operated radio, flashlight, extra batteries, extrakeys, tools, NOAA weather radio. First-aid kit, extra prescriptionmedications, written copies ofprescriptions, special medicalitems, eyeglasses, hearing aids and batteries. Three-day supply of non-perishable food, onegallon of bottled water per person per day, coolersfor food and ice storage, paper plates, plasticutensils, manual can opener. Toilet paper, cleanup supplies, personal hygieneproducts. Special items and equipment for babies, theelderly, medically fragile individuals and pets. Copies of important documents andrecords, photo IDs, driver license, proof ofresidence, account numbers, information forinsurance claims. Blankets, pillows, sleeping bags and extra 28. Your Property Before The Storm Plan to take care of your property before you face a storm Make plans for taking care of your property BEFORE you face any kind of storm threat. Track your vulnerability to flooding from hurricanes by checking floodplain maps. As construction increases in your area, floodplains can change. Check your insurance coverage. Most homeowner insurance policies do not cover flood damage. Learn about the National Flood Insurance Program. Find out if your home meets current building code requirements for high winds. Structures built to meet or exceed current building code high-wind provisions have a better chance of surviving violent storms. Protect all windows by installing commercial shutters or preparing 5/8 inch plywood panels. Garage doors can be the first thing in a home to fail. Reinforce garage doors to withstand high winds. Before hurricane season, trim dead wood and weak branches from trees. Trim overhanging branches from all trees. Any dead tree near a home is a hazard. 29. Evacuation ChecklistKeep this checklist of tasks to do before youevacuateWhen a hurricane threatens your area, evacuatingis the smartest move. Make your evacuation plansin advance. Keep this checklist of important tasks and review it before you leave.Put up shutters or plywood on all windows andopenings. Winds are stronger at higherelevations, and high-rise apartments or condos.Move patio furniture, hanging plants and gas grillsinside.If your home is vulnerable to rising water, movevaluables and furniture to a higher level. Putvaluable documents in air-tight plastic containersthat are easy to carry during an evacuation.Turn off electricity at the main circuit breaker or fusebox to protect appliances from power surges. Thiswill reduce the risk of live dangling wires after thestorm.If the house is supplied with natural or propanegas, check in advance with your gas company onwhat to do.Make a final walk-through inspection of the homebefore closing the door and beginning yourevacuation. 30. Resources 31. Hurricane Evacuation Plan by Zip Code 32. Hurricane Evacuation Plan Continued The zip code zones are labeled Zip Zone Coastal, Zip Zone A, Zip Zone Band Zip Zone C. Zip Zone Coastal encompasses the zip codes utilized on GalvestonIsland, Bolivar Peninsula, and portions of coastal Brazoria County includingFreeport and Surfside. This is the most threatened geographic area andresidents of these zip codes will evacuate first when a hurricaneapproaches. Zip Zone A includes zip codes for nearly all of mainland GalvestonCounty, eastern Brazoria County, and the communities along Clear Creek insouthern Harris County. Zip Zone B includes zip codes for eastern and southern HarrisCounty, northwestern Galveston County and central Brazoria County. Zip Zone C the last region to evacuate under the new plan includeseastern Harris County, portions of Houston, and most of northern BrazoriaCounty. 33. Evacuation Route Information The primary evacuation routes for Galveston County are Interstate45, Highway 146, Highway 6 and Highway 124. Galveston Islandand mainland. Galveston County residents should use I-45, Hwy. 146 and Hwy. 6to evacuate the area. Residents of Bolivar Peninsula shouldevacuate via Highway 87 to Highway 124 through ChambersCounty. The State of Texas will provide wrecker assistance and comfortstations with emergency food, ice and fuel along I-45, I-10, U.S.290, and Highway 59. These services may not be available toevacuees who choose routes other than the primary evacuationroutes, such as Farm-to-Market roads. 34. Galveston County EvacuationInformationGalveston County and several municipalities in theCounty have contracted with local school districtsto obtain buses for evacuation purposes. Theprimary school district with this capability is theClear Creek Independent School District. In theevent buses are not available from the state ofTexas (for example, when a fast-forming stormdoes not allow enough lead time), GalvestonCounty may activate its bus transportation plan withCCISD. Copies of the CCISD bus agreement areavailable from GCOEM. 