Disaster

While September has become a month of remembrance, emergency personnel want people to remember to prepare themselves for any potential disaster. It is National Preparedness Month in Kentucky. “It's a month that we want people to take charge of their preparedness,” Winchester's Emergency Management Director Gary Epperson said. “They need to know what to do, where to go, the local hazards and have a plan, be able to implement the plan and have a disaster kit.” While the terrorist attacks of 9/11 are more than a decade in the past, Epperson is quick to note the majority of disasters are weather-related.

STANFORD - Lincoln County school officials hope a federal grant will help improve their schools' safety policies in the face of natural disasters or terrorist attacks. A $95,295 federal disaster planning grant was awarded to the Lincoln County Board of Education, earmarked for developing disaster plans in Lincoln schools and surrounding communities. The grant was annnounced last week by the office of U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. "The focus of the grant was community involvement, and they (the schools)

STANFORD - Lincoln County has been designated the "most disaster-ready" county in an eight-county region by the Daniel Boone chapter of the American Red Cross. Lincoln Emergency Management Director Don Gilliam was also awarded a "dive right in" award for his work serving as a Daniel Boone Red Cross board member. The award and designation came during a recent volunteer and staff recognition event held by the Red Cross. Gilliam was publicly thanked by Judge-Executive Jim Adams and Lincoln County magistrates Tuesday morning.

HARRODSBURG - Residents of Mercer County, including the cities of Burgin and Harrodsburg, who suffered damage in the tornadoes of Feb. 6 should register with FEMA for disaster assistance. FEMA has established a disaster recovery center at Lion's Community Park, 450 E. Factory St., Harrodsburg. The center will be open from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Sunday. For additional information, call the FEMA disaster hotline at 1-800-621-3362.

Dear Editor: After watching the recent aftermath of numerous natural disasters around our nation and the world, the citizens of Boyle County must be aware that we are not immune from the possibility of a disaster. Whether it is a major catastrophe, such as a train derailment, plane crash, or a weather-related incident, such as a tornado or ice storm, Boyle County residents need to be better prepared. We live in a society where we pick up the telephone and call for someone to come and do things for us. The problem arises when telephone service is out and impassable roads or abnormal conditions do not allow for first response emergency services to get to the scene of an emergency.

Dear Editor, The morning after the recent ice storm, words can barely describe the feelings of relief of hearing Charlie Perry's familiar voice on the radio as he updated us on the weather, warned of water shortages, informed us about emergency precautions and took phone calls from people like us who were without power, heat, phone service and water. The radio gave us phone numbers and became a conduit between people with services, products and information and those in need.

Jamie Moreland, the volunteer disaster director for the local chapter of the American Red Cross, Dr. Al Morris and I attended the March 1 Community Development Initiative at Boyle County High School to try to bring the importance of disaster preparedness to the forefront of community concerns. March is Red Cross Month, and we try to remind those in our community that preparedness is everyone's concern. Unfortunately, when our community leaders met the next week, I understand our emergency management director was not invited.

September is National Preparedness Month and, while there's little likelihood of Osama Bin Laden showing up on your doorstep, there are ample reasons for you and your family to take emergency planning and preparation seriously. After all, homeland security is about being prepared for any disaster - natural or man-made. When you stop to think about it, there's little difference in preparing to face any dangerous situation, from fires to tornadoes to floods to rampages by deranged individuals with guns.

It is said that since Sept. 11, 2001, all Americans' lives have changed. That may not be true for some Kentuckians, but for the people who work in county health departments, the terrorist attacks on the United States five years ago today have meant a sea of change in the way they go about their work. Rebecca Judy, public health preparedness coordinator at the Boyle County Health Department, says preparedness has long been one of the seven core functions of local health departments, but it was never really addressed until after 9-11.

Dear Editor: As a former resident of Casey County, I say thumbs up for the protest. The Bible clearly says that homosexuality is an abomination. God destroyed cities for this. Remember Sodom and Gomorrah? Have you ever stopped to think how this country has been hit with disaster after disaster? Don't you think that maybe a message about how the morals that we have strayed away from may have something to do with this? Wake up. Lisa Derringer East Palatka, Fla.

To hear the words “let it burn” is kind of odd when they come from a fire chief, but that's what Danville chief Woody Ball said will happen if many of the agricultural companies were to catch fire. Local fire, police and medical personnel met Thursday at Danville's 911 center to discuss the unlikely but possible danger of agriculture plants and factories in Boyle County. Ball said the sites are regularly monitored, but after the recent explosion of a fertilizer plant in West, Texas, he and other officials thought it would be beneficial to share their knowledge with the community.

