Actions You May Be Asked To Take During An Emergency

Monitoring area radio, TV stations, or Emergency Alert Radio should be the first action you take after hearing an outdoor siren or indoor warning. Listen for details of the emergency and then activate your Emergency Preparedness Plan if necessary. Listen for road and weather conditions, Evacuation or Shelter in Place instructions. The radio and TV Emergency Alert System (EAS) stations or Emergency Alert Radio (weather radio) will give these instructions.

 If Your Area Is Not Named - Your zone or area may not be named or included in an EAS message.  This means that your area is not at risk at the present time and you are not required to take any protective action except stay where you are. You should:

• STAY CALM
• Go indoors (or stay indoors) and tune to your local EAS radio or television station. Listen for further instructions. The situation could change and instructions for your zone may change.
• Stay where you are. Stay off the streets and roads within St. Clair County, in order not to hinder those who may have been told to Evacuate, and in order not to hinder emergency personnel.
• Stay off the telephone, so emergency calls can get through. When telephone lines are extremely busy, it is very difficult for emergency communications to go through.

If You Are Told To SHELTER IN PLACE - Shelter in Place may be the best way to protect yourself and your family from several types of dangers, including hazardous materials accidents, severe weather, or Chemical Stockpile incidents at Anniston Army Depot. You should choose your shelter room in advance. Bathrooms are recommended, for obvious reasons if you must stay in there for several hours. Bathrooms are also generally recommended as shelter rooms for tornadoes and high winds, if you do not have access to a storm shelter or basement. Keep a battery powered radio and extra batteries in your shelter room, or take one in with you. If possible, keep your Disaster Supply Kit in your shelter room. In a Chemical Stockpile incident, if officials determine that you can best protect yourself by taking shelter inside your home or business, the EAS messages will include the numbers of the zones asked to Shelter in Place and state that these zones should take this action immediately. If told to Shelter in Place, you should:

• STAY CALM
• Stay indoors. If you or your family members are outside, go inside immediately. If your pets are outdoors, bring them inside or into an enclosed building.
• Close and lock all exterior doors, windows, and garage doors. Close all interior doors, fireplace dampers, and other ventilation openings.
• Turn off heating or cooling systems, ceiling and exhaust fans, and all other ventilation systems. Do not put the system on recirculate.
• Go into your shelter room. This should be an inner room such as a bathroom, closet, hallway that can be closed off with doors, or other room with few or no windows. The shelter room should be large enough to accommodate everyone who will be in it, and capable of being sealed adequately.
• Turn on radio or TV and tune to your local Emergency Alert System (EAS) station for further instructions. If you do not keep a radio in your shelter room, be sure to take one in with you.

Continue to listen to EAS radio, TV, or Emergency Alert Radio messages for information. When officials announce it is safe to do so, leave your shelter room and open all doors and windows in your house. This is in order to let your house air out and get rid of any lingering chemical vapors that may be trapped there.

If you have a child in school, know the zone where the school is located. Listen to the EAS messages to determine what action, if any, that zone has been asked to take. If the school has been ordered to Shelter in Place, do not attempt to pick up your child until the emergency is over. The school doors will be locked and cannot be opened until all danger has passed. Listen to the emergency radio and TV messages for instructions on when and where to pick up your child after the emergency is over.

If You Are Told to EVACUATE - You may be advised to Evacuate your home or business during a chemical emergency or for several other types of emergencies, such as a hazardous materials incident or severe flooding. You will only be told to Evacuate if it is determined that you have enough time to travel to a safe area prior to the arrival of the chemical vapor, man-made or natural hazard at your location. You should:

• STAY CALM
• Tune your radio or TV to your local EAS station for evacuation instructions, including directions. Listen closely to these instructions.
• If you are at home, gather your family members. If some family members are not at home, do not wait for them to return to leave with you.
• Get everyone at home into a single vehicle, if possible, and leave immediately after the EAS message ends.
• Take your Disaster Supply Kit. If you do not have a prepared Kit, do not take time to gather one. But be sure to get essential items such as medications, glasses, hearing aids, etc.
• Do not waste time gathering personal items and valuables to take with you.
• If you have neighbors without transportation, offer them a ride as space permits.
• If you are not at home, do not attempt to return to your home before evacuating.
• Do not use the telephone. Doing so will delay your departure and tie up telephone lines.
• When traveling in a vehicle during a chemical emergency, keep car windows up, vents closed, heater or air conditioner off, and the car radio tuned to an EAS station until you are safely out of the hazard area.
• Drive safely. Follow evacuation instructions. Obey all traffic laws, guides and roadblocks.
• Do not return to the evacuated area until officials announce that it is safe to do so.

Do not attempt to pick up children at school if the school has been ordered to Evacuate. Listen to EAS stations for information on what zones and schools are affected. If your child's school is evacuated, information will be given in the messages about where they have been taken and how to pick up your child at the reception center. Swift evacuation of everyone in the affected zones without delay is important to ensure the safety of children, teachers and parents.