Prepare Pueblo

The Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program (CSEPP) funds the PreparePueblo educational campaign, an emergency preparedness readiness effort for the citizens of Pueblo County.  With an emphasis on the citizens working and living near the U.S. Army Pueblo Chemical Depot, our efforts are to prepare families for an emergency.  We ask the questions that get people talking about what they would do in an emergency.  

  • Fire     What is your families re-unification spot?
  • Flood   Do you have two routes to get to and from your home?
  • Chemical Event   Do you know how to Shelter-In-Place?

Because being ready for something that may never happen - makes every difference when it does.

Don't Wait for the Storm, Prepare for Winter Weather 

Winter 2022 billboard

Winter will be here before you know it. Are you prepared?

Winter storms can happen at any time, bringing with them bitter cold temperatures, blowing snow and icy roads which can pose a potential risk and hazard to everyone. Among some of the dangers that come with winter weather are frostbite and hypothermia, blizzards and heavy snow which can lead to disruptions in power, heating and community services. Roads can also become dangerous during winter storms, leading to stranded motorists. Don’t wait until the temperatures dip, snowflakes fall and roads turn to ice to prepare for winter. Prepare today by signing up to receive emergency alerts and notifications, creating an emergency kit for your home and your vehicle and making a family emergency plan. 

One of the first things you will want to do in preparing for winter weather is to sign up for emergency alerts and notifications. This will allow you to receive valuable and potentially life-saving information regarding impending weather and what actions you and your family need to take to remain safe. To register your phone in Pueblo County, go online to https://www.pueblosheriff.com/.../Emergency-Telephone... and click on the “Register Now” icon. Make sure each family member registers their cell phone. When emergency alerts are sent, follow the instructions provided to ensure your safety.

 Now is the time to prepare your home and vehicle for winter.

  • Prepare your home now to keep out the cold by insulating and caulking around doors and windows.
  • Have your furnace checked by a professional and test smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors to ensure they are working properly.
  • Know how to keep water pipes from freezing to prevent them for breaking in freezing temperatures.
  • If a storm is pending, gather enough supplies, food and medication to last for at least a couple of days for everyone in your household, including your pets.
  • When a winter storm moves in, stay inside.
  • If you use alternate heat from a fireplace, wood stove or space heater, make sure to properly ventilate.
  • Have a flashlight and radio and make sure to have extra batteries on hand, should there be a power outage.

The best thing is to remain off the roads during a winter storm, sometimes that is not possible. That’s why it is important to make an emergency plan and create an emergency kit to keep in your car should you become stranded while on the road. 

  • Check the weather forecast before traveling
  • Plan ahead your travel route and communicate the plan with other family members or friends. Avoid traveling alone.
  • Try to keep you gas tank filled.
  • Make a winter storm survival kit to keep in your vehicle. Items to include in your kit are an ice scraper, jumper cables, sand, flashlight (spare batteries), cell phone charger, waterproof matches, warm clothes, blanket, bottled water and non-perishable food items. 

Going Outdoors During Extreme Weather

If you must go outdoors during a winter storm or extended cold spell, dress for the extreme temperatures to avoid frostbite and/or hypothermia.

  • Wear layers of clothes that are loose and lightweight, but outerwear should be tightly woven and water repellent. Wear a hat. 
  • Eat well and stay hydrated. 
  • Avoid overexertion when outdoors, especially when shoveling snow.
  • Check on older neighbors and children who are more at risk in extreme cold. 
  • Limit your time outdoors. 

Watch for signs of hypothermia and frost bite. 

Frost bite causes a loss of feeling and color around the face, fingers and toes.

  • Signs: Numbness, white or grayish-yellow skin and firm or waxy skin.
  • Actions: Go to a warm room. Soak in warm water, use body heat to warm. Don’t use a heating pad and do not massage.

Hypothermia: is an unusually low body temperature. A temperature below 95 degrees is an emergency. 

  • Signs: Shivering, exhaustion, confusion, memory loss, slurred speech and drowsiness
  • Actions: Go to a warm room. Warm the center of the body first – chest, neck, head and groin. Keep dry and wrapped up in warm blankets, including the neck and head. 

Don’t let winter keep you out in the cold.

Prepare today!

 


Previous 

Sign up for Emergency Alerts

Phone Alerts

During an emergency it is important to get accurate, timely and reliable information as quickly as possible. One of the quickest ways to get life-saving information during an emergency is via your cell phone.

