Yokota Air Base, Japan -- Earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, landslides, severe weather, power outages, household chemical emergencies and tsunamis are just some of the possible natural and man-made disasters that could happen at a moment’s notice.
September is national preparedness month to help prepare people for any disasters that could affect the area they live in, how to get emergency alerts and where people would go if they and their family need to evacuate.
“Being prepared is pivotal for any disaster because it’s going to be a high stressed situation,” said Senior Airman Robert Sherwood, 374th Civil Engineer Squadron emergency manager. “Sometimes you will only have seconds or minutes to act, so if you have all of your important items in one location it increase your chances of making it out of that bad situation that much higher.”
Yokota’s emergency management office is working throughout September to inform Team Yokota on how to properly respond to a variety of disasters.
The EM team visits schools to inform the students of different things to do for emergencies such as typhoons, earthquakes and other disasters, being featured on American Forces Network radio shows and having info booths at the Yujo Community Center.
There are several websites that people can go to in order to be better prepared for disasters; some of them are www.ready.gov, www.fema.gov and www.redcross.org.
The www.ready.gov website was created in 2003 to help prepare people for anything that may come their way. It is a national public service designed to education and empower people to be prepared for, respond to and mitigate emergencies, including natural and man-made disasters.
According to the website, they ask individuals to do four key things to be prepared: stay informed about different types of emergencies that could occur and their appropriate responses; make a family emergency plan; build an emergency supply kit; and get involved in your community by taking action to prepare for emergencies.
“Having a family communication plan is good for two reasons,” Sherwood said. “A lot of children go to school off base and spouses work off base and in different areas around Yokota, so you want to make sure that no matter where they are your family members are taken care of. It’s also important to keep your family back home informed of what is going on and letting them know that you are safe.
“The Red Cross has some amazing apps for people to mark themselves as safe after a disaster,” Sherwood added.
With all of the potential natural disasters in Japan it’s good for those who live here to have a plan on how to handle them.
“When a disaster hits, being prepared is key,” Sherwood said. “Having a disaster kit, practicing your evacuation routes and family communication plans all comes down to a big part of being prepared for a disaster.”
If you have any questions about natural or man-made disasters, lockdowns, or any questions, contact the EM office at 315-225-7930 or visit one of the many disaster preparedness website.