Keep Louisa County Safe
We can't STOP emergencies but we can be ready. Start preparing NOW!!
Whether it is a winter storm or summer, spring or fall, storms of any variety can do untold damage to homes, personal property, and life itself. This is why you want to be prepared will in advance.
General Tips
We can't STOP emergencies but we can be ready. Start preparing NOW!!
Whether it is a winter storm or summer, spring or fall, storms of any variety can do untold damage to homes, personal property, and life itself. This is why you want to be prepared will in advance.
General Tips
- Always have emergency supplies on hand: Assemble 2 emergency kits (1 for home and 1 for your vehicle) containing necessities such as extra blankets, flashlights, a radio, batteries, food and water.
- Have a disaster plan formulated. This will ensure that you and your family know how to react no matter what the nature of the emergency.
- Become familiar with your community’s Emergency Management Services warning signals.
- In any emergency situation, be sure to check your home for gas leaks, if there is a gas leak, open the windows and, if safe, exit the building.
- Familiarize yourself with the distinct sounds tornado make.
- If you are in a car, try to get out of the car and into a building. Never try to out drive a tornado.
- If you are inside and do not have a shelter, go to the lowest point in your home and seek shelter under the stairs, in the basement or in a closet. Stay away from windows. The bathtub is also a safe place too, as it is often directly anchored into the ground. It is also wise to use a mattress or thick blanket for cover.
- If a storm is coming do not wait for it to start before seeking shelter. In many cases, dangerous lightning often precedes rain.
- Lightning can travel through electric lines and water pipes, so avoid using phones, electronic devices, sinks, and bathtubs during a lightning storm.
- If you are caught outside during an electrical storm, try to seek shelter in a car. If that is not possible, avoid locating yourself near anything that may conduct electricity such as trees or flagpoles.
- Don’t carry, touch or be near anything made of metal.
- If you must go outside during a snowstorm, be sure to wear several layers of clothes and cover your mouth to protect your lungs.
- If you are stuck in your car during a winter storm, conserve fuel and only use the heater for about 10 minutes every hour. Lower the window slightly for some fresh air.
- If a blizzard traps you in your car, pull off the road, set hazard lights to flashing, and hand a distress flag from the radio antenna or window. Remain in your vehicle; rescuers are most likely to find you there.
- Do not set out on foot unless you see a building close by where you know you can take shelter.
- In the event of a flood, head for higher ground. If you are driving during a flood, never try to pass through affected areas; the road underneath the water may be compromised
- Watch for flooding at bridges and dips in the road. Never drive where water is over bridges or roads.
- If your car is trapped, get out. Look for an emergency flotation device.
Sign up to be notified in the event of an emergency. The secure, customized Community Notification Enrollment page allows residents and businesses to add or update their contact information to ensure they will be included when a message is sent – unlisted numbers, mobile numbers, TDD/TTY requirements can all be entered.
