Transcript of audio, notes on the audio, images, and additional information follow below.
All Web addresses mentioned were functional as of 11-23-15.
TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO
From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is
Virginia Water Radio for the week of November 30, 2015.
MUSIC - ~12 sec
This week, music by the Harrisonburg, Va.-based band, The
Steel Wheels, opens our annual episode on winter preparedness. Have a
listen for about 35 more seconds.
MUSIC - ~37 sec
MUSIC - ~37 sec
You’ve been listening to part of “Winter is Coming,” from The Steel Wheels’ 2015 album, “We’ve Got a Fire.”
In 2015, winter comes to Virginia—astronomically—on December
21, ready or not. So Virginia’s official
Winter Preparedness Week runs this year from November 29 to December 5. Here are some tips from the Virginia
Department of Emergency Management for staying safe from winter’s hazardous
roads, power outages, and fire hazards.
*Try to get to travel destinations before the weather
gets bad. You can get road conditions from the Virginia 511
telephone system, Web site, or smartphone app.
*Have a battery-powered or hand-cranked radio, especially one with a NOAA Weather Radio band.
*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 don’t leave heaters unattended.
*Generators, camp stoves, and charcoal-burning devices should be used outdoors only.
*Use flashlights, not candles, during power outages.
*And make a family emergency plan that includes a meeting place if your family can’t return home; an out-of-town emergency contact; and at least a three-day emergency supply of food, water, and medications.
More information on preparing for severe winter weather and other emergencies is available online at ReadyVirginia.gov.
Thanks to The Steel Wheels for permission to use this week’s music, and as we close with a bit more of “Winter is Coming,” here’s hoping that you keep warm and safe during whatever the coming winter brings.
*Have a battery-powered or hand-cranked radio, especially one with a NOAA Weather Radio band.
*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 don’t leave heaters unattended.
*Generators, camp stoves, and charcoal-burning devices should be used outdoors only.
*Use flashlights, not candles, during power outages.
*And make a family emergency plan that includes a meeting place if your family can’t return home; an out-of-town emergency contact; and at least a three-day emergency supply of food, water, and medications.
More information on preparing for severe winter weather and other emergencies is available online at ReadyVirginia.gov.
Thanks to The Steel Wheels for permission to use this week’s music, and as we close with a bit more of “Winter is Coming,” here’s hoping that you keep warm and safe during whatever the coming winter brings.
MUSIC – ~15 sec
For more Virginia water sounds, music, and information, visit
us online at virginiawaterradio.org,
or call us at (540) 231-5463. Virginia
Water Radio is produced by the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, part
of Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment. Thanks to Stewart Scales for his banjo
version of Cripple Creek to open and close the show. In Blacksburg, I’m Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening, and wishing you
health, wisdom, and good water.
AUDIO NOTES AND
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
“Winter is Coming,” from the 2015 album “We’ve Got a Fire,”
is copyright by The Steel Wheels, used with permission. More information about The Steel Wheels is
available online at http://www.thesteelwheels.com/.
PHOTOS
The beginning and near-end of winter 2014-15: Big Walker
Creek on State Route 663 in Giles County, Virginia, on December 21, 2014 (upper photo); and sparrows around a
household bird feeder in Blacksburg, Va., February 27, 2015 (lower photo).
EXTRA FACTS ABOUT WINTER PREPAREDNESS AND SAFETY INFORMATION FROM THE
COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA
The suggestions below are from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, “Get Ready for Winter Weather,” as of November 2015 online at http://www.vaemergency.gov/readyvirginia/winter/winter-preparedness-week,” and from Va. Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s Nov. 25, 2014, news release, “Governor McAuliffe urges Virginians to get ready for winter weather; November 30-December 6 is Winter Preparedness Week in Virginia,” 11/25/14.
The suggestions below are from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, “Get Ready for Winter Weather,” as of November 2015 online at http://www.vaemergency.gov/readyvirginia/winter/winter-preparedness-week,” and from Va. Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s Nov. 25, 2014, news release, “Governor McAuliffe urges Virginians to get ready for winter weather; November 30-December 6 is Winter Preparedness Week in Virginia,” 11/25/14.
