Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks was today joined by John Buttrill, Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Rochester Chapter of the American Red Cross, and other County and City officials to issue a joint proclamation declaring November 12 – 25 Winter Preparedness Week in Monroe County and the City of Rochester.

 

“While many of us have experienced winter weather in Rochester before, it is still extremely important to brush-up on safety tips and remain informed and prepared all winter long,” said Brooks. “Winter Preparedness Week is a great opportunity for our community to learn about winter weather safety issues, ranging from how to appropriately dress for the cold to how to be prepared for a winter emergency.”

 

The 2006 Winter Preparedness campaign aims to educate the community about important winter weather issues, including what to do to prepare for sudden winter storms. A new “Project Prepare!” web page was introduced in conjunction with the Winter Preparedness program as part of the public alerting and emergency preparedness initiative.

As the result of a grant last year, 280 All-Hazards radios have been distributed to sites throughout the Greater Rochester Community, including schools, offices, and public assembly locations. The radios are a means for the National Weather Service to alert schools, offices and surrounding municipalities of any adverse weather coming into the Greater Rochester/Monroe County area.

 

“The wide range of adverse conditions that can occur in our winter weather events, be it localized lake effect snow, or large scale ice storms, snowstorms or blizzards, make winter weather preparedness not just a recommendation, but a potential life-saving necessity," said Judy Levan, Warning Coordination Meteorologist, National Weather Service – Buffalo, NY.

  

In conjunction with Winter Preparedness Week, the Greater Rochester Chapter of the American Red Cross and Monroe Community College’s Homeland Security Management Institute (HSMI) have created a brochure for area seniors entitled, Disaster Preparedness For Seniors by Seniors. The brochure focuses on how to be prepared in advance for unexpected disasters, and provides a checklist of what to do when a disaster strikes.

 

“A group of Red Cross senior volunteers were instrumental in the creation of this nationally distributed brochure,” said Buttrill. “This reference extensively covers the four steps to preparedness: get informed, make a plan, build a kit, and maintain your plan and kit. It is a detailed guide for seniors to follow before, during, and after a disaster.”