Overland Park Safety City Days

Blue Valley Recreation invite personnel from Johnson County Emergency Management & Homeland Security to teach at the Overland Park Safety City Days this year on Severe Weather Safety. Adam Crowe (Assistant Director) and Carlyn Fogle (CERT Assistant) visited with the children on three separate occasions. Topics included types of severe weather, watches, warnings, outdoor sirens, and general safety tips.

A video of the experience has been added to the Johnson County Emergency Management YouTube Channel and can be viewed by click here.

July Test of the Outdoor Warning Sirens

Johnson County will be testing the outdoor warning sirens on Wednesday, July 1, starting at 11 AM. Depending on where you are located in the county, the sirens may sound off an on until around 11:15 as part of the routine monthly test.

Use the monthly siren test as a reminder about severe weather preparedness. Do you or your family have your emergency supply kit stocked and have you replaced the batteries in your NOAA Weather Radio lately?

Lightning Safety Awareness

Johnson County Emergency Management & Homeland Security would like to announce that Lightning Safety Awareness Week was June 21-27. Unfortunately, lightning has claimed the life of one Kansan already this year. Summer is the peak season for lightning, one of weather's most deadly occurrences. Between the years of 1959 and 2009, 64 people have been killed in Kansas and hundreds injured.

Each year, more than 400 people in the United States are struck by lightning while working outside, at sports events, on the beach, out at the lake, mowing the lawn or during other outdoor activities.

Lightning often strikes as far as 10 miles away from any rainfall. Many deaths from lightning occur ahead of the storm because people try and wait to the last minute before seeking shelter. If you can hear thunder, lightning is close enough that it could strike your location at any moment. Every flash of lightning is dangerous, even the first. Head to safety before that first flash occurs. Lightning can travel sideways for up to 10 miles. Even when the sky looks blue and clear, be cautious. At least 10 percent of lightning occurs without visible clouds overhead in the sky.

The most dangerous place to be in the event of a storm is outside. You want to first seek shelter in a sturdy, closed building that contains a mechanism for conducting the electrical current from the point of contact to the ground. Avoid sheds, picnic shelters, baseball dugouts, bleachers, open carports, garages and covered patios, which are not safe from lightning strikes. If no enclosed building is accessible, get inside a hard-topped all-metal vehicle.

If you can't get to a sturdy shelter or all-metal vehicle, crouch down low in an open area. Stay at least twice as far away from trees as they are tall. Since water is an excellent conductor of electricity, avoid standing in or near puddles. Also, remember to avoid holding anything that will conduct or even attract lightning, such as golf clubs or fishing poles.

A phrase to remember to help you stay safe during when around lightning is: “If you can hear it (thunder), clear it. If you can see it (lightning), flee it!”

For more information about lightning safety awareness, visit the National Weather Service's web page on lightning safety www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov or visit www.jocoem.org.

Amateur Radio "Field Day" - June 27-28

Johnson County Emergency Management & Homeland Security utilizes a group called the Emergency Communication Service (ECS) to provide amateur radio and weather spotting support during severe weather events. ECS is comprised of dozens of volunteer amateur radio operators who dedicate countless hours to the warning and protection of both people and property throughout Johnson County.

These volunteers are often also members of local amateur radio clubs. These clubs participate in an annual event called "Field Day" that is the climax of the week long "Amateur Radio Week" sponsored by the ARRL (the national association for Amateur Radio). Using only emergency power supplies, ham operators will construct emergency stations in parks, shopping malls, schools and back yards around the country. Their slogan, "Ham radio works when other systems don't! " is more than just words to the hams as they prove they can send messages in many forms without the use of phone systems, internet or any other infrastructure that can be compromised in a crisis. More than 30,000 amateur radio operators across the country participated in last year's event as well as hundreds in Johnson County and the Kansas City Metro area.

This year “Field Day” will be held June 27-28 at the following two locations. If you see them working during the event, wave to tell them how much you appreciate their work in preparing Johnson County for a variety of emergencies and disaster situations.

