Page 6 - September 2019

PREPARED, NOT SCARED

BE READY FOR EMERGENCIES AND DISASTERS

By Rashawnda Atkinson

Are you ready for the unexpected? cured until an emer-
September is National Preparedness gency or legally-
Month. authorized use occurs.
If you do not have a
• You leave the pot on the stove a working emergency
bit too long to answer the phone key, you may be held
and a fire ensues. liable for expenses
resulting from forcible
• The power goes out after a tor- entry (i.e. broken
rential downpour or snowstorm. doors, locks, door A first aid kit is great to have handy when disaster strikes.
frame), damages to
• You’re away on travel and re- WAL’s common areas, and damage Prep Your Home and Family
ceive a message that your unit caused to other units. If you don’t Getting ready for the event of a natu-
suffered damage from a water have a copy to spare, visit your local ral disaster or emergency can seem
leak. locksmith or key-making machine overwhelming, but as some wise per-
and secure a duplicate. son said, “Yard by yard, life is hard.
• You or a loved one falls, and Inch by inch, life’s a cinch.” Ap-
there’s no way to call for help. Sign Up for Alert Programs and proach preparedness at your own
Smart911 pace, whether that’s one, two, five or
No matter the circumstance, it’s a Verizon is WAL’s provider for mass more things at a time. For instance,
good idea to plan and take actionable text alerts. Be sure you’ve got the review your insurance policy (renter
steps to ensure your safety during an correct mobile number on file with or homeowner) to review coverage
emergency. Resident Services and that you opt in and consider additional options (i.e.
for this service. There is an option to flood insurance) according to the
According to the Department of opt-out as well should you no longer Ready Campaign. They also recom-
Homeland Security’s Ready Cam- need or desire this emergency feature. mend people take pictures of im-
paign, the goal is to keep disaster and portant documents and personal be-
emergency planning top of mind for Our Resident Alert system uses the longings and have them stored both
families and communities all year landline phone system to send pre- physically and digitally (in the
round. Listed below are suggestions recorded emergency and non- “cloud” or on USB’s) to assist with
to help you prepare for the next emer- emergency messages to residents. quickly filing insurance claims.
gency our community may face. Messages may be sent to specific ti-
ers, floors, the Board and to the entire Ready.gov/alerts provides warnings
Emergency Key community. and information specific to your area
All residents must provide a unit key and creating an emergency plan that
to Patrol Services so that in the event Smart911 is a program in which you accounts for escape and evacuation
of a medical, maintenance, safety or provide medical information in ad- routes, ways to communicate or re-
similar emergency quick access to the vance (e.g. allergies, current medica- group with family members and mak-
property can be done to protect resi- tions, health conditions) to help first ing sure you have supplies in case
dents and WAL property. The WAL responders in an emergency situation. you’re unable to leave your unit for a
Bylaws (Section 6.9) and VA Condo- The information is accessible for over few days (e.g. water, food, medicine).
minium Act requires such and resi- 1,500 localities across the U.S., and
dents should provide reasonable ac- all information is kept confidential. For more information on how you
cess to individual units for Associa- This is important as well when you’re can maximize preparations for disas-
tion-related purposes. For this to traveling away from home and may ter and emergency planning, visit
work properly, the key must match not have the ability or chance to share https://www.ready.gov/september.
the lock on your unit door. Don’t these details during an emergency.
worry, all keys are locked and se- Visit www.smart911.com to register.

Page 6 Wheel September 2019