Issuu

Wednesday, August 31, 2022

www.thepapersonline.com

Serving Kosciusko County and parts of Elkhart, Marshall & Noble Counties

Vol. 52, No. 10

Milford (574) 658-4111 • Warsaw (574) 269-2932 • Syracuse (574) 457-3666

114 W. Market, Warsaw, Indiana 46580

(PHUJHQF \ 6XSSO\ .LW V 6KRXOG ,QF OXGH R t d Z ;ŽŶĞ ŐĂůůŽŶ ĚƌŝŶŬĂďůĞ ǁĂƚĞ ƌ ƉĞƌ ƉĞƌƐŽŶ ƉĞƌ ĚĂǇͿ

R E K E W Z/ ^, > &K K R ^, ;ĨŽƌ ĨŽŽĚ͕ ĨƵĞů Ă

ŶĚ ĂĐĐŽŵŵŽĚĂƟŽŶ Ɛ ŝĨ ĞǀĂĐƵĂƟŽŶ ŝƐ ŶĞ ĐĞƐƐĂƌǇͿ R ĂƩĞƌǇͲƉŽǁĞƌĞĚ Žƌ ŚĂŶĚͲĐƌĂŶŬĞĚ Ă ůůͲŚĂǌĂƌĚƐ t d, Z Z ĂŶĚ ĞǆƚƌĂ ďĂƩĞƌŝĞ /K Ɛ

&> ^ ,> /' ,d ĂŶĚ Ğǆƚƌ Ă ďĂƩĞƌŝĞƐ ĂŶĚ ď ƵůďƐ

R &/ Z^d / </ d R t ,/ ^d > R Eϵϱ Z ^W /Z dK Z

G &5,% 127(6 ³ .RVFLXVNR &RXQW\ (PHUJHQF\ 0DQDJHPHQW 'LUHFWRU (G 5RFN VWDQGV DWRS D VLPXODWHG EXLOG HG G LQJ FROODSVH DQG REVHUYHV D &(57 WHDP SUDFWLFH WKH WHFKQLTXH NQRZQ DV ´FULEELQJµ WR KHOS H[WULFDWH YLFWLPV WUDSSHG XQGHU UXEEOH 3KRWR SURYLGHG E\ (G 5RFN

Time to prepare

%\ 5$< %$/2*+ 6WDII :ULWHU September is National Preparedness Month. The designation was bestowed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in 2004, three years after the 9/11 terrorist attack shocked the nation. The monthlong commemoration is designed to help citizens start getting prepared for local and national emergencies, whether natural or man-made. Action steps range from personal and family collection of emergency supplies to forming emergency plans at home or work to participating in community preparedness courses and drills, such as Community Emergency Response Teams or American Red Cross lifesaving classes. Kosciusko County Emergency Management Director Ed Rock said preparedness starts with a healthy, realistic paradigm about individual responsibility. “The major point I want everyone to understand is that the ﬁrst priority of individuals involved in disasters is to take care of themselves and their families. “Get in the mindset that government can’t take care of everyone. You have to take care of yourself. “Government’s ﬁrst priority is

to maintain the infrastructure and the economy to ensure the community as a whole survives. Part of this is providing services such as law enforcement and fire protection. These services are stretched to the limit during an emergency. This causes the response time for them to get to your emergency to be delayed; consequently, this increases the need for the public to be self-sufficient. “Remember, when it’s hitting the fan for you, it’s hitting the fan for everybody. You are responsible for providing for yourself and your family during the gap between when it happens and when they can get to you.” Rock suggested some universal steps for preparedness, such as taking a first aid class; knowing where, how and when to turn off your gas and electricity; and purchasing and learning how to use a fire extinguisher. Rock, who will complete his 20th year as emergency management director in March, has trained more than 300 local residents in CERT courses. He will schedule free three-day courses for groups of 12 to 20 individuals. He suggested assembling a group “that you can work with, like neighbors, friends or even organizations, which already have some cohesiveness.”

onall FEMA maintains an educational ainss website, ready.gov, which contains ma-a wealth of practical information about preparedness for spe-dingg, cific emergencies, such as flooding, d power outages, extreme heat and ight-drought, thunderstorms and lightn ter-ning and domestic and foreign rorist attacks. Some precautions are the samee for all emergencies; others aree tai-ed. lored to the situation presented. d Though the type, frequencyy and severity of disasters vary amongg d regions throughout the United States, Rock noted, “snow events events;; nadoes; wind events, including tornadoes; he oness and flooding are primarily the ad.” that smack us upside the head.” d FEMA suggests individuals and families start with a comprehensive plan, including evacuation and shelter-in-place procedures, communications protocols and compiling and maintaining easily accessible and portable emergency supply kits. Next, the family should take deliberate time to practice the plan according to each of the most likely encountered scenarios. The site, ready.gov, offers free download of FEMA’s 36-page book, “Are You Ready? An In-Depth Guide to Citizen Preparedness,” which includes a checklist of items needed to survive at least 72 hours

D ^ <^ R t Z E , K Z W> / Z^

;ƚŽ ƚƵƌŶ Žī ƵƟůŝƟ ĞƐ

R E K W E Z ĂŶĚ Ž

ƚŚĞƌ

ĨŽŽĚ ƉƌĞƉ ƚŽŽůƐ

R >K > D W ^ R WZ ^ Z /Wd/ K E ^ R ^> W/ E ' '^ Žƌ

ǁĂƌŵ ďůĂŶŬĞƚƐ R ǆƚƌĂ ĐŚĂŶŐĞƐ ŽĨ

>Kd, /E '

R /E & E d͕ dK /> d Zz

E W Z^ K E > ,z'/ E WZK h d ^ R D ^ ^ </ d^ R > E /E ' E ^ E /d / /E ' ^h WW >/ ^ R /D WK Zd E d K h D E d^ R D Z' E z Z & Z E D d Z / >^͕ ƐƵĐ Ś ĂƐ Ă

ĮƌƐƚ ĂŝĚ ďŽŽŬ Žƌ ŝŶ ƐƚƌƵĐƟŽŶĂů ĚŽĐƵŵĞŶƚƐ ĂǀĂŝů ĂďůĞ Ăƚ ƌĞĂĚǇ͘ŐŽǀ

without ih power. Refresh the supplies every six months or so and keep kits of the essential items at home, at the workplace and in the car. Rock has made available a downloadable 24-week checklist to gradually and affordably compile emergency kit essentials at kcgov.com/egov/documents/1431719164_88188.pdf. For more information about emergency preparedness or CERT training, contact Rock at (574) 371-2602 or erock@kcgov.com. The Emergency Management ofﬁce is located at 100 W. Center St., Warsaw.