Learning to reason with hurricane season

ALBANY – Albany, Dougherty County and southwest Georgia as a whole have had their share of wild and destructive weather, from tornadoes to tropical storms to, most recently, a Category 3 hurricane.

And that’s just in the last couple of years. Devastating, deadly tornadoes also have struck, including the Valentine’s Day 2000 storm system that killed 11 near Camilla and seven others in Colquitt, Grady, Mitchell and Thomas counties. On March 1, 2007, a system spawned multiple tornadoes that killed eight, with one of the twisters tearing a path a mile wide and 38 miles long that included the demolition of Sumter Regional Hospital.

Going back further, there was the flood of 2008 and the “great flood” of 2004 that killed 31 and wreaked destruction of biblical proportions on the region.

Some may be wondering: What’s next, locusts?

That kind of panic mindset is something one of Dougherty County’s top emergency officials wants to dispel. The best way to deal with the inevitable next big weather event is to keep your cool and prepare before it happens, said Jenna Chang, emergency management specialist for the county’s Emergency Management Agency.

With hurricane season starting on Saturday, some may want to refamiliarize themselves with plans for dealing with a severe storm and its aftermath. Children, in particular, may be freaked out after having been through prior events, Chang said, so family preparation should take that into account.

When conducting a practice evacuation run, for instance, “pick a day when there’s not a cloud in the sky,” she said. “Doing these things on a day when nothing is happening can make it less scary if it does happen.”

Make sure to get input from the children, such as which toy he or she would want to bring along in the event of an evacuation.

Other considerations include having a meeting place in case a disaster happens when family members are scattered at work and school, and keeping in mind that cell service could be out after the weather event.

For disasters that keep people at home without electricity, the rule of thumb is to have on hand enough food and water for three to five days for everyone in the household, including pets.

Also, when the power is out, those cans of tuna won’t open themselves if the only opener in the house is electric.

After Hurricane Michael struck in October, some people in the county went without electricity for up to 10 days or more, Chang said. In a situation like that, firing up the grill and inviting the neighbors over was a method some used to deal with the potential of a large amount of spoiled meat.

By comparison, Chang requested state and federal help to feed up to 80,000 people a day in the days immediately following the storm.

While government agencies have the main role in preparing for a known upcoming event – and recovery in the wake of a disaster – volunteers have emerged after recent ones to do what they can to assist their communities, Chang said.

Staying informed, without allowing social media to cause panic, is the best thing one can do to face adverse weather, both for oncoming events and in the wake of a disaster, Chang said. Then act on the information.

Preparation steps can be as simple as, in one community where there are a large number of mobile homes, asking officials at a nearby church if they could seek shelter there in the event it’s needed, a case in which the church gave its OK.

“There is no right or wrong way to plan,” Chang said. “If you don’t feel like you’re safe in your home, (say) if you live in a mobile home, I’d suggest go where you feel safe.”

One final tip is to make sure renters’ and homeowners’ policies provide coverage for weather events that can occur in the area. In some instances in the past, residents have found out that a policy did not cover tornado damage, or in other cases that tornadoes were covered but not non-tornado-related wind damage, Chang said.

Other tips and information are available at the county’s emergency facebook page, facebook.com/DoCoEMA/, or the National Weather Service at weather.gov/ind/preparedness.

Most cellphones can be set to give a warning of potential severe weather. Users can look under settings for “emergency broadcasts” where there are options for setting alerts that sound the alarm if the weather service issues a warning.

Another option is an emergency alert radio. On Thursday Lowe’s in Albany had a Craftsman model with battery and hand crank selling for $35. It also serves as a radio to get news in the event a storm has knocked out power and cellphone service.

There are a number of radios that provide alerts and information that offer a variety of features and price ranges.

Other supplies shoppers typically purchase for storm preparation include flashlights, water and generators, said Lowe’s employee Jim Blanford.