Division of Emergency Management
How to help in an emergency
(AidMatrixNetwork)
EmergencyInfoUtah.com
(Join a mailing list to receive situation updates,
emergency info, news releases)
Find My Local Emergency Manager
The Great Utah ShakeOut... April 17, 2013
It's time to sign up for 2013! Let's get 1 million Utahns under a desk!
Currently, more than 830,000 participants are registered to participate. Wait...you're not one of them? Help us reach our goal of 1 million Utahns under their desks in April!
More than 945,000 Utahns participated in our drop, cover and hold on drill for 2012! That means that 33 percent of the state's population was involved. Thanks to everyone for making this the state's largest earthquake drill ever. Click the image above to sign up. You can also download your own banners to display on your website, blog or Facebook page from the Resources section of the site.
Want to know who's participating? Here's the list
Follow the ShakeOut on Twitter: @UtahShakeOut or by using the hashtag #shakeout there, on Pinterest, Tumblr or Instagram. Check us out on Facebook, too: Facebook.com/UtahShakeOut
After your drill, you can upload photos, stories or videos to the ShakeOut website by logging into your profile.
You can also upload photos to our Tumblr blog.
Flood Safety Awareness Week is March 17-22
Caption: Workers build a pedestrian bridge over flooded State Street in April 1983.
Floods can happen any time, but the rapid snowmelt from winter snows can bring rivers to a swollen, deadly stage.
Exercise extreme caution around streams and rivers during the next few months. Not only might they be rapid, they may be extremely cold.
DEM and Be Ready Utah will bring you flood safety tips throughout the week.Here's some to start with:
Each year in the United States alone, nearly 100 people are killed by
floodwaters, which cause an average of $8 billion in property damage.
Here are a few additional facts to be aware of:
- Since 1900, floods have killed more than 10,000 people in the U.S.
- Motorists can lose control of their vehicles in just six inches of water
- A water depth of two feet will cause most vehicles to float
- The temperature of spring snowmelt runoff water is just over freezing, and if a person is in the water, hypothermia will set in within 2 minutes
- Five of Utah's last six Presidential Disaster Declarations were for flooding.
Find My Local Emergency Manager
Click on your county to access contact information for your emergency manager.
Other safety topics:
- Power outages
- Lightning Safety
- Earthquake Preparedness
- Wildfire Season
- Winter Weather Preparedness
National Severe Weather Preparedness Week was March 3-9
But you can be a Force of Nature any timeThe National Weather Service and Be Ready Utah remind you it's time to get ready for severe weather.
Basic preparedness information is always available at BeReadyUtah.gov and on Twitter @BeReadyUtah.
1. Know your risks
From 2012, these statistics show how wildfires have a significant impact across the country:
- 11 firefighters lost their lives
- 67,774 wildfires burned 9.3 million acres
- 4,244 structures were destroyed, including 2,216 residences
Families that live near wilderness areas need to realize that another dry year could bring wildfires to their doorstep and beyond, leading to destroyed belongings and evacuations.
You can get emergency information on Twitter by following the National Weather Service (@nwssaltlakecity), UtahFireInfo.gov (@utahwildfire) and the Utah Division of Emergency Management (@utahemergency).
2. Take action
- This is a great time to begin making plans for communicating in an emergency, gathering supplies for a grab and go kit and knowing how to evacuate from your home and neighborhood.
- Be Force of Nature by taking the Pledge to Prepare at ready.gov/severe-weather. When you pledge to prepare, you will take the first step to making sure that you and your family are prepared for severe weather
- Stay informed by having multiple sources for weather alerts - NOAA Weather Radio, an adaptive weather radios for individuals with access and functional needs, NWS Weather Wire Service, Weather.gov, and Wireless Emergency Alerts. Subscribe to receive alerts at www.weather.gov/subscribe.
3. Be an example- Once you Pledge to Prepare, make sure to tell your friends, family and co-workers in person or via social media.
- Post your story or share with Be Ready Utah on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr or Pheed.
- Even though earthquakes aren't a weather event, you can join the Great Utah ShakeOut, happening April 17 at 10:15 a.m. and practice your emergency plans with 1 million other Utahns. Currently, 640,000 are signed up to participate.
More emergency preparedness information at:
BeReadyUtah.gov
Click the icon below to get all of our accounts in one list
@Utah Emergency -- Emergency alerts and tweets from the PIO
@BeReadyUtah -- Preparedness, 140 characters at a time
@UT_MIT -- Lessening the impacts of natural disasters
@UtahShakeOut -- Promoting Utah's largest earthquake drill ever
@UtCitizenCorps -- Public safety volunteer opportunities abound
@UtahCERT -- Neighbors helping neighbors in disaster
Utah Division of Emergency Management
[Last Update - Monday, 15-Apr-2013 12:12:58 MDT]