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WHAT IS
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT?
Emergency
Management is a four-phase program to protect citizens from disasters.
- Mitigation:
During this phase we work to improve things so that our homes, our offices,
and our schools will not be damaged by disasters.
- Preparation:
We make plans for what we will do when disasters strike, and train and buy
equipment to be ready for them. We
talk to families, schools, clubs, and church groups to help them prepare for
those disasters.
- Response:
When a disaster happens, we rescue, evacuate, shelter, and provide other aid
to Bexar County residents and businesses to help them cope with what has
happened.
- Recovery:
This phase has two parts-first we do what is necessary to get back to
living, working, and doing the
other things we were doing before the disaster, usually with temporary
repairs. During the
second part, we repair and rebuild, not just the way things were, but if
they weren’t right, or as safe as they should have been, to make them
right.
WHAT
YOU CAN DO
- Prepare
a family disaster plan.
- Put
together a family disaster supplies kit.
- Talk
about and have disaster drills in the home.
- Buy
a battery-operated or battery-backup weather radio.
- Encourage
your church, school, and other groups to ask for disaster talks, and to plan
for disasters.
TIPS
FOR A FAMILY DISASTER PLAN
- Make
a family disaster supplies kit, which should include a three-day supply of
water and non-perishable food.
- Each
person needs one gallon of water per day for drinking, cooking and
sanitation.
- Don’t
forget spare eyeglasses, prescriptions, and over-the-counter drugs.
- Be
sure to include a first aid kit and a battery-operated radio in your kit.
- Keep
all of your supplies in a container capable of taking with you if you have
to leave the house.
- Have
two family meeting places, one in the neighborhood and one in another part
of the county, just in case you can’t get into your own area.
- Have
phone numbers where separated family can leave word where they can be found,
one in town and one out of town. Sometimes,
it is easier to call out of town than across town.
- Don’t
forget matches, candles, flashlights, and batteries.
HOW
CAN YOU GET HELP AND INFORMATION?
CONTACT
The
Bexar County Office of Emergency Mgmt
(210) 335-0300
The
American Red Cross – San Antonio
(210) 224-5151
THEY
CAN PROVIDE PAMPHLETS ON:
- Emergency
Preparedness Checklist
- Your
Family Disaster Plan
- Your
Family Disaster Supplies Kit
- Preparing
for Emergencies – A Checklist
EMERGENCY TELEPHONE NUMBERS
POLICE
/ FIRE / EMS: 911
Bexar County Office of Emergency Management
(210) 335-0300
Texas Natural Resources Conservation
Commission
(210) 490-3096
Texas Department of Public Safety
(210) 533-2738
Weather Forecast
(210) 225-0404
American Red Cross – San Antonio
Chapter
(210) 224-5151
Salvation Army
(210) 352-2020
Battered Women’s Shelter
(210) 733-8810
United Way Help Line
(210) 227-4357
Child Abuse Help Line
(800) 252-5400
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