Before a Winter Storm
Get a kit.
Basic emergency supplies include the following:
Basic emergency supplies include the following:
*Three days’ food that doesn’t need refrigeration or
electricity to prepare it;
*Three days’ water (a gallon per person per day);
*A battery-powered and/or hand-crank radio with extra
batteries;
*For businesses and offices, some bottles of water, food
bars, and a radio or TV to hear local information about whether or not it is
safe to travel;
*A power pack for recharging cell phones and other mobile
devices.
Make a plan.
Everyone needs an emergency plan:
*Decide who your out-of-town emergency contact will be;
*Where will you meet up with family members if you can’t
return home?
*Get an emergency plan worksheet at ReadyVirginia.gov.
Stay informed.
Before, during and after a winter storm, you should do the
following:
*Listen to local media for information and instructions from
emergency officials;
*Be aware of winter storm watches and warnings and road
conditions;
*Get where you need to go before the weather gets bad;
*Get road condition information 24/7 by calling 511 or
checking www.511Virginia.org.
Download the Ready Virginia app.
The Free app for iPhone® and Android™ features the
following:
*Location-specific weather watches and warnings issued by the
National Weather Service;
*“I'm Safe!” notification that allows users to quickly send
a text message to let family and friends know they are safe;
*A customizable family emergency plan that can be easily
shared;
*A checklist for gathering emergency supplies:
*Links to register for local emergency alerts, and more.
During a Winter Storm
At Home
*Keep space heaters at least three feet from other objects and never leave space heaters unattended;
*Install a smoke detector in every bedroom and on each level of your home, check the batteries monthly, and replace batteries a year at the same time every year;
*In case of power outages, use flashlights instead of candles for light;
*Use generators only outdoors and only in well-ventilated areas;
*Make sure outdoor pets have adequate shelter, unfrozen water, and food;
*If your household includes someone with special needs (has a disability, requires electricity to operate home medical equipment, needs to go to dialysis, etc.), call your local emergency manager to let them know where you live and what you will need during an emergency.
Driving
*Driving is most dangerous when the temperature is at or under 32° F;
*If the road is wet, patches of ice are possible, especially on bridges and curves;
*Avoid using cruise control in winter weather conditions;
*Keep a safe distance of at least five seconds behind other vehicles and trucks that are plowing the road, don't pass a snowplow or spreader unless it is absolutely necessary, and treat these as you would emergency response vehicles;
*Keep an emergency kit in your car.
*Keep space heaters at least three feet from other objects and never leave space heaters unattended;
*Install a smoke detector in every bedroom and on each level of your home, check the batteries monthly, and replace batteries a year at the same time every year;
*In case of power outages, use flashlights instead of candles for light;
*Use generators only outdoors and only in well-ventilated areas;
*Make sure outdoor pets have adequate shelter, unfrozen water, and food;
*If your household includes someone with special needs (has a disability, requires electricity to operate home medical equipment, needs to go to dialysis, etc.), call your local emergency manager to let them know where you live and what you will need during an emergency.
Driving
*Driving is most dangerous when the temperature is at or under 32° F;
*If the road is wet, patches of ice are possible, especially on bridges and curves;
*Avoid using cruise control in winter weather conditions;
*Keep a safe distance of at least five seconds behind other vehicles and trucks that are plowing the road, don't pass a snowplow or spreader unless it is absolutely necessary, and treat these as you would emergency response vehicles;
*Keep an emergency kit in your car.
SOURCES
Used in Audio
Justin Grieser, “Winter solstice–and other interesting sun facts–explained,” Washington Post, 11/21/11, online at https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/post/winter-solstice-marks-the-shortest-day-of-the-year-thursday-morning/2011/12/21/gIQANxaG9O_blog.html; and “Winter begins today: Five questions and answers about the solstice,” 12/21/14, online at https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2014/12/21/winter-begins-today-five-questions-and-answers-about-the-solstice/.