A rumor has been circulating recently that members of both the House of Representatives and Senate in Washington, D.C., have been meeting secretly to try and figure out a way to avoid public outrage when it's announced that they and all their employees (who work for the government) will be exempted from Obamacare.  This should cause outrage to the max if in fact this turns out to be true. After all the secret, closed-door meetings the Democrats engaged in to scheme up such a thing, then cram it down the throats of the American people,  to turn around and exempt themselves from it is the height of double crossing, arrogance and hypocrisy!

When American Red Cross reorganized and scaled back its presence in local communities in 2011, there was worry about who would fill the void in helping those in the immediate aftermath of a fire or other crisis. After some initial confusion, it appears that the agencies involved in providing aid to disaster victims have learned to work together and created a patchwork of responders that are meeting the needs of those in the their hour of need. “At first, I was kind of aggravated and felt we weren't getting the support we needed,” said Danville Fire Chief Woody Ball.

As the holidays approach, we must plan for our pets so everyone will be able to celebrate without any disasters. Where will the animals be when you take the turkey, ham or roast beef out of the oven? A large dog can be tempted to appropriate the meat for itself when your back is turned, now that's a disaster! Just in case you are thinking, “Well, I don't have to worry because I have cats, not dogs,” think again.  My worst experience with dinner guests was the time the cat jumped up on the counter and flipped the roast chicken to the floor where the dogs could join in.  My guests and I ended up at a restaurant after I took the animals to the veterinarian as a precaution.

STANFORD - Lincoln County has been designated the “most disaster-ready” county in an eight-county region by the Daniel Boone chapter of the American Red Cross. Lincoln Emergency Management Director Don Gilliam also was awarded a “dive right in” award for his work serving as a Daniel Boone Red Cross board member. The award and designation came during a recent volunteer and staff recognition event held by the Red Cross.  “As a board member, (Gilliam) educated elected officials, met with local business leaders, recruited other board members and increased awareness of the Red Cross in Lincoln County,” the announcement of Gilliam's award reads.

STANFORD - Lincoln County has been designated the "most disaster-ready" county in an eight-county region by the Daniel Boone chapter of the American Red Cross. Lincoln Emergency Management Director Don Gilliam was also awarded a "dive right in" award for his work serving as a Daniel Boone Red Cross board member. The award and designation came during a recent volunteer and staff recognition event held by the Red Cross. Gilliam was publicly thanked by Judge-Executive Jim Adams and Lincoln County magistrates Tuesday morning.

Chapter 1828 of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association met for their regular monthly meeting at noon, Tuesday, Oct. 23, at the Taste of China. Jennifer Howard, Clark County Extension agent for family and consumer sciences, was the guest speaker. She presented a program on food safety, and she also spoke about how to prepare an emergency kit to use in the event of a disaster. Present for the meeting were Kenneth Brown, Sheila Brown, Hilda Standafer, Otella Witt, Gaetta Ballard, Bev Allen, Floyd Gibbs, Pat Gibbs, Denver Parks, Donald  Spillman, Julia Dever, Will Bentley, Cindy Bentley, Ann C. Hall, Philip Jackson, Audrey King, Betty Hollon, Jean Brandenburg, Elizabeth Bunch, Fred Dulin, Teresa Dulin, R.B. Omohundro, Lila Omohundro, Grace Ingram, Larry Bosco, Martha Gaither, Steve Lech, Ruth Lech, Teri Lech and Jennifer Howard.

There are some general health tips that you should remember during a disaster. These are very important in the proper care and management of your diabetes. It is important for you to stick to your meal plan as much as possible during a disaster. Make sure to check your feet and skin every day. Make it a point to check your blood sugar at least once a day. Take your medications as prescribed and wear your diabetes ID. If you need medical help, make sure to get it. Remember that stress can cause your blood sugar to rise.

The worst of the Blue Grass Army Depot's “accident” missed Clark County. In the annual CSEPP (Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program) exercise, the plume of chemical smoke headed south from Richmond, affecting two zones in Madison¿County. While this made the exercise somewhat easier for Clark County emergency personnel, Clark¿County Emergency Management Director Gary Epperson said, the Clark County crews were still hard at work. The army depot is a storage facility for conventional munitions and chemical weapons.

While September has become a month of remembrance, emergency personnel want people to remember to prepare themselves for any potential disaster. It is National Preparedness Month in Kentucky. “It's a month that we want people to take charge of their preparedness,” Winchester's Emergency Management Director Gary Epperson said. “They need to know what to do, where to go, the local hazards and have a plan, be able to implement the plan and have a disaster kit.” While the terrorist attacks of 9/11 are more than a decade in the past, Epperson is quick to note the majority of disasters are weather-related.