Part one: Working for a better Emery County

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Emery County may seem like an isolated place. Interstate 70 spans the southern part of the county dividing the San Rafael Swell. You may speed along I-70 in and out of the county so fast you won’t notice what’s here. Eleven thousand people call Emery County home. What keeps them here? Is it the rural lifestyle with room to run and play? The mountains and desert both so accessible to the residents here. As with any county there are situations and aspects of life here unique to Emery County. What can we do as residents of the county to keep ourselves and others safe.
As a new year approaches, the Progress will be publishing a series of three articles concerning Emery County and some issues the county is facing and also some information on emergency preparedness.
Emery County Sheriff’s Office has an Emergency Management department headed by Capt. Kyle Ekker. He along with Sgt. Tom Harrison and corrections secretary Jan Luke spend time educating county residents on emergency preparedness.
Sgt. Harrison said, “First we must think about the types of emergencies that could occur in our area. What are we prone to in our area? With the Seeley fire from this past summer, we all know now that a major fire can really cause some problems. We could have severe snowstorms, earthquakes, ice storms, floods, wind storms and other natural disasters.
“One thing we really stress for people and especially with winter driving is to have a car kit. Keep some water, blankets, shovel, food, flashlights and other items in your car for emergencies. Snowstorms can hit very quickly and you need to be prepared. Keep your gas tank above half at all times. Then if you are stranded you can start your vehicle intermittently to keep warm. You don’t want to run the engine the whole time. This can lead to problems with carbon monoxide.
“Keep a pair of walking shoes in your vehicle and a warm coat, gloves and hat and boots. You never know when severe weather is going to strike,” said Sgt. Harrison.
Capt. Ekker said, “If you are on any type of medication, make sure you have enough medication with you to last awhile. This year to add to our emergency preparation efforts we have ordered small booklets to distribute to all of our county residents. We will be handing these out at county celebrations throughout 2013. These booklets give some handy tips on how to prepare for a disaster.”
Luke added there will be coloring books and handouts for the children as well to teach them about disasters and what they can do to help their families be prepared. “We are doing this to help educate the children and also to help them become familiar with possible disasters. If the children are educated, then they won’t be as frightened in an actual disaster.”
Children can be traumatized by a disaster. Provide reassuring words and comfort for them.
Sgt. Harrison said, “Another aspect we will be looking at is how prepared are the schools to house the children if they need to remain at school. What preparations have been made if this occurs and also what will be the sheltering requirements should we need to house our own county people or people from other areas.
Capt. Ekker said, “We can’t stress enough the need for people to be able to take care of themselves for at least three days. Help will be available but it might not come immediately. Cell phone use during an emergency will be very limited. The system may become overloaded.
Victims of the recent Hurricane Sandy learned a lot about what items they needed on hand and in their 72 hour kits.
Having a disaster supply kit ready to take with you at a moment’s notice ensures you will have necessary supplies no matter how fast you may need to evacuate. Pack supplies in duffel bags or backpacks and keep them in a designated place. Your kit will also come in handy if you must take shelter in your home. Include all of the essentials in your kit. Water, food, flashlights, batteries, battery operated radio, medicine, foods for anyone on a special diet, ziplock bags, wash cloths and towels, clothing, sleeping bags, copies of important papers, extra keys, maps, cash and first aid kit.
Sgt. Harrison said, “Sometimes we need to deal with power outages, even if it isn’t a natural disaster. Are we equipped to deal with even short term outages. What about the special needs people and people on oxygen. We need to be aware of our neighbors and any unique situations they might be dealing with.
“If you do operate a generator in a power outage, make sure it’s set-up outside, only hook whatever you need powered directly to the generator, don’t hook it to your home’s electrical system.
“We need to be prepared for anything, we never know when something drastic might happen. Be prepared to take care of your own family. We hope the local churches in the area are prepared to take care of others and those in their congregations. We need lists of people with special needs and we need to know who will help them in a disaster situation.
“Be aware of those around you who might need help.
“Sometimes evacuations are called for and some people don’t leave disaster areas. You need to know, if you choose not to leave, then it may be difficult to come back at a later time to rescue you. We know that houses and possessions are important to people, but they aren’t as important as your safety and the safety of your family.
“Know where all your important papers and documents are. Be ready to leave at a moment’s notice if you need to. Know where your photos are so you can take them with you. Have a contact person outside the area that you can reach in an emergency to let them know that you are evacuating or that you are OK. It’s really important to keep that gas tank full so you can leave the area if need be. If something happens along the Wasatch Front and people are evacuated to our area, we need to be able to help them until more support arrives. In the middle of a disaster is not the time to react or prepare. We need to be prepared before a disaster happens,” said Sgt. Harrison.
Capt. Ekker said, “During the disaster we need to be prepared to survive the first event. Sometimes there will be a warning something is going to happen, but like with an earthquake, you won’t have a warning you just have to ride it out and then deal with the aftermath and recovery afterwards. Always remember you need to be able to take care of yourselves. You need to survive the event and sustain yourselves until help arrives.”
Learn how to shut off the main gas and electricity into your home. Also be prepared to take care of your pets in an emergency. Pets should not be left behind in a disaster. After a disaster, inspect your home for any damage.
Earthquake damage can extend for miles from the epicenter of these traumatic shifts in the earth’s crust, resulting in collapsed buildings, bridges, and overpasses. There may be cracked roadways, downed power lines, broken gas lines, fires, explosions and landslides. Prepare your homes for earthquakes by securing major appliances to the floor and wall. Move large objects and breakable items to lower shelves. Fasten pictures and mirrors securely to walls. During an earthquake if you are inside, stay inside. Hide under a table or desk or crouch in a corner or against a wall. Stay away from windows and bookcases. If you are outside, stay there, but away from power lines, buildings and anything that can fall on you. If you are in your vehicle stay inside and park in a safe place. Avoid stopping on bridges, overpasses and near powerlines and near trees or buildings.
Part II of this series will continue in the Dec. 18 issue of the Emery County Progress. The topic for part II will be the continuing drug problems in the county.