According to Learn To Be Ready,

disaster preparedness takes THREE simple steps:

First – Become Educated and Informed

Second – Develop a Disaster Plan

Third - Take Action & Prepare

1. Become Educated and Informed about the disasters in your area – You won’t know how to prepare if you don’t understand the disasters that pose a threat to you. Through Learn to Be Ready you will find all of the tools necessary to obtain knowledge about the natural disasters in your area. We offer live seminars, webinars you can watch at home or at work, training videos, monthly newsletters, and other written material to provide the full education you need to prepare.

2. Develop a Disaster Plan – For your home & family, your business, and your neighborhood. The plan should establish the steps of action – what to do BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER each disaster.

3. Take Action & Prepare – A plan with no action is no better than no plan at all. Start now to take action. Make a checklist of things to be done and then work on them a little at a time, at a pace that you can handle. But, do something every day or every week to get something accomplished.

The following links will help you to learn more:

NWS Flood Safety

Turn Around Don’t Drown

NWS Water & Hydrologic Resources

Governor’s Press Release – 2012 Severe Weather Awareness Week & Tornado Drill

The National Weather Service encourages everyone to participate in this year’s SWAW activities and drill. In addition to initiating this year’s tornado drill via NOAA Weather Radio and the EAS Required Monthly Test product, all week long the NWS will be issuing informative messages (public information statements) to help everyone prepare for severe weather. Each day will cover a different topic. For your information and use…below is a list of the topics that will be covered each day, and a link to download that day’s message. Feel free to use and distribute these messages as you’d like:

• Sunday: Overview of the 2012 NC SWAW

• Monday: Severe thunderstorms

• Tuesday: Lightning

• Wednesday: Tornadoes

• Thursday: Flooding

• Friday  The alert process

• Saturday:  SWAW summary

Please do your part to inform others about how to be safe and prepared!

Share and follow ReadyFORSYTH’s Facebook page.

Thank you for your help and participation in this year’s severe weather awareness week.

Smoke detectors and escape plans can save your life!

Link to story at FireNews

ADVANCED SKYWARN – Weather Spotter Training

Cooperative Extension Building, Auditorium B

1450 Fairchild Rd, Winston-Salem, NC 27105

March 6, 2012

7-9 PM

TRAINING IS FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!!

Flyer: Forsyth_advanced_flyer NWS Training 2012

See also: BASIC Weather Spotter Training in February 2012

The National Weather Service will present the BASIC SKYWARN Severe Weather Spotter program to help participants understand the warning process. Discussions of how and why buildings fail in high winds as well as thunderstorm development and severity will be covered. Attendees will learn to recognize cloud elements of developing thunderstorms and be able to determine storm motion, intensity and severity based on cloud structure.

THERE IS NO COST TO ATTEND! CLASS IS INSTRUCTED BY A NWS METEOROLOGIST.

See the flyer below……

Forsyth_flyer NWS Training.2012

Disasters can severely restrict and overwhelm emergency response resources and leave communities cut off from outside emergency support.  The Forsyth County Citizen Corps Council is offering the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Basic Training Course.  CERTs are trained to take care of themselves and help others in their communities for the first three days following a disaster.  Upon successful completion, students are eligible to join a local community team. However, you’re not required to join a team in order to register for the course.  The course will be limited to the first 25 qualified registrants. Participants must be at least 18 years old and reside in Forsyth County to join. 

April 17 through May 15, 2012

Tuesdays & Thursdays only

Time: 6:00-8:30pm

Location: Forsyth County Agricultural Building, Aud. B – Fairchild Road, Winston-Salem

See the 2012 Spring CERT Basic Training Flyer  for details and to register.

Pictures from the Fall 2011 CERT class are posted to ReadyFORSYTH’s Facebook page.

Find out if CERT is right for you.

Learn more about winter storms and how to prepare for them on NOAA’s National Weather Service website.

Learn how to ‘Put a Freeze on Winter Fires’ on the US Fire Administration‘s website.

REMEMBER:  If YOU are prepared, the weather predictions aren’t so important!

2011-12 Winter Precipitation Outlook - Provided by NOAA

2011-12 Winter Temperatures Outlook - Provided by NOAA

The Emergency Alert System test plays a key role in ensuring the nation is prepared for any type of hazard, and that the U.S. public can receive critical and vital information should it ever be needed. Make sure that you and your family receive the test warning and that everyone knows what to do if you received a true warning message. This is a great time to update your emergency plans for your community, family, business, facility and/or organization.

Key facts to note about the test:

• It will be conducted Wednesday, November 9 at 2:00 PM EST and will last approximately 30 seconds.
• It will be transmitted via television and radio stations within the U.S., including Alaska, Hawaii, the territories of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa.
• Similar to local emergency alert system tests, an audio message will interrupt television and radio programming indicating: “This is a test.”
• When the test is over, regular programming will resume.

FEMA-FCC National EAS Letter

EAS Test

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday:               9:00am – 3:00pm

Thursday:                                                       1:00pm – 7:00pm

Friday:                                                            9:00am – 12:30pm

 The vaccine will be provided to the public at no cost on a first-come-first-serve basis. In addition to the standard injectable flu vaccine, the department has a limited amount of High Dose flu vaccine designed for those 65 years of age and older.

See Forsyth County Department of Public Health’s Press Release for more information about who should get the vaccine and when you should get it.       2011 Flu Vaccine_Public Health Press Release

For more information on Influenza (Flu) and Flu Vaccine visit http://www.cdc.gov/flu/keyfacts.htm