The Old Farmer’s Almanac, “First Day of Winter 2015: The
Winter Solstice,” online at http://www.almanac.com/content/first-day-winter-winter-solstice.
Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM), “Winter Weather,”
online at http://www.vaemergency.gov/readyvirginia/stayinformed/winter;
and “Winter Preparedness Week,” online at http://www.vaemergency.gov/readyvirginia/winter/winter-preparedness-week. The VDEM’’s “Ready Virginia” program, online
at http://www.vaemergency.gov/ReadyVirginia,
is the Commonwealth’s central source of information on preparedness for all
types of emergencies and disasters.
Virginia Department of Transportation, “Virginia Traffic Information,” http://www.511virginia.org/.
Virginia Department of Transportation, “Virginia Traffic Information,” http://www.511virginia.org/.
For More Information on Winter Weather Preparedness
American Red Cross, “Winter Storm Preparedness, at http://www.redcross.org/prepare/disaster/winter-storm;
or contact your local Red Cross chapter.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, “Winter Storms and Extreme Cold,” online at http://www.ready.gov/winter-weather.
NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) “Weather Radio All Hazards” network, online at http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/.
U.S. Department of Energy, “Portable Heaters,” online at http://energy.gov/energysaver/articles/portable-heaters.
Virginia Water Central News Grouper posts on weather, available online at http://vawatercentralnewsgrouper.wordpress.com/category/weather/. The posts—mostly about Virginia, but in some cases about other areas—cover primarily severe-weather events, precipitation and drought, and tropical storms during the June-November Atlantic tropical storm season.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, “Winter Storms and Extreme Cold,” online at http://www.ready.gov/winter-weather.
NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) “Weather Radio All Hazards” network, online at http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/.
U.S. Department of Energy, “Portable Heaters,” online at http://energy.gov/energysaver/articles/portable-heaters.
Virginia Water Central News Grouper posts on weather, available online at http://vawatercentralnewsgrouper.wordpress.com/category/weather/. The posts—mostly about Virginia, but in some cases about other areas—cover primarily severe-weather events, precipitation and drought, and tropical storms during the June-November Atlantic tropical storm season.
RELATED VIRGINIA WATER RADIO EPISODES
All Water Radio episodes are listed by category at the Index
link above (http://www.virginiawaterradio.org/p/index.html).
Previous episodes on winter-weather preparedness were the
following:
Episode 253 (2-16-15), “Cold World” by Kat Mills, for Winter Preparedness and Safety, repeating 242 (12-1-14);
Episode 253 (2-16-15), “Cold World” by Kat Mills, for Winter Preparedness and Safety, repeating 242 (12-1-14);
Episode
190 (12-2-13), Cold Winds Return and So Does “Winter Weather Preparedness
Week” in Virginia.
SOLS INFORMATION FOR
VIRGINIA TEACHERS
This episode may help with the following Virginia’s 2010 Science
Standards of Learning (SOLs):
Grades K-6 Earth Patterns, Cycles, and Change Theme
2.7 – Weather and seasonal changes affecting plants and
animals.
3.8 – Basic patterns and cycles in nature, including daily,
seasonal, and lunar changes.
Grades K-6 Interrelationships in Earth/Space Systems Theme
4.6 – weather conditions, phenomena, and measurements.
Grades K-6 Matter Theme
6.6 – Properties of air (including pressure, temperature,
and humidity) and structure/dynamics of earth’s atmosphere.
Earth
Science Course
ES.12 – weather and climate.
The episode may also help with the following Virginia 2008 Social
Studies SOLs:
Civics and Economics Course
CE.7 – government at the state level.
CE.9 – public policy at local, state, and national levels.
World Geography Course
WG.2 - how selected physical and ecological processes shape
the Earth’s surface, including how humans influence their environment and are influenced
by it.
WG.10 - cooperation among political jurisdictions to solve
problems and settle disputes.
Government Course
GOVT.8 – state and local government organization and powers.
GOVT.9 – public policy at local, state, and national levels.
Virginia’s SOLs are available from the Virginia Department
of Education, online at http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/.
