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Photo courtesy MARK BARTOLI (Flood NO More)
Have You Thought of Your Pets?
For a helpful brochure on protecting pets: NJ Dept of Agriculture/Pets. For more links about animal emergency preparedness: PETS links
Everyone has been busy safeguarding their homes and lives in advance of the storm — which, if you haven’t heard, has so far traced the path of Hurricane Floyd. Officials have organized shelter space, loaded trucks with sandbags and taken all the measures they should under Gov. Christie’s state of emergency.
Meanwhile, emergency workers in Bergen County have supplied some important tips that they say CLIFFVIEW PILOT followers might not have immediately considered:
CLIFFVIEW PILOT EXCLUSIVE REPORT: Massive power outages and flooding will likely continue past midnight tonight, as New York runoff swells the already overflowing Hackensack River, Pascack Brook and area reservoirs, making an already bad situation much worse, Bergen County leaders told mayors and other government officials during a 15-minute emergency conference call this afternoon. READ MORE ….
If your power goes out and you have no “life-sustaining” equipment, DO NOT dial 911. Police will be overwhelmed by the calls, possibly keeping someone in immediate danger from getting through. Call your utility company directly. Have the number handy. There is nothing police, firefighters, mayors — or even the governor — can do to get power restored faster.
Veteran dispatcher Kim Brown says that neither she nor her counterparts answering calls know any sooner than residents when power will be restored. She offers this sound advice:
“People think that, when the power goes out, calling 911 will get a faster response from the power company. If you call the 800 number off your bill, your address goes straight into the database and they can see better which grid has the trouble.
“Just because you go to an automated attendant doesn’t mean your problem won’t be solved. The computer takes the info and they keep tabs on the address.”
Brown added: “People should also attempt whenever possible to use a landline to call 911 or be prepared to know exactly where they are if using a cell phone. That’s why we answer, ‘WHERE is your emergency?’ Cell phones are not accurate transmitters to an exact location most of the time.”
Do not walk or drive near utility lines that are down. Assume ALL lines are live with electricity and will kill or seriously injure you if they are touched.
Do not drive thorough standing water or try to wade through flooded streets. Why? What if the overflowing drains popped a manhole cover and you either fall in or drive one of your car wheels into it?
And remember: Fire alarm boxes always work. If you haven’t already, take two minutes today to find the one nearest you.
One many people forget: Turn your refrigerator and freezer to the coldest settings and keep them closed as much as possible so food will last longer if the power goes out.
Be sure your cellphone has enough battery life.
“Modern telephone systems MAY NOT FUNCTION without power,” said Steve Makky, a former Cliffside Park fire chief who has worked as an emergency management coordinator. “The old Bell System phones were hard-wired and get battery voltage right from the telephone company. As long as the line was still intact and the telephone central office was still there, you could make a call – at least locally within the numbers controlled by that central office.
“Same with VoIP phones and telephone via your cable TV provider,” he said. “There may be an internal battery that will last a while (with great degrees of variability – minutes, hours, days, who knows until the power goes out), or there may be back-up batteries somewhere out in the street. But if those run out, so does your dialtone.
“If NJ gets hammered, plan to be ‘on your own’ for at least 72 hrs while emergency crews deal with others possibly more in need of help,” Makky said. “This applies for all phones, wired or wireless: Stay off the phone if you don’t need to speak with anyone (necessity or emergency, not convenience) so the lines are available for those who may need to call for help.”
If all else fails — and this is a last resort — have a car charger for your cellphone. At least you’ll be able to reach someone if it’s critical.
If you are not told to evacuate, STAY HOME! Free the roads for those evacuees. Also, clean your tub with bleach, fill with water for washing & flushing (not drinking).
What we should be aware of is that there is a major difference between Floyd and Irene – or, rather, the conditions we’re under here.
When Flood hit on Sept. 16-17, 1999, we were suffering a drought. Lakes, watersheds, brooks, streams were all relatively dry. The runoff from Floyd wasn’t as devastating as it might have been otherwise.
This month, we’ve had at least eight inches of rainfall, nearly double the usual for August. And as United Water noted on Friday, the peak demand season is nearly over, so its nearly 800,000 customers in Bergen and Hudson counties are using less water.
Throughout the summer, members of the civic action group Flood NO More have also posted photographs of high water levels at the floodgates.
So being prepared isn’t a bad idea. Get anything loose from around the house into a garage or somewhere else — you don’t want a stray plant holder crashing through your living-room window.
And while it’s assumed at this point you’ve tended to the basics, a rehash never hurts. So here it comes, courtesy of the Weather Channel:
Depending on your location, you could be told to evacuate before a warning or even a watch is issued by the National Hurricane Center. Notify someone unaffected by the storm about your whereabouts.
If you are told to evacuate:
- Follow all instructions from local officials; leave immediately when told to;
- Bring emergency supplies, along with blankets, sleeping bags, books & games;
- Bring copies of important papers (insurance policies), list & photos of valuables;
- Unplug appliances, turn off electricity and main water valve;
- Lock windows & doors;
- Go!
If you’re home in the middle of the hurricane:
- Go to an interior room on the lowest level where you’re taking shelter;
- Stay away from windows & doors, even if they’re covered with shutters or plywood;
- During extremely strong winds, lie under something sturdy such as a stairwell or large piece of furniture;
- Do not go outside, even during passage of the eye. If the eye passes directly over you, the winds could become very weak but only for a very short period. It will not be long before hurricane-force wind resume, blowing from the opposite direction as before the eye arrived.
After a Hurricane:
- Help might not come for up to a few days, and power could be out for days — or even weeks;
- Do not touch anything electrical if you are wet. Stay out of water that could be touching anything electrical, such as in a basement with electrical appliances, or in flooded areas outside where there could be downed power lines;
- Only use a generator in an outdoor, well-ventilated area, and closely follow manufacturer’s instructions. Many people have died in the aftermath of a hurricane from inhalation of poorly ventilated carbon monoxide from a generator;
- Use flashlights instead of candles for light. Candles pose a serious fire hazard.
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