Winter Awareness Day is November 18
Missouri’s Recent Winter Storms Have Been Costly
Missouri has experienced three severe winter storms since January 2008
that have knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of homes and
businesses and caused millions of dollars in damage to private
property. At the height of the power outages following the January
26-28, 2009 ice storm, 135,000 customers were without electricity. Eight
people died as a result of the storm that left a layer of ice more than 2
inches thick in some parts of southern Missouri.
According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, there
were 26 cold-weather related deaths during the winter of 2008-09 and 23
deaths during the winter of 2007-08. The National Weather Service, the
State Emergency Management Agency and your local Emergency Management
Agency have set Wednesday, November 18, 2009, as Winter Awareness Day.
“The winter awareness campaign encourages Missourians to prepare for and
protect themselves during a snow or ice storm. Cold weather puts a
strain on your heart. In the event of snow fall, citizens are urged to
the careful when shoveling snow, pushing a car out of a snow bank and to
generally avoid overexertion in the winter,” said SEMA Director Paul
Parmenter.
Important terms the National Weather Service uses when forecasting are
“Winter Storm Watch” and “Winter Storm Warning.”
· Winter Storm Watch indicates that severe winter weather
may affect your area within 12-48 hours.
· Winter Storm Warning indicates severe winter weather is
in the area or expected immediately and can be life threatening.
· Ice Storm Warning is issued for ice accumulations of a
quarter-inch or more.
Missourians can prepare for winter by:
· Creating a family emergency plan and creating an
emergency kit with additional water and food that can be prepared without
cooking in case of a power outage.
· Securing an alternate fuel source such as firewood or a
generator. Make sure your fireplace functions properly. If you have a
generator, make sure you have fuel, your generator functions properly.
Only operate the generator outdoors.
· Creating a winter car kit in the trunk of the car.
This includes a blanket, spare radio with batteries, snacks or energy-type
food, jumper cables, flares, shovel, sand or shingles to give tires
traction.
More information can be found at the following websites:
SEMA Winter Awareness
http://sema.dps.mo.gov/semapage.htm.
Missouri’s Ready in 3 program:
http://www.dhss.mo.gov/Ready_in_3
Missouri Dept. of Transportation’s Road Conditions:
http://www.modot.mo.gov/
National Weather Service - St. Louis Winter Campaign:
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/lsx/?n=winterday
NWS’s Winter Deceptive Killer Brochure:
http://www.weather.gov/os/brochures/winterstorm.pdf
FEMA’s Winter Awareness Campaign:
http://www.fema.gov/areyouready/winter.shtm
Missouri has experienced three severe winter storms since January 2008
that have knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of homes and
businesses and caused millions of dollars in damage to private
property. At the height of the power outages following the January
26-28, 2009 ice storm, 135,000 customers were without electricity. Eight
people died as a result of the storm that left a layer of ice more than 2
inches thick in some parts of southern Missouri.
According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, there
were 26 cold-weather related deaths during the winter of 2008-09 and 23
deaths during the winter of 2007-08. The National Weather Service, the
State Emergency Management Agency and your local Emergency Management
Agency have set Wednesday, November 18, 2009, as Winter Awareness Day.
“The winter awareness campaign encourages Missourians to prepare for and
protect themselves during a snow or ice storm. Cold weather puts a
strain on your heart. In the event of snow fall, citizens are urged to
the careful when shoveling snow, pushing a car out of a snow bank and to
generally avoid overexertion in the winter,” said SEMA Director Paul
Parmenter.
Important terms the National Weather Service uses when forecasting are
“Winter Storm Watch” and “Winter Storm Warning.”
· Winter Storm Watch indicates that severe winter weather
may affect your area within 12-48 hours.
· Winter Storm Warning indicates severe winter weather is
in the area or expected immediately and can be life threatening.
· Ice Storm Warning is issued for ice accumulations of a
quarter-inch or more.
Missourians can prepare for winter by:
· Creating a family emergency plan and creating an
emergency kit with additional water and food that can be prepared without
cooking in case of a power outage.
· Securing an alternate fuel source such as firewood or a
generator. Make sure your fireplace functions properly. If you have a
generator, make sure you have fuel, your generator functions properly.
Only operate the generator outdoors.
· Creating a winter car kit in the trunk of the car.
This includes a blanket, spare radio with batteries, snacks or energy-type
food, jumper cables, flares, shovel, sand or shingles to give tires
traction.
More information can be found at the following websites:
SEMA Winter Awareness
http://sema.dps.mo.gov/semapage.htm.
Missouri’s Ready in 3 program:
http://www.dhss.mo.gov/Ready_in_3
Missouri Dept. of Transportation’s Road Conditions:
http://www.modot.mo.gov/
National Weather Service - St. Louis Winter Campaign:
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/lsx/?n=winterday
NWS’s Winter Deceptive Killer Brochure:
http://www.weather.gov/os/brochures/winterstorm.pdf
FEMA’s Winter Awareness Campaign:
http://www.fema.gov/areyouready/winter.shtm
Cats Have Character ! Citizenship
Cats Have Character! During November the Bloomfield Elementary School is promoting citizenship and career development. Parents can access the Cats Have Character newsletters and other counseling related information on the blog links. The November newsletter is filled with ideas to encourage our students to obey the rules and work to make their community a better place. We will highlight different careers by having the students and staff dress up on Career Day - November 20. BES will also honor our nation’s veterans with activities during the week of November 9 – 13.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)