Johnson County Radio Amateur Club
1205 N. Kansas City Rd.
Olathe, KS

Santa Fe Trail ARC
Ensor Museum
18995 West 183rd St
Olathe, KS

Johnson County Continues to be Under an Excessive Heat Warning

An excessive heat warning means that a prolonged period of dangerously hot temperatures will occur. The combination of hot temperatures and high humidity will combine to create a dangerous situation in which heat illnesses are likely. If you must be outdoors the next several days especially during the peak heating of the afternoon be sure to drink plenty of water and take frequent breaks in the shade. Ideally, you should stay in an air conditioned building. Children, elderly, and pets are most susceptible to excessive heat and should be checked on frequently during this stretch of hot weather.

Johnson County Cooling Centers

Johnson County remains under a Heat Advisory until 9 PM Thursday. The following cooling centers are open and available to anyone who has a need.

DeSoto:
DeSoto Library (913) 583-3106
33145 W. 83rd Street, DeSoto, KS 66018
TU-WE 10am-6pm; TH 10am-8pm; F 10am-6pm; SA 10am-2pm

Edgerton:
Edgerton Library (913) 893-6720
319 E. Nelson, Edgerton, KS 66021
TU 10am-6pm; WE 1pm-8pm; TH-SA 10am-2pm

Gardner:
Gardner Library (913) 856-7223
137 E. Shawnee, Gardner, KS 66030
M-TH 10am-9pm; F 10am-6pm; SA 9am-5pm

Leawood:
Leawood Pioneer Library (913) 344-0250
4700 Town Center Drive, Leawood, KS 66211
M-TH 10am-9pm; F 10am-6pm; SA 9am-5pm

Lenexa:
Lackman Library (913) 495-7540
15345 W. 87th Street Parkway, Lenexa, KS 66219
M-TH 10am-9pm; F 10am-6pm; SA 9am-5pm; SU 1pm-5pm

Merriam:
Antioch Library (913) 261-2300
8700 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Merriam, KS 66202
M-TH 10am-9pm; F 10am-6pm; SA 9am-5pm; SU 1pm-5pm

Mission:
Sylvester Powell, Jr. Community Center (913) 722-8200
6200 Martway, Mission, KS 66202
TH 5:30am-9pm; F 5:30am-8pm

Olathe:
Olathe Public Library (913) 971-6850
201 E. Park, Olathe, KS 66061
TU –TH 9am-9pm; F 9am-6pm; SA 9am-5pm; SU 1pm-5pm
Bring medications and personal snacks

Indian Creek Branch Library (913) 971-5235
12990 S. Black Bob Road, Olathe, KS 66062
M-TH 10am-9pm; F 10am-6pm; SA 10am-5pm; SU 1pm-5pm

Salvation Army Olathe (913) 782-3640
420 E. Santa Fe, Olathe, KS 66061
M-SU 8am-5pm Cold drinks and snacks available.

Overland Park:
Blue Valley Library (913) 495-3850
9000 W. 151st Street, Overland Park, KS 66221
M-F 10am-9pm; SA 9am-5pm; SU 1pm-5pm

Central Resource Library (913) 495-2400
9875 W. 87th Street, Overland Park, KS 66212
M-TH 9am-9pm; F 9am-6pm; SA 9am-5pm; SU 1pm-5pm

Oak Park Library (913) 752-8700
9500 Bluejacket, Overland Park, KS 66214
M-F 10am-95m; SA 9am-5pm; SU 1pm-5pm

Prairie Village:
Corinth Library (913) 967-8650
8100 Mission Road, Prairie Village, KS 66208
M-TH 10am-9pm; F 10am-6pm; SA 9am-5pm; SU 1pm-5pm

Roeland Park:
Cedar Roe Library (913) 384-8590
5120 Cedar, Roeland Park, KS 66205
M-TH 10am-9pm; F 10am-6pm; SA 9am-5pm

Shawnee:
Shawnee Library (913) 962-3800
13811 Johnson Drive, Shawnee, KS 66216
M-TH 10am-9pm; F 10am-6pm; SA 9am-5pm

Spring Hill:
Spring Hill Library (913) 592-3232
109 S. Webster Spring Hill, KS 66083
M 10am-6pm; TU 10am-8pm; WE-TH 10am-6pm; SA 10am-2pm

Heat Advisory in Effect

The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for 10 AM Monday through 10 PM Wednesday. The Heat Index over the next three days are expected to reach 105-110 degrees with overnight lows between 75-80 degrees. While this is a little early for the traditional "heat season", it creates a potentially hazards condition particularly for residents with chronic medical conditions (or disability), elderly, economically disadvantaged, toddlers/children left in cars, athletes, and people who work outside.

