Stay Connected & Safe this Hurricane Season

by Kaymie Owen, CMP, Communications Manager

Hurricane season is well underway, here are some tips to help you prepare and stay safe.

Report power outages quickly:

• Baltimore Gas and Electric – 1-877-778-2222 or @MyBGE
• Delmarva Power – 1-800-898-8042 or online
• Choptank Electric Cooperative – 1.800.410.4790 or @choptankcoop
• Easton Utilities 410-822-6110 or @EastonUtilities (Facebook) or @EastonUtil (Twitter)
• First Energy or Allegheny Power – 1-888-544-4877
• Potomac Electric Power Company (Pepco) – 1-877-737-2662 or online
• Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative, Inc. (SMECO) – 1-877-747-6326 or online

Download the ‘Maryland Prepares’ mobile app – The MARYLAND Prepares mobile app, created by the Maryland Emergency Management Agency  (MDMEMA), provides important information and tools to help Maryland residents be more informed and prepared for emergency situations. The free app is available for iPhone® and Android™ devices.

Know your zone – MDMEMA has a great system in place to keep Marylanders informed with their Know Your Zone system. Step 1: Click the ‘Find Your Zone’ button, Step 2: Enter your Address on the map,
Step 3: See your zone in the search results, Step 4: Evacuate your zone if told to do so by local officials.

Stay informed – follow MDMEMA for weather related updates. You can follow them on Twitter & Facebook@MDMEMA

Keep an emergency supply kit ready – remember to prepare supplies for children, older parents with special needs and your pets. Keep your supplies together in one place in case you need to shelter in place.

• Fully charged cell phone
• Extra medicine or daily prescriptions
• Water – one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days for drinking and sanitation
• First aid kit
• Extra clothing & blankets
• Flashlights – not candles
• Fresh batteries
• Battery-operated radio
• Non-perishable foods (ex: dried meat, fruit or canned or packaged fruit and vegetables)
• Local maps

Run your generator safely – If you have a home generator, make sure your carbon monoxide alarms are working and that the generator is at least 20 feet away from your home. Never run a generator in your garage or basement.

Evacuation – If you are in a evacuation zone, follow these tips:

Leave Early – Do NOT wait for a mandatory evacuation order. An unnecessary trip is far better than waiting too long to leave safely.

Take Your Pets – Animals left behind in a disaster can easily be injured, lost or killed. Animals left inside your home can escape through storm-damaged areas, such as broken windows. Animals turned loose to fend for themselves are likely to become victims of exposure, starvation, predators, contaminated food or water, or accidents. Leaving dogs tied or chained outside in a disaster is a death sentence. If you leave, even if you think you may only be gone for a few hours, take your animals. When you leave, you have no way of knowing how long you’ll be kept out of the area, and you may not be able to go back for your pets.

Specific outlets in POWER House are painted green, so residents know they can still use these outlets to charge their cell phones or run medical devices.

Community Resources – If you are unable to leave an area check your community for relief resources in the event of prolonged power outages. For example, POWER House Community Center located at 316 S. Caroline Street in Baltimore, MD 21231 is a solar powered, community-based resiliency hub where residents can gather. Via their solar power back-ups, POWER House can maintain air condition, refrigeration (for medicine or foods), heat and power outlets for visitors to recharge their cell phones and stay connected to loved ones and emergency services. To read more about how POWER House serves their community, click here.