contributed graphic September is National Preparedness Month and Marshall County residents are urged to have plans to sustain themselves for 72 hours. They should have emergency kits, a list of local and out-of-area people to call and evacuation routes planned.

September is National Preparedness Month, and Marshall County Emergency Management Coordinator Kim Elder is letting people know.

She said it is a good time for people to think and talk about being prepared for emergencies.

“Summer is over, it’s back to school and back to normal,” Elder said. “It’s a good time to talk about preparation plans for school, child care. Sharing the plan is an important part of preparedness with whoever is taking care of your child. Whatever the emergency is, it’s important for kids to know what to do. If you’re at work and they’re home, they should know how to get a hold of someone. September is just a good time to remember.”

The month’s designation was given in 2004, and since that time, she has seen some changes.

“We used to tell people to be prepared for 24 hours,” Elder said. “Now we like to tell people they should be able to self-sustain for 72.”

That amount of time should even be enough to sustain a family which first responders cannot get to quickly.

Elder said the focus of each year’s Preparedness Month tends to reflect on disasters areas went through. For example, if a state experiences a lot of flooding, the month will place extra focus on that.

“That extra focus makes it more real for people,” she said. “For an area that had a tornado, it reminds people what they needed to do or what they could do. It’s tailored to make it more real.”

During September, Elder will go to many of the schools in the county with the sheriff’s office to review the emergency plans and conduct annual trainings. Schools are not alone in taking advantage of the knowledge and training Elder can provide.

“Churches have reached out who want to bring things to the forefront of their leadership,” she said. “They want to do whatever they can to plan. Places of business, child care have thought more about it. There’s more people reaching out to me.”

For Marshall County households, Elder said five things they should do to prepare for emergencies include:

Having a plan for whatever disaster might happen;

Building 72-hour emergency kits. She said it’s a good idea for people to have a kit for their car, for emergencies such as tornadoes, for winter months and to grab-and-go. Elder said the kits do not have to be expensive. A basic kit should include items such as water, food, flashlights, a battery-powered radio, a first aid kit, extra batteries, a whistle and a cell phone with a charger and backup battery;

Forming a calling tree. A calling tree is a communication model in which people notify specific individuals. Elder said it is important to have phone numbers written down, because sometimes cell phones are not operational. The people in the calling tree should be local and out-of-town. As an example, she said after the 2018 tornado went through Marshalltown, the system became overloaded and many residents could not call one another. They could call people outside of town, though. She said families should also have a communication plan which should include a meeting place and local and out-of-town contacts;

Making sure they have enough plans and items to sustain themselves for 72 hours.

Evacuation routes should also be formulated and practiced;

Taking emergency preparedness classes either in Marshall County or online. Elder said many of them are free and all it takes is a little bit of time.

Elder and her department will also participate in the CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) Rodeo course at the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office Saturday morning starting at 9 a.m.

“It is only for CERT teams so they can go out and respond to the emergency disasters,” she said. “FEMA, Homeland Security and Iowa Disaster Human Resource Council will also be in attendance.”

Attendees will receive hands-on training based on their interest and their ability to participate. There will be a tabletop simulated disaster drill, and if the weather permits, attendees can participate in a search and rescue.

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Contact Lana Bradstream

at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or

lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.