EDEN website offers reliable disaster information
My parents call my little sister “El Coronel,” the colonel. When there’s a job to be done, she takes command.
She’s in her glory during an emergency. She’ll jump on a plane, cover windows with plywood or pull out her checkbook depending on the situation.
When bad weather threatens to come near our parents in Brownsville, she becomes a one-woman command center. She buys enough food for her own household and those of her extended family. You better get to H.E.B. before she does or the shelves may be a little bare.
As the black clouds move in, she picks up sandbags and pulls out plywood from garage. A tip from my little sister: nail the window brackets onto the plywood because if you store them separately, you will most likely lose them year after year after year. Hardware stores ration some supplies, such as brackets, during an impending hurricane. So be sure you have plenty ahead of time.
If you don’t have someone like El Coronel to handle your weather emergency, you might want to check out an excellent resource on the Internet.
Texas Extension Disaster Education Network also known as EDEN, http://texashelp.tamu.edu, offer reliable information regarding disaster preparedness and recovery. Those who don’t El Coronel leading their team will want to bookmark this website.
There are sections that apply to us in the Rio Grande Valley at the moment: hurricane information and flood resources. You can click on the National Weather Service National Hurricane Center and see a map showing that Tropical Storm Igor is off the coast of Africa and Hermione is now a tropical depression in north central Texas.
The website has recommendations on how to evacuate people with special needs and a supply checklist for people with diabetes. Those who need help with evacuation can register at 2-1-1.
If you aren’t ready for the hurricane season, it’s time to get into gear.
Just ask El Coronel.
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Nora N. Garza is a County Extension Agent with the Texas AgriLife Extension Service in Hidalgo County, a part of the Texas A&M System.
