Due to Martin Luther King, Jr., Day on January 21, 2013, Virginia Water Radio is not able to record a new episode for this week. Instead, to mark the January 17-18 winter storm that brought significant snowfall to much of Virginia, we repeat the recent “Winter Weather Preparedness” episode (Episode 139, week of 12-3-12). Stay safe, and have a meaningful Martin Luther King holiday!
Please see below (after the transcript and show notes) for links to news and upcoming events.
TRANSCRIPT
From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is
Virginia Water Radio for the week of December 3, 2012.
This week, we feature a series of mystery sounds. Have a
listen for about 25 seconds and see if you can guess what kind of weather preparedness activities these
sounds represent. And here’s a hint: if
you’re experiencing some of Virginia’s mild
temperatures this week, think the opposite!
SOUNDS.
If you guessed winter-storm
preparedness, you’re right! The sounds
of winter winds, a hand-cranked radio, a smoke alarm-test, and water filling a
container are reminders that this [Dec. 2-8, 2012] is winter-storm
preparedness week in Virginia. Here
are some tips from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management to help you
stay safe from winter’s hazardous roads, low temperatures, power outages, and
fire hazards.
*Get where you need to be before the weather gets bad. You can get road conditions by phoning 511.
*Have a battery-powered or hand-cranked radio, especially
one with a weather radio band that provides reports directly from the National
Weather Service.
*Get fireplaces, wood stoves, and chimneys inspected and
cleaned.
*Install a smoke detector in every bedroom and on every
floor level, and check the batteries regularly.
*If you use space heaters, plug them into wall outlets, not
into extension cords; keep heaters at least three feet from other objects, and
turn them off before going to bed.
*Use flashlights, not candles, during power outages.
*And make a family emergency plan that includes a meeting
place if your family cannot return home; an out-of-town emergency contact; and
at least a three-day emergency supply of food, water, and medications.
More details on preparing for severe weather and other
emergencies are available online at www.ReadyVirginia.gov.
For other water sounds and music, and for more Virginia
water information, visit our Web site at virginiawaterradio.org,
or call us at (540) 231-5463. From the
Virginia Water Resources Research Center in Blacksburg, I’m Alan Raflo,
thanking you for listening, and wishing you health, wisdom, and good water.
SHOW NOTES
Photo from
Virginia Department of Emergency’s Web site, http://www.vaemergency.gov/readyvirginia,
12/3/12.
Acknowledgments and Sources: The winter storm sound was from a recording make available for public use
on Freesound.org (http://www.freesound.org; recording DMP013016
HEAVYSNOWSTORM.wav), accessed 12/3/12.
Other sounds were recorded by Virginia Water Radio.
The winter-preparedness tips were taken
from the Virginia Department of
Emergency Management’s Winter Preparedness Week public service announcement, “What
Should You Do to Get Ready for Winter Weather?”, online at http://www.vaemergency.gov/readyvirginia/winter/winter-preparedness-week
(accessed 12/3/12); and Governor
McDonnell Proclaims December 2-8 Winter Preparedness Week in Commonwealth,
Virginia Governor’s Office News Release, 11/28/12.
Road conditions are available in Virginia online at www.511Virginia.org. A mobile-phone app is available, as well.
Additional sources of information for winter preparedness
are the following:
American Red Cross, at http://www.redcross.org/prepare/disaster/winter-storm, or contact your local Red Cross chapter;
American Red Cross, at http://www.redcross.org/prepare/disaster/winter-storm, or contact your local Red Cross chapter;
Federal Emergency Management Agency, http://www.ready.gov/winter-weather.
Recent Virginia Water
News
For
news relevant to Virginia's water resources, please visit the Virginia Water Central News Grouper,
available online at http://vawatercentralnewsgrouper.wordpress.com/.
Water Meetings and
Other Events
For
events related to Virginia's water resources, please visit the Quick Guide to Virginia Water–related
Conferences, Workshops, and Other Events, online at http://virginiawaterevents.wordpress.com/. The site includes a list of Virginia
government policy and regulatory meetings occurring in the coming week.
