Department of Emergency Management

Special Information & Seasonal Warnings

Caroline County - Hurricane Floyd - September 1999

• Know the storm surge and flooding history of your area.
• Learn safe evacuation routes.
• Learn the location of official human and pet shelters by contacting your local office of emergency management for assistance.
• Decide where you will go in case of an evacuation order and plan your route accordingly.
• Inventory your property and put the list in a safe place.
• Prepare a disaster supply kit in a duffel bag, back pack, or covered garbage pail, which you can carry easily. If you need to evacuate, you should take this kit with you. It should include the flowing:
  
  Disaster Supply Kit:
  
  
  • Bottled water and dried/canned foods to last 7-10 days
  • Manual can opener
  • Battery operated flashlight
  • Battery operated radio
  • Extra batteries
  • Clothes
  • Personal care items
  • Medications
  • Cash
  • First Aid Kit
  • Sleeping bags or blankets
  • Sturdy shoes
  • Insect repellent
  
  
• Clear gutters and downspouts, and trim trees and shrubs.
• If you have a boat, determine where to move it in an emergency.
• Review your insurance policy.
• Individuals with special sheltering or evacuation needs should contact their local offices of emergency management for assistance.

Caroline County, MD 480 between Greensboro and Ridgely - Hurricane Floyd, September 1999

• Stay inside a well-constructed building.
• Stay away from windows and doors, even if they are covered.
• Close all interior doors.
• Go to the basement or an interior first floor room such as a bathroom, closet, or under the stairs.
• In a multiple story building, go to the first or second floor and take refuge in the halls or other interior rooms away from windows.
• Lie on the floor under tables or other sturdy objects.
• Be alert for tornadoes which often are spawned by hurricanes.
• If the "eye" of the hurricane passes over your area, be aware that the improved weather conditions are temporary, and that the storm conditions will return with winds coming from the opposite direction - some times in a period of just a few minutes!

• Stay in your protected area until announcements are made on radio or television.
• If you have evacuated, do not try to return home until officials announce that your area is ready.
• Proof of residency may be required in order to re-enter areas that have been evacuated.
  
  

  Caroline County - Hurricane Floyd - September 1999

• If your home or building has structural damage, do not enter until it is checked by officials.
• Avoid using candles and other open flames indoors.
• Avoid downed power lines and any water in which they may be lying.
• Be alert for poisonous snakes, often driven from their habitat by high water.
• Beware of weakened bridges and washed out roads.
• Watch for weakened limbs on trees and/or damaged over hanging structures.
• Do not use the telephone unless absolutely necessary.
• Use dry or canned food. Do not drink or prepare food with tap water until you are certain it is not contaminated.
• Use caution when cutting up fallen trees.

Dawn Jones, PSD II

• Stay Calm. Give your name, location, and nature of the emergency.
• Listen carefully to the 9-1-1 operator.
• Answer the 9-1-1 operator's questions as accurately as possible. Speak clearly and slowly.
• Do exactly as the 9-1-1 operator tells you during the course of the call.
• Never hang up on the 9-1-1 operator until you are told to do so. If you hang up and redial, your call will go to the end of the line of people waiting for service.

Joe Holland, PT PSD II

• Invest in a touch-tone phone with large, easy-to-read numbers. Put a 9-1-1 reminder near the phone.
• Dialing "0" will not always connect you with an operator nearby. It may connect you with an operator many hundreds of miles away. Always dial 9-1-1 for local police, fire or medical emergency assistance.
• The 9-1-1 system allows the dispatcher to "know" where you are calling from even if you cannot speak - for instance, if you are experiencing a stroke or if there is an intruder in your home. Just dial 9-1-1 and leave the phone off the hook. Do not hang up.
• Keep your medical history taped to the refrigerator in an envelope clearly marked with your doctor's phone number(s).

• Be vigilant of your surroundings
• Be alert and observant of suspicious persons or activities and report them to the proper authorities by calling 911.
• Develop a disaster plan with your family.
• Assemble a disaster supplies kit, including essential and personal supplies, to make you and your family more comfortable.
• Establish a meeting place for family members should you be asked to evacuate.
• Make arrangements for your pets.


• Check on the school emergency plans if you have school age children.


• If Evacuation is requested:
• Listen to radio or television for continued instructions.
• Local authorities have good reasons to evacuate, take heed to their advice.


• Shelter in place
• Close and lock all windows and exterior doors that draw air from the outside.
• Turn off all heat and air systems.
• Move to an interior portion of your home, preferably about ground, away from windows.


• Stress and Anxiety
• Natural reaction in these uncertain times.
• Keep your lives in perspective, continue with daily activities.


• Helpful Web Sites
• Federal Emergency Management Agency - www.fema.gov.
• American Red Cross - www.redcross.org
• Maryland Emergency Management Agency - www.mema.state.md.us