 Emergency managers and first responders can designate specific areas that are affected by the emergency and send alerts and notifications via a text or voice message. The alerts and notifications provide critical information on actions you should take such as whether to shelter-in-place or evacuate. It can provide important information such as weather information, imminent threats and local incident information targeted to a specific area.

The alerts will come right to your cell phone but you must be registered to receive them. All members of your family member who have a phone should register to receive the alerts. To register your phone go to http://portalv4.swiftreach.com/portal.aspx?c=202228 .


Get PreparedWinter 2022 billboard

Are you prepared for a disaster?

Would you and your family be prepared to evacuate if your home was threatened by a wildfire? Do you know alternate routes out of your neighborhood should your normal route be close due to flooding? Is your 72-hour kit updated and ready should you need it in an emergency? Have you registered your cell phone to receive emergency alerts?

These are just a few of the things you can do to help better prepare you and your family for an emergency.

Don’t wait for the emergency or disaster to strike, get prepared now.

Make a family plan and discuss it with each member of your family.

As part of your plan, know what types of disasters can affect your area and how you will respond to each of those disasters.

Include in the plan how you will communicate with family members and your plans for reconnecting, should you become separated during an emergency. Create evacuation routes from your home, your neighborhood and your city. Develop a shelter-in-place kit and plan to practice it with your family members.

Your preparedness plan should also include a 72-hour kit with items that you and your family would need to sustain you for at least three days. If you already have a kit prepared, make sure to periodically go through it and refresh items that may need it. Recommended items for your kit are water, non-perishable food items, extra cell phone battery or charger,  battery powered or hand crank radio (to receive alerts and updates), flashlight and extra batteries, can opener, whistle and extra face masks, hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes. Other items you can include are prescription medications (or written prescriptions to be filled if needed), copies important family documents, blankets, matches, paper and pencil, books, games or other items for children. If you have an infant, include formula and diapers in your kit. Don’t forget your pets! Pack additional water, food and supplies for your pet.

If you haven’t signed up for emergency alerts, do so today. By signing up for the alerts, you will be notified of an emergency and can receive instructions on what to do and where to go.

To sign up for emergency alerts in Pueblo County go to http://portalv4.swiftreach.com/portal.aspx?c=202228

Don’t wait, prepare for disaster or emergency today.

    Pet Preparedness

Fall 2021 Billboard

Your pets are an important member of your family, so when an emergency or disaster strikes don’t forget them. Make sure to include your pets and their needs in your family emergency plan. Make sure you build a pet emergency kit and include it as part of your emergency kit. Having a prepared plan that includes your animals, both small and large, will make it a lot less stressful during an emergency.  

As part of your family emergency plan include a section for your animals that includes important records such as vaccination cards, where you would go if you had to evacuate and who might be able to get your animals should you not be allowed to get to your home during the emergency. Not all shelters or hotels will allow animals. Designate a safe place where you can take your animals if they are not able to stay with you. Develop a buddy system or someone you can designate to pick up or care for you animal should you be away from your home and unable to return to retrieve your animals.

Once you develop an evacuation plan for you and your pets, practice it so they are more comfortable when an emergency arises. In making your 72-hour emergency kit, be sure to add items for your pet. Among items you should pack for your pets are enough food and water for at least a couple of days. Make sure the food is kept in an airtight and waterproof container. Make sure to pack a bowl.

If your pet takes medication, keep an extra supply in the emergency kit along with a pet first aid kit. Include copies of your pet’s identification, vaccination tags and a photo just in case you and your pet become separated. Have a traveling bag, crate or sturdy carrier available for each of your pets. Pack trash bags and kitty litter so you can provide for your pet’s sanitation needs. Don’t forget to put a favorite toy, treats, bedding and other familiar items in the kit to help your pet during the stressful times.

If you have large animals such as horses and goats, pigs, chickens and cows, there are some things you can do to prepare for an emergency. Make sure each of your animals have some type of identification such as a brand, ear tag, leg band, halter tag or tattoo. When a disaster or emergency strikes, make sure all your family is prepared… including your 4-legged furry members.

