Small Town News

September is National Weather Preparedness Month

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Today s weather patterns seem to be changing much differently than when I was younger. I can remember--a long time ago--gentle summer rains, instead of today's downpours that are usually accompanied by wind and hail. And, Nicollet County has had more than its share of those.

The same goes for winter when, instead of gentle snowfalls, we tend to have more howling blizzard conditions.

To help our citizens with preparing for bad weather events, your county's emergency management staff, along with many community partners, are trying to get the word out that we should plan for a weather related disaster before it happens.

With September being National Preparedness Month, one method is to put together a Basic Kit that contains items to help sustain you and your family --including pets --in case a severe weather-related event should happen.

Some of the basic items to include in your kit are water (one gallon per person per day), non-perishable food (at least a three-day supply), portable radio with extra batteries (or a NOAA weather radio with extra batteries), flashlight (with extra batteries), first aid kit, medications (both human and pet needs), wrench or pliers (to turn off utilities), whistle (to signal for help), important family documents, and other items which are unique for the family (such as infant formula or diapers).

To find more information on putting together your family's basic kit, go to www.ready.gov or contact us at Nicollet County Emergency Management, 507-934-0412.

By being prepared, we all should be able to "weather" any storms that Mother Nature decides to send to Nicollet County.



Copyright 2010 Lafayette Nicollet Ledger, Lafayette, Minnesota. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from SmallTownPapers, Inc.

© 2011 Lafayette Nicollet Ledger Lafayette, Minnesota. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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