EMA: Take time to prepare this spring

March 31--Local emergency officials are reminding residents that spring is a good opportunity to review plans and preparations for natural disasters.

The beginning of spring marks a time to clean and prepare for the rest of the year. It's also generally the start of a period of severe weather.

Andy Ball, director of Daviess County Emergency Management, said residents should designate some time while doing their other springtime tasks to take stock of their emergency supplies and review plans with their family.

"Everyone looks at their mortgage annually to see if they need to make any adjustments, or they look at their insurance documents annually," Ball said. "Disaster preparedness should be the same. Pick a day that's a day of preparedness for the family."

Ball said taking the time to find out where the best shelters are can save valuable time when disaster hits. He said one of the most recent tornadoes that flipped a trailer on East Marksberry Road in 2016 occurred without any prior warning.

Daviess County EMA doesn't have a master list of shelters or safe locations for people living in mobile home parks and other vulnerable places, but residents can find alternatives by reaching out in their communities.

Kathy Groob, spokesperson with Erlinger based SSK Communities that manages RiverBend Pointe on Lamplite Circle, said the community has set up its own contingency plan to take shelter at two churches in the area.

Ball said finding shelters before a disaster happens is important so each person in the family knows where to meet.

Keeping a stocked readiness kit with things such as water, flashlights and batteries is also important.

Ball said a NOAA weather radio is one of the most important pieces of any readiness kit.

"When electricity is out everywhere and even cell phone towers are down, the NOAA radio is the only way to get information," Ball said. "It's one of the best investments you can have."

Weather radios can be purchased at most retail stores. Daviess County EMA offers radio programming services at its office on the second floor of the Daviess County Courthouse.

Information about creating a ready kit and how to prepare for specific situations can be found at ready.gov.

Local resources and information can be found at Daviess County EMA's website, daviessky.org/departments/emergency-management/, or its official Facebook page.

Jacob Dick, 270-228-2837, jdick@messenger-inquirer.com,Twitter: @jdickjournalism

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