Severe Weather Awareness Week
Sugar Land, TX – The Sugar Land Office of Emergency Management is joining agencies across Texas in support of “Severe Weather Awareness Week” from Feb. 22-29.
The goal of Severe Weather Awareness Week is not only to educate new residents and new generations about the dangers of weather, but also to remind citizens to update their emergency plans, double check emergency supply kits and to be prepared for tornadoes, floods, hail, straight-line windstorms and other potentially dangerous events.
Comprehensive preparedness information is available at www.sugarlandtx.gov. Select the “Severe Weather Awareness Week” link to access material on emergency supply kits, sheltering in place, hurricane preparedness or download Sugar Land’s extensive Emergency Preparedness Guide.
Sugar Land emergency management officials and all employees are essential to protecting citizens and preparing for response and recovery.
One the lessons learned during Hurricane Ike was the importance of citizen preparation, as there will be a period of time when citizens will be on their own. It’s important to plan now to be self sufficient for at least three days. Having a family plan and an emergency supply kit is essential. Tips for creating these life-saving tools are available at www.sugarlandtx.gov/emergency_management/HurricanePreparedness.asp; choose the Prepare Your Family” link.
Hurricane Ike also demonstrated the importance and challenges of timely communications. Sugar Land’s acquisition of a state-of-the-art emergency notification system was and continues to be a valuable tool to communicate with citizens during emergencies. The system – Connect CTY – enables the City to quickly communicate with citizens by residential, business or cell phone as well as e-mail, text message or devices for the hearing and speech impaired. The system allows citizens to register unlisted numbers for emergency contact through the city’s Web site - www.sugarlandtx.gov.
“We intend to continue utilizing Connect CTY to provide time-sensitive instructions during crisis situations that could include hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding and other man-made emergencies,” said Emergency Management Coordinator Pat Hughes.
Sugar Land will continue to review emergency operations plans and takes steps to ensure all City employees understand their specific roles and responsibilities relative to an emergency. Continued and training and exercise help to accomplish these goals.
“Through simple planning, we can help mitigate the effects of large-scale events and help keep our families safe,” said Hughes. “Remember, plan early and stay safe.”