“Embracing our past, while we prepare for our future”

Glenn Heights Fire Department

EVACUATION CENTERS

The City of Glenn Heights has four evacuation centers. These Centers provide shelter for victims that have been displaced after a storm. They are not certified as Tornado Shelters. These structures are not sturdy enough to withstand a direct hit from a Tornado. If you live in a Mobile Home and need to evacuate during a Tornado Warning that affects the Glenn Heights Area, you need to evacuate to a sturdy structure outside the area of the storm.  

WHEN THERE'S WATER ON THE ROAD

“TURN AROUND, DON'T DROWN”

Floods are one of the most common hazards in the United States. For the past 30 years, the national average for deaths during floods has been 127 each year. In Texas, the death toll from floods averages 15 victims a year. Nearly half of all flood fatalities are vehicle-related and the majority of victims are males, according to the National Weather Service.

 

The National Weather Service and the Governor’s Division of Emergency Management are urging people to learn the dangers of driving into flooded roadways because drivers often underestimate the power of floodwater. These are the facts:

 

· Six inches of water will reach the bottom of most passenger cars, causing loss of control and possible stalling.

· Twelve inches of water will float many cars.

· Two feet of rushing water will carry off pick-up trucks, SUVs and most other vehicles.

Water across a road may hide a missing segment of roadbed or a missing bridge. Roads weaken under floodwater and drivers should proceed cautiously after waters have receded, since the road may collapse under the weight of the vehicle.

 

NWS and GDEM officials also say that if your car or truck stalls in floodwater, the best advice is to get out quickly and move to higher ground. Better yet, when there's water on the road: Turn Around, Don't Drown. Saving your life is as simple as choosing an alternate route.

SAFETY TIPS FOR WHEN LIGHTNING STRIKES

The Governor’s Division of Emergency Management urges Texans to take precautions during lightning storms. Lightning is the second most common cause of weather-related deaths in the state, after flooding. Here are some important tips to protect yourself and your family.

 

Lightning tends to strike tall objects as well as metal objects, and can travel through moist soils for dozens of feet. Move into a sturdy building and stay away from windows and doors. For increased protection, avoid using electric appliances, telephones or metal plumbing during electrical storms.

 

If you are outside, the interior of a car, truck or bus is relatively safe from lightning. To be safe, do not touch metal on the inside of the vehicle. The outside bed of a truck is a deadly location. Do not lean against a car or truck – get inside the vehicle quickly.

 

If you are outdoors with no shelter available, stay low. Move away from hills and high places, and avoid tall, isolated trees. Do not touch metal objects, such as tennis rackets, baseball bats or golf clubs. Do not ride bicycles, or lean against fences or metal sheds.

 

If you feel your hair suddenly stand on end, it means you may be a lightning target.

 

Crouch low on the balls of your feet and try not to touch the ground with your knees or hands. Avoid wet areas that can conduct the lightning charge.

 

TORNADO SAFETY

Tornadoes can occur at any time of year in Texas, but they happen most often in spring and summer. Storms are most likely to strike in the late afternoon and early evening hours. Spokesmen for the Governor’s Division of Emergency Management urge Texans to monitor TV and radio broadcasts for storm information, as well as NOAA weather radio.

 

A TORNADO WATCH is issued when severe weather is expected along with large or multiple tornadoes. It means WATCH the sky. A TORNADO WARNING means TAKE ACTION because a tornado is on the ground. Seek shelter immediately. A tornado warning usually covers one county or a portion of a county and generally lasts for an hour or less.

 

When a tornado is sighted, the most important rule is to get low and stay low.

 

· Seek shelter in an interior room on the lowest floor of the home, such as a bathroom, closet or room without windows.

· In an office building, go to an interior room or hallway on the lowest floor.

· Leave your mobile home and take shelter in a nearby building. If no building is nearby, lie flat in a ditch or ravine.

