Having trouble viewing this email?
Click here
http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=gmgqe6jab&v=001FbEh9Xz0N4LPx5ENsYmqjguc2etXRAhlncnm3tWg3SlwIOq2_esz4AglKC7tN1jj_x3hXyCMElNo-yUkZrjW90Z8F7r4Wan4LhmKzEXuJ5xWCZpPZOtfymZtDCUhIwbqYJZgX_HQkrXxmoV6XzvGf0lQkcVLOAn_r1PSwi6b1D3yfC2VFFQTlIMpfOKEH1HYQK9ZYF3koDPiDlxPIHkkVbDKp3TYqv5PPDv7ugy1IafcABmdnbvU2yPkIFoPJNY2zlI_ZieXRYy0u3LRmvBSMKUZxDHeGVGhyAyKiOlrktEyo_JIn8CluhUZ9dl8lw-2G_9yypp0bmf-7AeKlU6H8Bf-hvVQ6tdVd4steue-iiZuSELOcZU6PjFM_Jz8yDNfi1hTkY9SnHaXIJDIrcOmfYIjBIZj1t9_NcE4LzhS0UcYhBClqSztQ9qo1KS3qPxKXdadmHj9V3GyuFFiVS3Z8l69GNezaIEYPgGM_r_ub2Q%3D
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Are You Ready?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Preparedness Newsletter for Residents of Montgomery County, MD
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Getting Children Involved in Preparedness
Do your children know what to do if a disaster occurs when they're at home? What
 if an emergency happens when your kids are not home?
Make emergency preparedness a family activity. Children should understand how to
 respond to emergencies including fire, power outage, or severe storm warning.
To help children prepare, get them involved in your family's preparedness activities,
including:

* Assembling your emergency kit
* Planning escape routes and meeting places in case of a fire
* Determining an out of town contact
* Planning for your pets, including preparing an pet preparedness kit

Fore more information on children and preparedness, visit the OEMHS Kids Preparedness
Page [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=c8imu7lab.0.0.gmgqe6jab.0&id=preview&ts=S0856&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.montgomerycountymd.gov%2FOEMHS%2Fplan%2Fkidsdis.html]
or download our Kid Preparedness brochure [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=c8imu7lab.0.0.gmgqe6jab.0&id=preview&ts=S0856&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.montgomerycountymd.gov%2FOEMHS%2FResources%2FFiles%2Foemhs_kids_brochure_10082012.pdf].
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Is Spring Around the Corner?
Not Quite Yet.
This time of year, thoughts turn to Spring and warmer temperatures. While we daydream
about sunshine and spending time outside, it's important to remember that winter
 is not over yet.
In fact, February is historically when Montgomery County has seen it's harshest 
winter storms (remember Snowmageddon?).
Keep these tips in mind as we head into the final stretch of winter:

* Stay informed - know how to get information before and after a winter storm
* Make sure your emergency kit is stocked, including fresh batteries, non-perishable
food, water, and extra medication.
* Help your family, friends, and neighbors - especially those who may need some 
extra assistance.
* Keep an emergency kit in your car, including an extra blanket, first-aid kit, 
non-perishable food, and water.

For more information on winter preparedness, visit the OEMHS Winter Storm page [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=c8imu7lab.0.0.gmgqe6jab.0&id=preview&ts=S0856&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.montgomerycountymd.gov%2FOEMHS%2Fhazards%2Fnatural%2Fwinstorm.html].
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How to Respond to An Active Shooter
The tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut has many people asking how they can prepare 
for an active shooter.
Best practices from law enforcement encourage everyone to:

* Evacuate - Get out of the building fast. Call 9-1-1 once you're safely out of 
the building.
* Hide - If you are unable to evacuate, hide behind a piece of furniture or heavy
door that might provide you some protection
* Take Action - As a last resort and if your life is in imminent danger, take action
to incapacitate the shooter.

For more information how to prepare for an active shooter, take a look at the following
resources:


* The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Active Shooter How to Respond Guide [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=c8imu7lab.0.0.gmgqe6jab.0&id=preview&ts=S0856&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.montgomerycountymd.gov%2FOEMHS%2FResources%2FFiles%2Fdhs_active_shooter_response.pdf]
* The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Options for Consideration Active Shooter
Video [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=c8imu7lab.0.0.gmgqe6jab.0&id=preview&ts=S0856&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dhs.gov%2Fvideo%2Foptions-consideration-active-shooter-training-video]
* Ready Houston's Video - Run. Hide. Fight. Surviving an Active Shooter [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=c8imu7lab.0.0.gmgqe6jab.0&id=preview&ts=S0856&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D5VcSwejU2D0%26feature%3Dplayer_embedded]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

February's Preparedness Tip T
Don't allow your car's fuel tank to get close to empty. If a disaster occurs that
affects power, re-fueling stations may be unable to operate the pumps.
Re-fuel when your car has about a quarter of a tank left. If a disaster strikes,
 or you need to evacuate quickly, you won't be caught on the side of the road because
you can't refuel.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

About Montgomery County OEMHS
The Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (OEMHS)
coordinates disaster response activities, offers preparedness education for residents,
develops and maintains response plans, coordinates exercises and mitigation activities,
and runs the hazardous materials permitting program.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Learn about Hazards and Preparedness

Visit MontgomeryCountyMD.gov/OEMHS [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=c8imu7lab.0.0.gmgqe6jab.0&id=preview&ts=S0856&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.montgomerycountymd.gov%2Foemhs]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Like Us on Facebook

Montgomery County, MD Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=c8imu7lab.0.0.gmgqe6jab.0&id=preview&ts=S0856&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fpages%2FMontgomery-County-MD-Office-of-Emergency-Management-Homeland-Security%2F106493569384317]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~