1. Galveston County Hurricane Awareness Program
“The first casualty of Ike was Common Sense”
Garret Foskit Sept 14th 2008

2. MAKE A PLAN BUILD A KIT STAY INFORMED

3. Priorities LIPS Life/Safety Incident Stabilization
Property Preservation
Societal Restoration

4. We are #1 in Texas

5. Are you prepared?

6. Preparation Have a plan /where are you evacuating
Have a checklist/go bag/important must haves ready to go
Do you or family members need assistance to evacuate
Sign up on 211, sign up on County or City mass notification system
Do you have the items you need to survive for 10 days or longer (food, water, medicine, pet food and…)
½ tank of gas during Hurricane Season
Is your insurance current
Take photos of the valuable items/home for documentation

7. Evacuation is based upon Surge, Wind, and Individual Needs (you don’t have to wait)

8. Evacuation Will be by zip codes
Please leave if we tell you to evacuate - we may not be able to respond based upon weather conditions/access
Sign up with the county GCOEM.org /city for notifications (now)
Call now if you need a ride for any reason (spread the word to others) – Pets go with you
If you have functional needs and require a caregiver then a caregiver must come with you –
STEAR.dps.texas.gov or
txdps.state.tx.us/dem/stear/public.htm
Be ready to leave when the ride arrives to take you to the bus

10. When Leaving Turn off propane tanks, natural gas
Think about emptying the refrigerator and freezer
Notify your family members where you are going
Text (safely) instead of calling it doesn’t tie up the phones for emergency calls
Secure any outside items which may become projectiles and damage you and/or your neighbors’ homes
Anticipate water service being cut off/turn off water at your meter if possible

11. Breaker Boxes When Shutting off a Breaker Box
Turn off the Branch breakers first (1 Breaker at a time)
Then the Main Breaker which is normally on the top or bottom and is much larger than the branch breakers
When Turning on the Breaker Box
First turn on the Main Breaker
Then turn on 1 Branch Breaker at a time
This minimizes surges in the home

12. A Good Reason to Leave Early and Take Your Valuables

13. Have Reasonable Expectations
Galveston County and or your City rely upon other agencies for assistance (we have to follow their rules and requirements)
In a large scale disaster we are competing with other counties for the same assistance
We strive to provide the most accurate information as possible
Stay informed
Facebook: facebook.com/GalvestonCountytx
YouTube: (search Galveston County, Texas channel)
Blog:

14. Coming Back
Monitor local media, GCOEM.org, galvestoncountytx.gov, social media etc., your city’s website
Report utility issues (gas, water, sewer, power) to the local fire department, utility company, and the county
Be prepared to show proof of residence/reason why you are there
Food, water, medicine, fuel, etc., may not be available
In areas impacted by surge/flooding do not turn on home generators without your electrical system being evaluated and the ok given by your power company, have a quick disconnect

15. Cleaning Up Wear/have proper protective clothing to prevent injuries
Have any open wounds treated promptly to prevent infection medical care may be limited or unavailable
Monitor the county for debris clean up information (we will use multiple outlets to push out the message
Separate your debris types (C&D, Vegetative, whitegoods, household garbage, etc.)
Debris Don’ts
Don’t pile it over mailboxes, fire hydrants, water or gas meters (anything that shouldn’t be destroyed
Don’t bag your debris (not approved for disposal by FEMA)

16. Other Helpful Websites
GCOEM.org

17. Seeking Shelter

18. Sheltering In Place Hazmat Incident-Notify
Get inside, turnoff the (AC/Heat) Central or Window units
Pay attention to local news and official social media
Contact your local police/fire/ems or emergency management office for additional details if information about the incident is not forthcoming
Hiding from the wind (Tornado)
Get inside away from windows and either get in a door way or bath tub for additional protection (do not go to the window or go outside taking photos)
Pay attention to the local news

19. Threshold for Financial Assistance
State of Texas (Governor and Presidential Declaration)
Must have $33 million to state/county infrastructure
Galveston County (Judge Declaration)
PA must meet or exceed $1.051 million (county infrastructure)
IA must have ~800 homes destroyed w/o insurance
SBA Loan must have 25 uninsured homes destroyed
So Have Insurance !!!

20. Citizen Emergency Response Team (CERT) galvestontxcert.com
Help yourself
Learn and implement helpful skills first aid, ICS, search and rescue, teamwork
Help your family
Help your community
Help your County
Provide various forms of assistance
Provides matching funds (volunteer hours help offset matching costs)

21. Thank you Garret Foskit
Galveston County Office of Emergency Management
O –
C – 409 –
“If you don’t like the rumor you hear, start one you like” Garret Foskit Bolivar 2009