The best way to mitigate this threat is to stay in temperature controlled areas, drink plenty of fluids, replace lost salts (drink "sports" beverages), and wear appropriate clothing. Additional guidelines can be found at the CDC's Extreme Heat website.

Johnson County Emergency Management & Homeland Security encourages you to stay cool and stay safe during the heat of summer.

Great Father's Day Gifts

Johnson County Emergency Management & Homeland Security would like to offer the following suggestion if you are still in need of a Father's Day gift.

1) A NOAA All-Hazard Weather Radio
2) A 3-day emergency supply kit
3) Create an Individual or Family Emergency Plan
4) Sign him up to follow JOCOAlert on Twitter for the latest on severe weather in Johnson Co.
5) Sign him up for the next CERT offering in Johnson County

Everyone have a safe and happy Father's Day.

"United We Serve"

President Obama unveiled the "United We Serve" campaign earlier this week calling for all Americans to commit meaningful volunteer service in their daily lives. This entire program is provided on www.serve.gov.

In Johnson County, there are numerous ways to be involved in volunteer serve for emergency preparedness and response. The Community Emergency Response Team is a successful program that provides opportunities for citizens to both become more personally prepared and learn how to help professional responders when requested. Likewise, local citizens can volunteer with the Medical Reserve Corps of Kansas City to assist public health, hospitals, and emergency managers respond to disasters requiring health, medical, or mass care issues.

These programs are great ways to learn more, stay involved, and contribute to the overall preparedness of our community and answer the call from President Obama.

Overland Park Safety City

Adam Crowe (Assistant Director) and Carlyn Fogle (CERT Assistant) visited Cedar Hills Elementary School in Overland Park today in support of the Overland Park Safety City Days. This event provides educational opportunity to hundreds of early elementary aged children about a variety of issues included severe weather awareness. Children were shown videos of various weather issues and asked to participated in the new "Postcards for Preparedness" campaign.

For more information about these types of preparedness activities visit www.jocoem.org.

Summer Fire Safety

Every year Americans look forward to summer vacations, camping, family reunions, picnics, and the Fourth of July. Summertime, however, also brings fires and injuries due to fireworks and outdoor cooking. Annually, just under 10,000 Americans are injured by fireworks and almost 5,000 are injured by charcoal/wood-burning and propane grill fires. Summertime should be a time of fun and making happy memories. Knowing a few fire safety tips and following safety instructions will help everyone have a safe summer.

Moreover, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), there were 11 deaths associated with fireworks during 2007. Fireworks were involved in an estimated 9,800 injuries during the 2007 calendar year, with an estimated 6,300 fireworks-related injuries treated during the one month period between June 22 and July 22. Children under 15 suffered about 42% of the estimated injuries.

Additional Research showed the following trends related to fireworks injuries:

• 67% of sparkler-related injuries were among children 5 years or younger
• 70% of patients treated for all fireworks injuries were male
• Adult supervision was present in 54% of the cases
• The eyes were injured in nearly one-third of the cases
• The average age of patients was 8½ years

Johnson County Emergency Management & Homeland Security encourages you to be safe as you celebrate over the next few weeks.

Complacency?

Do you feel like we all get complacent if the severe weather season doesn't produce numerous weather events including hail, flooding, wind, and/or tornadoes? Is it hard to stay motivated that we need to continue to prepare for all hazards that might impact our community?

What ways can Johnson County Emergency Management & Homeland Security help you stay excited and vigilant about being prepared? Let us know!

Behind the Scenes Weather Videos

Johnson County Emergency Management & Homeland Security has posted two new behind-the-scenes weather videos. The first video documents the activities related to the severe weather that impacted Johnson County and much of the Greater Kansas City area on June 9th. The second video shows how Johnson County monitors severe weather events as well as information on how, when, and why the outdoor warning siren system may be activated. The videos can be viewed by visiting the Johnson County Emergency Management & Homeland Security YouTube Channel.

My Safe Home

The Home Safety Council in concuntion with the National Fire Sprinkler Association and Lowe's has released a fantastic new website called My Safe Home. It is an interactive site that allows you to explore a model home to learn more about threats that exist and what you can do to reduce the risk to your family.

Johnson County Emergency Management & Homeland Security fully supports this type of learning and experience to minimize the hazards and risks that can be associated with common living areas.