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Politics & Government

How to Gear Up for Emergencies: Are You Ready?

Residents learn how to pack emergency kits and prepare for disasters.

Sergeant Richard Colabelli of the Essex County Sheriff’s Office had a message for attendees of an emergency preparedness session: Disaster can strike at any time, so it is better to prepare for the future.

The two-hour meeting at the Heritage Middle School in Livingston was one of a number of training sessions planned throughout county by the Essex County College Police Academy as part of the federal Community College Citizen Preparedness Program.

The session on Thursday was co-sponsored by the municipalities of Livingston, Millburn, Roseland and West Orange and drew about 40 participants.

Colabelli noted in the last several years New Jersey has experienced extreme weather conditions including epic snowstorms, and summer heat waves.

He said it is important for citizens to try to become self-sufficient, especially since only one percent of the nation's population are trained first responders, and it might take emergency workers several hours to reach people during a disaster, pandemic or other hazardous situation. 

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For example, Colabelli described the Dec. 26 2010 where more than 400 cars were stuck along Route 280 for hours and people ultimately had to abandon their vehicles and take shelter elsewhere because they did not have emergency kits in their vehicles.

Prepare emergency kits
Colabelli advised residents to make three emergency kits ahead of time: one for the home, one for the office and one to keep inside cars and other vehicles in case of storms or other weather emergencies.

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He suggested stocking vehicle emergency kits with necessities including a blanket for warmth, nutrition bars, heavy work gloves in case snow or debris needs to be moved, a poncho, water, toilet paper, a hat for cold weather, a flashlight, radio, batteries, important medications and a candle and matches or a fire torch for a light source. 

"If you're stuck in the car until help can arrive, you can help yourself," he said.

For home emergency kits, Colabelli suggested stocking up on those necessities and to include other important items, such as copies of insurance documents, passports, medical information, extra clothing, personal hygeine products, infant supplies and food for pets. 

A simple kit like this doesn't cost a lot of money, but it can save your life," he said. 

If emergency workers require you to evacuate the house, Colabelli said do not wait until the last minute to leave.

Before evacuating, try to turn off all utilities and the master electricity circuit breaker and lock the doors. In case of flooding, he advised keeping the basement windows open to equalize the pressure to secure the building foundation. 

If the emergency required a lock-down situation, such a shooting, Colabelli said citizens should stay put and listen to emergency workers to avoid creating another problem.

Form emergency evacuation plans ahead of time
When escaping from an emergency, Colabelli said to avoid all fallen electrical wires and avoid driving on washed-out and closed-off roads and other hazardous conditions.  

He said a foot of water can stall a car, a foot-and-a-half of rushing water can move a car and two-feet of water can turn a car into a boat.

"If it rains hard, don't go rushing to the store or you'll get stuck on the road," Colabelli said. "Stay home."

Colabelli also said people should be aware of their surroundings wherever they go and try to set up an emergency evacuation plan ahead of time, whether at work, or a hotel on vacation or even from home.

Colabelli said families should discuss and create their own plans for how they would handle an emergency and form evacuation plans ahead of time.

Reach out to local health departments and emergency management officials for more information, find out where local emergency shelters are located, and sign up for reverse 911 emergency notifications from your town, he said.

He also advised families with special needs -- such as young children or elderly relatives with medical or health problems -- to take extra precautions and consider notifying local emergency officials about their special needs in case of an emergency evacuation. 

Karen Haynes-Blake, an accountant and mother from West Orange, said she found the tips about creating three emergency kits helpful. 

"I have a kit in my car, and it wasn't as complete as it could be" she said.

For more information about emergency preparedness, visit the Federal Emergency Management Agency's website.

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