· Never stay inside a car. Leave the car and lie flat in a ditch or a ravine. If a building is nearby, take shelter inside. Never try to outrun a tornado in your car.

· At school, follow plans and go to a designated shelter area, usually interior hallways on the lowest floor. Avoid auditoriums, gyms and areas with wide, freespan roofs.

· Go to the interior rooms and halls on the lowest floor of a shopping center. Do not leave the shopping center to get in your car.

· If you are in open country, take cover on low, protected ground.

Avoid areas near exterior glass or doors, areas along exterior walls, or rooms with wide expanse roofs – such as auditoriums, cafeterias and gyms.

NOAA WEATHER RADIO INFORMATION

NOAA Weather Radio is a service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. As the "Voice of the National Weather Service," NOAA NWR provides continuous broadcasts of the latest weather information directly from NWS offices. Recorded weather messages are repeated every four to six minutes and routinely revised every one to three hours. If necessary, they can be repeated more frequently.

 

Stations operate seven days a week, 24 hours a day, with broadcasts specifically tailored to the weather needs of the listening area. The area is usually within 40 miles of the transmitter.

 

Most weather radios have an alert feature, which activates an alarm and turns on the radio when severe weather threatens. This provides listeners critical, potentially life-saving, messages. It also provides quick notification about approaching threats to schools, hospitals, nursing homes or businesses, giving them extra time for safety. An excellent location for the radio would be at a desk or switchboard where the radio can be monitored during all operating hours.

 

Since most NWRs serve an area of several counties, the alarm feature may activate frequently during very active severe weather in one particular area. People who are not in the affected area can become annoyed with alarms not related to their county. They may see the solution as turning off the radio. Fortunately, there is another way of dealing with this issue. An enhancement called the "Specific Area Message Encoder" or "SAME" allows listeners to program their radios to alarm only for the county or counties they are interested in.

 

NWR has become an even more valuable tool to the community as an "all hazards" radio network. In addition to being the most complete and comprehensive source of weather forecasts, advisories, watches and warning information, it can now broadcast warning and post-event information for a host of other threats. These include natural hazards, such as earthquakes, wildfires and volcanic activity, as well as technological hazards, chemical releases, toxic spills, nuclear power plant emergencies or even a national emergency.

 

If a community or state requests it, NWR can broadcast AMBER alerts for missing children. The state of Texas has issued several AMBER alerts via NWR. In one case, the driver who located the suspect vehicle actually learned about the abduction from an NWR broadcast while he was listening for information on a flooding threat.

 

NWR has continued to expand in coverage and capability, making it an invaluable tool for the public as well as emergency planners. It is critical to make sure NWRs are located in hospitals, schools, places of worship and nursing homes. They also are needed in restaurants, stores, recreation centers, office buildings, sports facilities, theaters, bus and train stations, airports and other public places. For as little as $20, anyone can have access to potentially life-saving emergency messages whenever and wherever needed.

 

Homeland Security

DELAY THE GAME WHEN THUNDERSTORMS APPROACH

Sports fields are dangerous places to be during thunderstorms. That’s why the National Weather Service and the Governor’s Division of Emergency Management urge Texans to delay the game when thunderstorms approach.

 

Sports fields are large, open areas where you and your companions may be the tallest objects. Metal bleachers, fences, light poles and goal posts attract lightning. When lightning hits these objects, the charge travels along the object, potentially injuring anyone in contact with the metal. Lightning can bounce off any of these objects and strike people nearby.

 

Schools, athletic programs, day care centers and summer camps, as well as coaches, referees and parents participating in field events need to understand the dangers of lightning. They should be prepared to suspend games and move the players and spectators inside nearby buildings or into cars and buses until the storm threat passes.

 

The Governor’s Division of Emergency Management offers the following lightning safety tips.

 

· If you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck by lightning.

· If you are outdoors with no shelter available, stay low.

· Move away from hills and high places, and avoid tall, isolated trees.

