SPHA encourages residents to be prepared during hurricane season

ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – With the June 1 start of this year’s hurricane season approaching, the St. Petersburg Housing Authority (SPHA) is encouraging its residents to prepare for potential emergency situations. While events like hurricanes, floods and fires are frightening to consider, having a disaster plan in place can help families react more calmly to the unexpected and can reduce the loss of life and damage to property in the event of an emergency.

Following are the steps recommended by the Red Cross when creating a disaster plan for your family:

• Meet with your family and discuss why you need to prepare for disaster. Explain the dangers of fire, severe weather, and earthquakes to children. Plan to share responsibilities and work together as a team.
• Discuss the types of disasters that are most likely to happen. Explain what to do in each case.
• Pick two places to meet:
  1. Right outside your home in case of a sudden emergency, like a fire.
  2. Outside your neighborhood in case you can't return home. Everyone must know the address and phone number.
• Ask an out-of-state friend to be your "family contact." After a disaster, it's often easier to call long distance. Other family members should call this person and tell them where they are. Everyone must know your contact's phone number.
• Discuss what to do in an evacuation. Plan how to take care of your pets, if you have them.
  

Also, you should take the time to plan how you will work with your neighbors in a time of disaster and determine, in advance, how you could help neighbors who have special needs, such as elderly or disabled persons.

Once your disaster plan is created, there are additional things you can do to keep your family safe in an emergency situation. By completing the following checklist, your family will be better prepared to respond to a disaster and to recover from it:

• Keep important family records in a waterproof, fireproof, portable container, including wills, insurance policies, contracts, deeds, stocks and bonds; passports, social security cards and immunization records; credit card account numbers and companies; an inventory of valuable household goods; important telephone numbers; and birth, marriage and death certificates.
• Prepare a disaster supplies kit in an easy-to-carry container, including a two-week supply of water, food, sanitation supplies and any special foods or medicines needed by family members, such as insulin, heart tablets, diabetic foods or baby foods.
• If you must evacuate to a shelter, consider bringing the following supplies from home to make your stay more comfortable: bedding, extra clothing, cooking and eating utensils, general emergency tools, reading materials and games or hobbies that will help you pass the time.
• Post emergency telephone numbers by phones (fire, police, ambulance, etc.).
• Show each family member how and when to turn off the utilities (water, gas, and electricity) at the main switches.
• Get training from the fire department for each family member on how to use the fire extinguisher and show them where it's kept.
• Install a smoke detector on each level of your home, especially near bedrooms. Test monthly and change the batteries twice each year.
• Check your home for any hazards, such as frayed electrical cords, flammable or combustible materials, fire hazards or items that can shift or fall like hanging items or bookcases.
• Learn first aid and CPR.
• Determine the best escape routes from your home. Find two ways out of each room.
• Find the safe places in your home for each type of disaster.
• Know the location of the nearest shelters to your home and how to get there.

For more information on how to prepare for an emergency, please visit the following websites:
http://www.pinellascounty.org/emergency/
http://www.redcross.org/

About St. Petersburg Housing Authority (SPHA):

The St. Petersburg Housing Authority (SPHA) is a public body corporate that has a 70‐year history of developing and administering affordable housing programs in the city of St. Petersburg. Consistently scored as a “High Performer” on U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) assessments, SPHA provides housing assistance to more than 3,400 families residing in St. Petersburg. The authority has received national awards and recognition for its innovative programs, including the Economies of Scale program, the Jordan Park HOPE VI redevelopment program, the
Section 3 program and the Fraud Recovery program. More information about the authority’s programs and services can be found at www.stpeteha.org.