JAMESTOWN, NY (WNY News Now) – Severe weather can happen any time, and when it does, you need to be prepared.
Whether it be tornadoes, flash flooding, or blizzards, there are steps you can take to be ready for when disaster strikes. County Executive PJ Wendel spoke with WNY News Now to outline what preparedness looks like and why it matters.
“As far as residents, the best way when it comes to emergency preparedness, heed the warnings that go out, it’s really important. A lot of times when we see warnings go out, especially when we talk about severe weather, people go ‘oh it’s not that bad, we’re Western New Yorkers, we’re used to this,’ well, that may be true but there may be certain weather events that are a little more quick to develop. We’ve seen a lot more flash flooding, we’ve seen a lot more torrential rains,” explained Wendel.
The executive touts the importance of signing up for N.Y. Alerts.
“New York Alerts is a great way for people to be in contact, everyone has a phone with them 24/7 and if you don’t, find somebody that does. Realistically, signing up for those alerts are really critical. A lot of times, we’ve talked about already doing reverse 911 calls, getting information out to people, alerting them of emergencies and things that are happening, and we’re urging residents to get involved especially when it comes to how to be notified,” Wendel said.
In the end, Wendel encourages residents to listen to alerts when they come out, and have an emergency kit at the ready.
“We’re really asking everybody to pay attention to those warnings, if it’s a winter weather advisory and we’re asking everybody to stay off the roads, please stay off the roads so we can get those plows out there, in a situation where there’s a travel ban, please make sure we’re following that, and also plan where you’re traveling to,” said Wendel.
To learn more about New York Citizen Preparedness training, you can visit dhses.ny.gov.
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