September 3, 2021
BATH — Recent events bring home the need to prepare to protect, Steuben County Public Safety Director Tim Marshall said.
The month of September is the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Preparedness Month with the theme of “Prepare to Protect” before disasters strike, Marshall said.
“ Preparing for disasters is protecting everyone you love,” Marshall said. “And as we learned two weeks ago, those disasters can occur suddenly, and with very little warning.”
At approximately 8 pm Aug. 18, the aftermath of Tropical Storm Fred resulted in as much as 5-7 inches of rain which and centered in the town of Woodhull, spreading out to the towns of Addison, Jasper, Tuscarora, Troupsburg, Greenwood, West Union, Canisteo and Hornellsville. The flash flood devastated the area, creating property and highway damages expected to reach the tens of millions of dollars. The assessment is ongoing.
Since then, hurricanes Henri and Ida have swept through the South and the Eastern seaboard wreaking havoc and costing human life.
“We’re already in the height of a very active hurricane season, while wildfire threats to
communities are increasing daily,” said FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell. “Now is the time that everyone should have a conversation with their family, neighbors or loved ones to discuss what you would do in the event of a disaster in your area.”
FEMA offers several online resources such
as Ready.gov/September, Ready.gov or Listo.gov, and provides local alerts and warnings from the National Weather Service for up to five locations nationwide on its app, located at fema.gov.
Steuben’s early warning app, Ready Steuben, is available at Google Play Store and the Apple App Store
More information on “Prepare to Protect” will be posted each Sunday
at https://www.facebook.com/SteubenCountyOES and https://www.facebook.com/1.Steuben CountyNY