Spring 2021SHELTER-IN-PLACE

Being ready for an emergency can consist of many things from building an emergency prepared kit to establishing an evacuation plan. Some emergencies may require you to get inside and stay put or shelter-in-place.” If you were required to shelter-in-place, would you know what to do?Here are some brief instructions to help you know what to do and create a plan for sheltering-in-place. Sometimes staying safe in an emergency requires you to stay inside and shelter-in-place, but where you should go inside and what you should do could be different based on the emergency. Regardless of the emergency, if you are asked to shelter-in-place, you should act immediately. Shelter where you are, unless otherwise directed by emergency officials. Go inside (make sure to take your pets with you) and stay put until you are instructed to leave by officials. Designate a safe room based on the type of emergency go to the room as soon as possible.

If it is a chemical or hazardous material emergency, make sure to tightly lock all doors and windows, and turn off fans, heating and air conditioning systems before going into the safe room. The quicker you do this, the less likely contaminates are able to get into the building. Listen to the TV or radio for further instructions on what to do.

 CREATING A SAFE ROOM - A safe room is a room that can easily and quickly be sealed to protect you from airborne chemical or hazardous material agents. You and your family should designate a safe room prior to an emergency. The safe room should be one that can be sealed tightly.

Create a shelter-in-place box to keep in your safe room for use during an emergency. In the box include plastic sheeting, scissors and tape. You can pre-cut and label the plastic to fit the windows, doors and vents in the room to make it for easier, quicker placement during the emergency. Include a battery-operated AM/FM radio, extra batteries, snacks and water in the box. Make sure to include supplies for your pet if you have one.

Once the emergency is declared over by officials, open doors and windows and turn on fans and other things that circulate air and go outside. Remain outside at least until the inside air has been exchanged with clean outdoor air.






Prepare an Evacuation Route

fall 2020 billboard

When a disaster or emergency occurs, the first priority is life safety.

One of the ways to ensure you and your family remain safe is to be prepared by developing and practicing your family emergency plan. Critical to every emergency plan is an evacuation plan as many emergencies can require you to leave your home. In some cases, you may have a couple of days to prepare for an evacuation while other situations require you to immediately evacuate. Make sure to plan ahead so no matter when you have to evacuate you can do so safely and smoothly.

Don’t wait for a disaster or emergency to happen to make your evacuation plan --- do it today.

Plan ahead for emergencies, map your evacuation route today.

IMG_1846

When an emergency or disaster hits, getting life-saving information is important. One of the easiest and fastest ways to get information during an emergency is on your cell phone. Information such as alerts, notifications and directions of what you need to do, or where to go can be disseminated right to your phone. Emergency officials can identify specific areas that affected by the emergency/disaster and can prepare and send messages pertinent to the emergency. But you need to have your cell phone registered to receive the alerts.  Don’t wait for an emergency to register, do it today!! Registering your phone is simple. Click on the following link  http://portalv4.swiftreach.com/portal.aspx?c=202228 and follow the directions to register your phone.Make sure your family registers their phones as well. Remember, if we can’t reach you, we can’t alert you.

Without prior knowledge of the location of the emergency zones and what the specific instructions may be required of those residing or working the zones may come across as confusing. It’s important to pre-plan and know what instructions, such as “evacuate” or “shelter-in-place”, mean for you and your family. Families living in the designated emergency zones should discuss a plan in the event that there is an emergency and orders.

Know Your Zone Billboard
Winter Ready Billboard

We encourage Pueblo to learn more about the best way to protect yourself this season! When it comes to threats associated with natural disaster, we are fortunate in Pueblo County to not have the coastal risks that effect many other US communities.  Even the threats of earthquake or tornado are relatively low here in Pueblo.  Some of our biggest threats are often forecast or come with some warning.  Snow or thunder storms, and even wild land fires give residents time to leave or "hunker-down" as the threat approaches.  You have opportunity to prepare your family for those risks and educate yourself on the steps to take before, during, and after the event.

Make a disaster plan to protect your property, your facilities and your animals. Create a list of emergency telephone numbers, including those of your employees, neighbors, veterinarian, state veterinarian, poison control, local animal shelter, animal care and control. Include a contact person outside the disaster area. Make sure all the information is written down and that everyone has a copy. Make sure every animal has durable and visible identification Ensure that poultry have access to high areas in which to perch, if they are in a flood prone area as well as to food and clean water. Reinforce your barn and outbuildings. Perform regular safety checks on all utilities, buildings and facilities on your farm.

Animal Preparedness Billboard