Friday, January 18, 2013

Episode 145 (1-21-13): Winter Weather Preparedness (Repeat)



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;

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.