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Officials continue to advise
residents in Atlantic and Gulf Coast states to be
prepared for storms, high winds and flooding throughout
the season, which begins June 1. Klein Fire Dept is
urging everyone in the area to become familiar with
designated Evacuation Routes and create your own
Hurricane Preparedness Plan.
A weather radio is an excellent way to stay in tune with
any weather watches or warnings that may be issued
during a storm. They use both AC and DC power allowing
you to keep up with weather events even when power is
out. These can be purchased at many Department and
Electronics stores in the area.
Now is the time to begin your preparations, don’t wait
until the last minute.
Our area was most recently impacted by a major hurricane
in 2008 with Hurricane Ike. The passing of the historic
2008 hurricane season has hopefully brought our
community closer and made them more aware than ever of
the potential these storms have to disrupt our lives and
communities. Ike showed us that we cannot be complacent;
the many near misses in the past gave us a false sense
of safety from these storms. With the growth in the area
over the past 30 years and our Ike hit in 2008 our
infrastructure and our abilities were tested. Galveston
suffered a large loss of life and property by this
direct hit. They are still recovering as a new season
arrives
The Klein response area suffered much damage as well.
Power outages of up to 15 days, trees across roofs and
roadways with some homes damaged beyond use. We look
back to Hurricane Ike now as an example of the power of
a large hurricane and the many lessons it taught us. We
also should look to past storms like Rita as a powerful
hurricane that could have been a major impact to our
area. Consider that Rita could have just as easily
continued on course and impacted the Spring /Klein area
with high winds, tornados, heavy rains and possible
flooding.
We should remember that proper preparation and planning
can and will help reduce the loss of life and property.
Be ready, have your Hurricane kit in place by June 1st.
We learned that food, water, a generator and gas will be
in the most demand. Generators will be in short supply
once a hurricane arrives. Long lines at gas stations
will be common, be patient. If you have or plan to buy
a generator, be sure to use it safely, outside away from
windows and doors were Carbon Monoxide will not enter
the home. Let your generator cool before refueling and
store gas in a safe place away from gas appliances and
other ignition sources.
It does not take a hurricane to cause catastrophic
damage to life and property during hurricane season.
Tropical Storm Allison and more recent flooding rains
have demonstrated that a slow moving tropical storm,
depression or weather system could be just as dangerous
to our area due to wide spread flooding. With new
construction across all areas of the Spring/Klein area,
runoff is more and more an issue. We cannot stress
enough the importance of education and preparation.
Tune to your favorite local news station and keep up to
date with the hurricane information and events as they
happen. We are lucky to have excellent pool of
meteorologists in our area as well as resources on the
Internet. Your actions now could make the difference in
surviving a hurricane or tropical storm in the future.
|
2010 Hurricane Season |
|
Alex |
Lisa |
|
Bonnie |
Matthew |
|
Colin |
Nicole |
|
Danielle |
Otto |
|
Earl |
Paula |
|
Fiona |
Richard |
|
Gaston |
Shary |
|
Hermine |
Tomas |
|
Igor |
Virginie |
|
Julia |
Walter |
|
Karl |
|
Information you will need.
Harris
County Office of Emergency Management
Texas
Department of Public Safety - Division of Emergency
Management
NOAA
Houston-Galveston
Hooks Airport Conditions
FEMA
Office of
Homeland Security
Tropical Prediction Center
Tropical Storm Data
Hurricane information for kids
American Red Cross
Disaster Aid Links
NOAA Hurricane Information
page
Hurricane Tracking Map
Getting Assistance for Special Needs
Call 2-1-1 If You Need a Ride |