· Do not touch metal objects, such as tennis rackets, baseball bats, or golf clubs.

· Do not ride bicycles, or lean against fences or metal sheds.

· Do not lean against a car or truck -- get inside the vehicle quickly.

· If you feel your hair suddenly stand on end, it means you may be a lightning target. Crouch low on the balls of your feet and try not to touch the ground with your knees or hands.

Avoid wet areas that can conduct the lightning charge.

 

EMERGENCY SUPPLY KIT

The Governor’s Division of Emergency Management urges Texans to prepare for severe storms before they strike. Your family should have an emergency supply kit on hand. Your supplies should be kept in water resistant, easy-to-lift containers that you can move rapidly if necessary. This supply kit is appropriate for severe weather events as well as other emergencies. It should include:

 

• First-aid kit

• Cash (power outages mean banks and ATMs may be unavailable)

• Battery-operated radio

• Flashlight with extra batteries

• Important documents and records, photo IDs, proof of residence

• Three-day supply of non-perishable food, one gallon of bottled water per person per day, coolers for food and ice storage

• Fire extinguisher

• Blankets, sleeping bags and extra clothing

• Extra medications and prescriptions, hearing aids and other special medical items

• Eyeglasses and sunglasses

• Toilet paper, clean-up supplies, duct tape, tarp, rope

• Can opener, knife, tools

• Booster cables, road maps

• Special supplies needed for babies, older adults or pets remember to change perishable supplies and water every six months.

SEVERE WEATHER PLANNING FOR TEXANS

Straight line wind storms, downburst rains and tornadoes can occur at any time of year in Texas. So it pays for individuals and families to plan what to do well in advance.

 

Basic preparedness plans should be in place at home, at work and at school and each family member or employee should understand the plan. When a severe storm or tornado strikes, there may be only a few seconds to react and find shelter.

 

The first step in preparedness is to ensure you have a reliable method of receiving weather information including TV, radio and NOAA weather radio, plus a back-up system if one goes out. Battery powered equipment and extra batteries should be part of the plan.

 

For home, work or school, shelter areas should be designated, whether they are in basements below ground level, ground level windowless rooms, or interior hallways on the lowest floor. Protect yourself from flying debris with thick blankets, sleeping bags or mattresses.

 

If you are in a vehicle, mobile home or portable classroom, move quickly to a strong building for shelter. If there is no shelter, lie flat in the nearest ditch or depression. Do not take shelter in a structure with a high, wide roof such as an auditorium, gym or shopping mall.

 

Choose a person to telephone outside your city to let others know you are safe and choose a place for family members to meet if your neighborhood and home are damaged or destroyed.

HAIL AND STRAIGHT LINE WINDS

Thousands of thunderstorms strike Texas every year, many of them severe. A severe thunderstorm is defined as a storm that produces winds of at least 58 mph, hail three-fourths of an inch in diameter or a tornado.

 

While tornadoes are extremely dangerous, wind and hail storms can do similar damage, so thunderstorms should never be taken for granted. Dangers include:

 

· Straight line winds or winds in excess of 100 mph, strong enough to uproot trees and cause substantial damage to buildings.

· Downburst winds – severe and rapid downdrafts of air that push damaging winds outward on or near ground level, especially dangerous to aviation.

Hail falling to earth at speeds nearing 100 mph, damaging trees, crops, automobiles and buildings. Hail storms cause more than $1 billion in damage nationwide each year.

 

As with other severe weather threats, the key is to monitor TV and radio broadcasts as well as NOAA weather radio for storm warnings and watches.

 

When straight line winds threaten, respond the same way you would to the threat of a tornado. Seek shelter in an interior room on the lowest floor, such as a bathroom or closet. Stay away from windows. If you are outside, cover your head to protect against flying debris.

 

If you encounter hail while driving, turn around. You may be driving into the core of a thunderstorm where tornadoes form.