WEST CHESTER — If there is one lesson Hurricane Ida reinforced for Chester County, it is that we all must stay prepared for the unexpected.
It is with that in mind that the Chester County Commissioners have proclaimed September as National Preparedness Month and joined with the County’s Department of Emergency Services in issuing a Public Preparedness Guide to help make Chester County families as ready as possible to protect themselves in the event of an emergency.
The proclamation, signed by Commissioners’ Chair Marian Moskowitz and Commissioners Josh Maxwell and Michelle Kichline begins, “National Preparedness Month is an opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of emergency preparedness, and to encourage all Chester County residents to better prepare their homes, businesses, and communities for emergencies.”
The document also notes that, “Chester County and its municipalities have highly trained and dedicated first responders who have plans for any kind of emergency, but an informed and prepared public will enable them to perform even more effectively.”
The proclamation urges making preparedness a priority, and working together to ensure that individuals, families, and communities are aware of their roles in disasters and emergencies of any type. The new Public Preparedness Guide is designed to support those efforts.
The first section of the Guide deals with severe weather safety, including 13 tips to reduce your risk for injury and damage to your home. Other sections cover emergencies at school, when to call 9-1-1, pipeline emergencies, how to make the decision to evacuate versus sheltering-in-place, and even a section on emergency planning for your pets.
The Chester County Preparedness Guide is posted at www.chesco.org/beprepared. It will also be shared with all 73 Chester County municipalities, as well as school districts, elected officials and the chambers of commerce. Printed copies will be available at all Chester County Libraries and Park offices.
Anyone wanting printed copies to distribute can also make a request by emailing eoc-pio@chesco.org.
The Commissioners’ proclamation concludes, “All residents in Chester County are encouraged to participate in activities that reflect this year’s National Preparedness Month theme, “‘Prepare to Protect.’ Preparing for disasters will protect everyone you love.”
The problem is if your municipality hasn’t maintained its rain-water drains, the lowest areas are going to flood no matter what, even if not near a river. 30 years of infrastructure neglect in some cases, it’s not the storm, we can’t afford to maintain what we’ve built over the last 100 years. It happened in Rome, now it’s happening here!