For the next several months, Mother Nature will bring things like electrical storms, range fires, high winds, pouring rain and possibly hail.
It is worthwhile for Castle Valley residents to consider how to prepare for the inconveniences that may come from weather-caused storms during the summer.
Suggestions for being prepared include:
•First-aid kits.
No home or motor vehicle should be without a basic, well-stocked first-aid kit.
Larger kits that include blankets, first-aid booklets, food and water are available.
But a basic kit that costs less than $10 would be enough to treat minor cuts and bruises, insect bites, headaches and sunburn. Residents should start with a basic kit and build from there.
•Food and water
Most people have heard they should have a 72-hour kit, which would include first-aid supplies, available if evacuation became necessary.
Local residents should also remember that, while most people can survive several days without food, water is crucial to survival.
People should be sure to have drinking water available to last three to four days.
One gallon per person per day is the general recommendation.
•Light
All homes should have working flashlights in several locations.
One recommended place to store flashlights is in every bedroom next to the bed.
It is also suggested that every vehicle have two flashlights – one in the glove compartment and one in the trunk.
•Power
Whether run off a car battery, gasoline or diesel fuel, a generator would be useful in a power outage.
A generator equipped to run off a motor vehicle battery can cost less than $200.
However, purchasing an industrial-size generator can cost local consumers $2,000 to $4,000.
•Cell phone charger
Most cell phones need to be charged almost daily, depending on the frequency of use.
People should make sure they can charge cell phones without electricity.
Car chargers or chargers that accompany hand-cranked flashlights, radios and generators are a few common options.
If land-line telephone service becomes disrupted or people are stranded on the road, cell phones may become a key communication device.
•Fuel
Motorists should always keep vehicle fuel tanks at least half full.
People should consider where they would go in the event of an emergency, such as the home of a relative or friend who lives outside your community.
They should then determine how much fuel it would take to get there.
It is important to be prepared for whatever distance people would need to travel in an emergency situation.
It is difficult to prepare for every unforeseen weather event that may inconvenience people during the summer.
But Castle Valley residents who establish a preparedness plan will handle summer storms better than people who do not.
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