35. EVACUATION OF CITIZENS WITH MEDICAL & FUNCTIONAL NEEDS The State of Texas 2-1-1 Registry offers Texans an opportunity toregister in advance for medical/functional-needs assistance. Localjurisdictions receive this confidential data via email and are responsiblefor adding this information to their databases. The data base is not apromise of transportation. The State data-entry process will typicallyshut down approximately 24 hours prior to landfall, with calls thenrouted to 911. Galveston County and the City of Galveston contract with the City ofAustin for shelter space for medical and functional needs individuals.Copies of these agreements are available from the City or the County.Each city in Galveston County has specific responsibilities related tothe evacuation of medical/functional needs residents to Austin. 36. Citizens in Need of Transportation Citizens who need transportation out of Galveston County will beadvised to go to a pickup point in their community, or directly to oneof the two evacuation (departure) points in the County. In many cases, citizens will have no means of transport to theirpickup point or evacuation point. The Cities and County will use theirown transportation resources (cars, buses, vans, etc.) andpersonnel (police, fire, etc.) to transport these individuals to theappropriate locations. Each City and the County will advise residents of luggagerestrictions and pet requirements. It is the policy of GalvestonCounty and its cities to accommodate service animals as well asfamily pets. However each City and the County reserve the right todeny passage for animals that are not restrained and/or deemed athreat to evacuees. 37. SANTA FE HIGH SCHOOL FIRST RESPONDER SHELTER Under an agreement signed by the Santa FeIndependent School District (SFISD), GalvestonCounty and local jurisdictions in 2011, SFISD will allowuse of portions of Santa Fe High School and parkinglots to house first-responders and store equipmentprior to landfall. Galveston County is installing a largegenerator at the school and will provide meals for first-responders through a separate contract. The schoolwill be vacated as soon as feasible after the stormpasses, or when SFISD resumes classes. Signatoriesto the agreement will not allow the possession or useof drugs or alcohol, or harbor pets, while on schoolproperty. 38. PUBLIC ASSEMBLY POINTS (FOR TRANSPORT TO EMBARKATION HUBS)The following pickup points have been designated for individuals who needtransportation out of Galveston County when a mandatory evacuation iscoming up. The Cities and County may revise or eliminate these locationsbased on circumstances at the time of evacuation. Cities will be responsible for transporting mainlandresidents from city pickup points to one of the twoembarkation hubs: the Charles T. Doyle ConventionCenter, 2010 5th Ave. N. in Texas City. Island residents willbe directed to use Island Transit to reach the IslandCommunity Center, 4700 Broadway in Galveston. TheGalveston County Parks & Senior Services Department willassist with pickup of citizens at unincorporated countypickup points. 39. PUBLIC ASSEMBLY POINTS Continueda. Bayou Vista/Freddiesville,a. Hitchcock: Hitchcock PublicLibrary, 8005 Barry Ave.b. Bolivar Peninsula b. Crystal Beach County Annex, 946Noble Carl Road, Crystal Beachc. Clear Lake c. Johnnie Arolfo Civic Center, 300 W. Shores, Kemah, LeagueWalker St., League City Cityd. McAdams Junior HighSchool, 4007 Video St., Dickinsond. Dickinson e. Dickinson Community Center, 2714e. Dickinson (unincorporated) Hwy. 3, Dickinson f. Friendswood Library, 416 S.f. FriendswoodFriendswood Drive, Friendswoodg. Galveston, Jamaica Beachg. Island Community Center, 4700Broadway Ave., Galvestonh. San Leon-Bacliffh. Bacliff Community Center, 4500i. Santa Fe 10th St., Bacliff i. Santa Fe Junior High School, 4200j. Texas City, La Marque, TikiWarpath Ave., Santa Fe Islandj. Doyle Convention Center, 2010 5thAve. N., Texas City 40. MEDICAL TRIAGE AT EMBARKATIONPOINTS Triage at the embarkation points will be provided by ateam deployed by the Texas Department of State HealthServices. Individuals who present at the IslandCommunity Center or Doyle Center with major medicalissues will be transported to a state medical shelter inSan Antonio. Individuals who board a bus to Austin anddevelop medical problems en route will be directed to amedical shelter in Austin. 41. Questions??? 42. I am not afraid ofstorms, for I am learning how to sail my ship ~Louisa May AlcottAdvocate of the disabled community 43. Contact #Team Ready for More Information 501 Gulf Freeway Suite #104League City, Texas 77573Main: (281) 984- 1955Fax: (713) 510- 8756Email: info@mhcil.org www.mhcil.org