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Emergency Management

Preparing well in advance of emergencies is one of the most effective ways to deal with any disaster. Please review these precautions and take the steps recommended to ensure your safety, and that of your loved ones.

Emergency Operations Plan

  1. Wear sturdy shoes to protect your feet from possible broken glass.
  2. Check for injuries. Apply first aid. Do not attempt to move anyone seriously injured, unless the danger presented by leaving them there outweighs the potential for greater injury by moving them.
  3. Check for fire.
  4. Check utilities for damage. Evacuate the building if a gas leak is present. Do not light matches or turn on electricity until you are certain there are no gas leaks.
  5. Avoid downed power lines.
  6. Check for structural damage. Clear blocked exits.
  7. Check radio and phones, and monitor for official broadcasts. Do not use the phone except for an emergency.
  8. Use extreme caution when close to masonry structures.
  9. Plug bathtub and sink drains, and do not use the toilet unless you are certain sewer lines are not damaged.
  10. Do not call the police or fire department except in case of an emergency (fire, severe injury, or gas leak). A delay in response time may be expected.
  11. Telephone the out-of-state person you designated so that family members and friends can call him or her to learn about your whereabouts and condition.
  12. For several days after a severe earthquake, be prepared for aftershocks. These are common following a large earthquake and can cause additional damage to weakened structures.
  1. Keep in mind that most problems from a severe earthquake result from falling objects and debris (partial building collapses, ceiling plaster, light fixtures, etc.) not from ground movement.
  2. Affix shelves, with brackets, securely to bookcases. Remove heavy objects from shelves above head level. Do not hang plants in heavy pots that could swing free of hooks. Bookcases, cabinets, or wall decorations can topple over and fall.
  3. Locate beds away from windows and heavy objects that could fall. Don’t hang mirrors or picture frames over beds.
  4. Secure appliances that could move, causing rupture of gas or electrical lines. Flexible connectors are suggested for gas/water lines. Know location of master switches and shut-off valves.
  5. Make sure overhead lighting fixtures are well secured to the ceiling and move heavy, unstable objects away from exit routes.
  6. Replace glass bottles with plastic containers or move them to the lowest shelves.
  7. Be aware that with a severe earthquake, all utilities (gas/electric/water) will probably be down. Emergency services may be extremely limited for up to 72 hours.
  8. Choose one out-of-state relative or friend that family members can call to learn of your whereabouts and condition.
  9. Store, or have access, to emergency supplies (water. non-perishable ready to eat food, first aid kit, medicine, tools, portable radio, flashlight, fresh batteries, blankets, warm jacket, fire extinguisher) in a secure place at your residence or in your car.
  1. Select the most favorable areas for shelter; the best protection is afforded by an underground shelter or basement.
  2. Be familiar with the weather service alert and siren system in your area.
  3. Store emergency supplies or have access to emergency supplies (water, non-perishable, ready to eat food, first aid kit, medicine, tools, portable radio, flashlight, fresh batteries, blankets, warm jacket, fire extinguisher) in a secure place at your residence or in your car.

Severe Weather Alerts

CodeRED
CodeRED is a system utilized by your local emergency response team in the event of emergency situations or critical community alerts to keep you informed.  It can also used for evacuation notices, bio-terrorism alerts, boil water notices, and missing child reports.  For additional information or for any questions, contact (636) 390-1050.

Sign up for CodeRED

OUTDOOR EMERGENCY WARNING SYSTEM
The warning system is designed to provide notice to those who are outdoors.

For warning indoors, or notification regardless of your location, we recommend signing up for CodeRED.  We also recommend that you obtain a NOAA Weather Radio that is tone-alert and has a battery backup.  These are sold in stores for your home.

Outdoor Siren Tones

  1. Stay calm! Do not panic.
  2. Most injuries occur as people are entering or leaving buildings, so stay where you are when shaking starts. If you are indoors, remain indoors. If you are outside, stay outside.
  3. If you are indoors, get under a sturdy table or desk, or brace yourself within a narrow hallway or doorway, making sure that the door cannot close on your hands. Stay away from glass, windows, and outside doors. If unable to move, cover your head and body with your arms, pillows, blankets, books, etc. to protect yourself from falling debris. Avoid high bookcases, mirrors, cabinets, or other furniture that might topple.
  4. If in a high-rise building, stay in the building on the same floor. Get under a desk or table; stay away from outside walls and windows. DO NOT use elevators as power may have failed.
  5. If an earthquake occurs when you are outside, get away from buildings, walls, trees, and utility wires. Stay in an open area until shaking stops. The greatest danger from falling debris is near exterior doorways and close to outer walls.
  6. If driving, stop your car and stay inside. Although it may shake extensively, it is a fairly safe place to wait. Do not remain next to masonry structures or high-rise buildings. Do not remain on or under bridges and overpasses. When driving, watch for earthquake-created hazards, such as falling objects, downed power lines, broken or undermined roadways and bridges.
  1. Seek immediate shelter in an underground basement or in an interior part of the lowest level (closets, bathrooms and hallways). Get under something sturdy.
  2. If in a high-rise building, go to an interior hallway on the lowest floor possible. Remain away from outside wall. Assume a crouched position with arms over your head.
  3. Stay away from windows, particularly on the windward side, and avoid shelter in large rooms with large, unsupported roof spans.
  4. If outside in an automobile, do not try to outrace the tornado; drive at right angles away from the tornado’s path. If there isn’t time, or if you are on foot, take cover and lie flat in the nearest depression, such as a ditch, culvert, excavation, or ravine.

This plan has been adopted by the City of Washington as the all-hazards City of Washington, Missouri Local Emergency Operations Plan. City Officials, in conjunction with the State Emergency Management Agency, have developed this plan in order to enhance the emergency response capabilities within this jurisdiction. When used properly, the plan can assist city and county government agencies and officials in protecting lives and the property of their constituents. It provides policies and guidelines for city officials to use in responding to most emergency and disaster situations that could confront the City of Washington. It is designed to promote the effective coordination of emergency services and the use of resources from any available source to minimize the effects of a major disaster (natural or man-made) on life or property. It also incorporates the principles and processes of the National Incidents Management System and the Incident Command System. Municipal government officials are encouraged to apply these guidelines.

This plan is reviewed every two years by the Missouri State Emergency Management Agency.

Emergency Operations Plan

DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DRIVE THROUGH FLOODED ROADWAYS, NO MATTER HOW SHALLOW THEY APPEAR! It is a fact that a several thousand pound vehicle can hydroplane, or even be washed away with just a few inches of water.

About the Emergency Management Department

Purpose:
To create the framework for our community, to reduce vulnerability and promote the capacity for an all-hazards approach to threats and disasters.  This is coupled with promoting safety within the government and the community to reduce the risk of injury, harm property loss and environmental concerns.  We seek to protect our community by coordinating and intergrading all activities necessary to build, sustain and improve the capability to mitigate against, prepare for, respond to and recover from threatened or actual natural disaster, acts of terrorism or other man-made disasters.

Goals:
1.  Preparedness
2.  Mitigation
3.  Response
4.  Recovery
5.  Practice good risk management through the Safety Program established

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