Mahwah Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) advises residents to prepare for the Atlantic Hurricane season which officially runs from June 1 to November 30.
As we saw with Hurricane Irene in 2011, severe tropical storms in the northeast are a real threat. Loss of electrical power, downed trees and power lines, blocked roads and widespread flooding are just some of the threats from hurricanes.
Information on how to prepare for a hurricane is available through the National Hurricane Center’s website, hurricanes.gov/prepare.
A basic emergency supply kit could include the following recommended items:
- Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation
- Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
- Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both
- Flashlight and extra batteries
- First aid kit
- Whistle to signal for help
- Dust mask to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
- Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
- Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
- Manual can opener for food
- Local maps
- Cell phone with chargers, inverter or solar charger(Source: FEMA)
For more information on Mahwah CERT, visit the website at www.mahwahcert.org.
Mahwah Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is an all-volunteer organization made up of residents who are trained to support professional first responders (police, fire, EMTs, et al) in all types of emergency situations while serving the community in other ways during normal times. CERT is part of a national program and is organized locally under the auspices of the Mahwah Office of Emergency Management.
