The hurricane season is not over until November 30th, and with no more names left on the 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season list, we are now using the Greek alphabet. Do not worry if you do not have a disaster plan in place, the Department of Homeland Security has developed National Preparedness Month (NPM) to promote and raise awareness family and community disaster planning now and throughout the entire year. The increased awareness and frequency of these events drives the need for proactive planning to shift the focus to prevention and become more resilient to minimize the impact of future events. Fun facts – the National Hurricane Center (NHC) does not use the letters Q, U, X, Y, and Z because there are not enough names to fill those letters. This is the second time in recorded history (Last time was in 2005) that the NHC uses the Greek alphabet for more storm names.
Proper preparation and planning are integral to a successful response and recovery effort. At home, you can talk to your friends and loved ones about how you will communicate before, during, and after a disaster. Be sure to incorporate Centers for Disease Control recommendations due to the coronavirus in your plan. From a municipality’s perspective, CSA recommends a pro-active planning approach to protect vulnerable assets, critical infrastructure and populations from future disaster events. This includes not only concerns for flooding and tidal surge, but also wind considerations and excess heat. Recognizing and responding to climate change is part of our commitment to developing resilient communities.
What can you do? We implore you to be proactive and not wait until it is too late. There are things you can do with your own families and communities. The Department of Homeland security has provided information on how to 1) Make a Plan, 2) Build a Kit, 3) Prepare for Disasters, and 4) Teach Youth about Preparedness. These steps are helpful in getting you organized. Do you have enough supplies on hand to last for several days for your family? Do you have a designated meeting place in case you get separated from family or friends? What about medication or pet supplies? COVID-19 considerations, maybe extra masks and hand sanitizer? For more information on developing your plan and guidance for preparedness, click here: https://www.ready.gov/september. Walking through these steps provided are very helpful in guiding you to be prepared and limit the impacts that disasters have on you, your family and loved ones.
Our CSA Team of professionals have been hard at work, making our communities more resilient for future events. CSA has significant experience in emergency management and disaster recovery at a national level, and we continue to support multiple recovery efforts in multiple regions. We have been an integral part of program management and design teams by conducting technical assessments and developing analysis and design to establish resilient solutions to minimize the impact of future events and have assisted in prioritizing expenditures to maximize these benefits. You can find more information about our experience at www.csagroup.com.