Prince George
County, VA

Getting into ´Survivor' mode


Prince George County wants people to always be ready in case of an emergency

Prince George County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) Chairman Tim Blumenschine enjoys reading my column and invited me to attend the 7th Annual Disaster Preparedness Workshop held at the Prince George High School on Saturday, September 7.

The three hours I spent at the event previously named Survivor Day were invaluable.

It was the first time I had ever heard of the LEPC which is a volunteer organization whose role is to assist the community and enhance its ability to anticipate risk, limit impact, and recover rapidly. LEPC’s tagline is...safety in knowledge.

The event included a Community Fair with numerous representatives sharing information in various ways on how to prepare for disasters that may lie ahead in the future.

To encourage attendees to visit vendors, they were each given bingo cards to have signed by the exhibitors. One lucky person won a prize at the end when their bingo card was drawn.

In the auditorium, Blumenschine served as the announcer, presenter, and introduced speakers to an estimated 75 participants.

Also in attendance were Prince George County Treasurer Susan Vargo and her husband Buck as well as Prince George County Administrator Percy C. Ashcraft.

Prince George Fire & EMS Director Brad Owens greeted everyone and stated, “The resiliency of the community really starts with the citizens being prepared...having a kit, having a plan, knowing what to do when disaster strikes, knowing where to go and what your role is, and doing what you can to participate in bringing the community back after such a disaster.”

Prince George BOS Chairman and Emergency Management Deputy Coordinator Donald Hunter shared, “You see things on emergency management websites that talk about 72 hours of preparedness. Well, I’ll tell you...72 hours isn’t enough to be ready to support yourself.

“You need to be ready for longer than that, because you have to realize...we have a large county and even though we have a growing number of law enforcement, fire, and EMS personnel, it still takes a while to get throughout all the parts of the county.”

Blumenschine provided two presentations: Safeguard Critical Documents and Building Your Own Kit.

I asked John Sulla of Disputanta who was taking notes during the programs what made him decide to attend. Sulla responded, “Community involvement and to help my fellow man.”

Sulla’s wife Debbie shared, “He works at Tractor Supply in Prince George and had to take off work for this.”

Presenter Prince George County Master Police Officer Shreves stated, “When Tim first asked me to come teach this class [Active Shooter] to this group, I was like...really...what...what can I add that you as adults haven’t seen on the media or haven’t already heard.”

Officer Shreves’ audience was very engaging during his Disaster Response Psychology program.

Columbia Gas of Virginia also provided a presentation talking about natural gas and propane safety.

Community Fair Participants included: PG Police, PG Fire and Rescue, Medical Reserve Corps, Crater Health Services, Department of Social Services, PG Utilities, PG Animal Services, County Extension Office/Master Gardeners, LEPC, CERT [Community Emergency Response Team], Red Cross, PG Electric Cooperative, Virginia American Water, ARES/EMCom, US Coast Guard Auxiliary, Bank of Southside Virginia, Fort Lee Credit Union, Columbia Gas, and more

Numerous amazing safety-related raffles and door prizes were given away at intervals during the event.

A kind Samaritan tracked me down to let me know my name had been called to win a prize. She led me to the auditorium and announced I was the winner.

Crater Health District Emergency Coordinator Debra Whitacre who was giving a Food Safety presentation asked me to name a way that I prepare in advance to keep items in my freezer from thawing out to quickly should the power go out.

My response was...“I fill my freezer up with as many water bottles as possible to keep it colder longer. And, I keep a penny on top of frozen water inside a plastic container in the freezer to give me an idea of how long the power ay have been out.”

Whitacre liked my answer and handed me a book titled ‘The Fresh 20’ cookbook by Melissa Lanz.

Amidst the Community Fair, Officer Shreves shared, “This is my first time at this event. I’ve been teaching the CRASE [Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events] class since 2013.

“We’re available to teach the CRASE class to businesses, teachers, county employees and other groups,” Officer Shreves added.

When eleven-year-old Bub Gisewhite walked out of the auditorium, I asked him what he remembered the most from everything that was shared with the audience. Gisewhite responded, “Hold the barrel of the gun to stop them from shooting.”

While seated in the auditorium, one woman Tammy Shaw of Prince George was very interactive during the programs.

According to Shaw, she is a registered nurse and also holds a degree in education.

Shaw stated, “I do a lot of research with what’s happening. I have a huge garden; I have a lot of stored food and stuff just in case a disaster comes.

“I want to be able to go out with my nursing skills...I’ve worked with surgeons side-by-side...and help others. I’ve tried this on my chickens...I’ve saved two of them with broken legs,” Shaw laughs as she continues to explain. “I put emery boards on their legs and they’re walking fine now.

“A hawk got one of the chicken’s necks and he was about to die, so I used liquid skin, put it across, and put his head back on...and he’s fine...back to chasing me again,” Shaw laughed.

“I have my medical supplies and stuff set up. I have my food set up. I have my fresh vegetables that don’t have pesticides so I can feed people. I can give answers to people because I’ve studied and know what’s going on. People are going to be afraid, and they’re going to need answers.

“Why is this happening? What’s coming next? What do I do?” I’ll say...okay, here’s your hot meal...and be able to talk to them,” Shaw continued.

I made mention to Shaw...with her passion and drive for being prepared..she certainly would be an asset to any neighborhood.

According to Shaw, a good way to keep bugs and ticks off your plants in your garden... is to allow chickens and guineas to roam.

Shaw pointed out, “They won’t eat your plants, but they’ll take every bug there is off of there...and keep em’ clean for you. They’ll also take the ticks and snakes out of your yard.”

“When I was a child, I didn’t like to go down and play. I like to go down and sit on the porch because I liked to sit and listen to what the older people had to say,” continued Shaw.

“My Grandmother kept me by her side, and wherever she took me, she was always teaching me something...teaching, teaching, teaching. Everything interests me, so I’ve spent my whole life researching,” added Shaw.

As I walked around taking photos and visiting booths, I met the owner of Cofer’s Small Engine Ray Cofer of Prince George. First time vendor at the event, Cofer shared chainsaw safety/generator safety knowledge with people who stopped by to steal his oversized pens that read...stolen from Cofer’s Small Engine.

Sussex County Public Safety Coordinator Reed Foster while at Cofer’s booth shared, “Donald Hunter and I have been friends all of our lives and grew up together. I’m here today seeing what he has going on so I can try and get one going in Sussex.”

Prince George Service Unit 833 Girl Scouts were on hand taking on various tasks which earned them activity badges/fun patches. One volunteer activity was handing out snacks and bottled waters to people visiting the fair.

Virginia American Water Operation Manager David Clifton shared, “We were invited to attend and were excited to accept to be a part of this workshop.

“Being prepared for emergencies is important and everyone should have a plan in place. And, we’re happy to be able to help them and provide people with emergency equipment and first aid samples,” added Clifton.

US Coast Guard Auxiliary Jeffrey S. Brown stated, “This is my first time with Petersburg Flotilla. I’m the new public affairs guy. Today, we’re promoting usefulness of wearing life preservers. We brought examples of different types. And, we’re demonstrating why it’s important to wear them all the time even if someone already knows how to swim.

“For example...on my sailboat, the boom could swing around and knock me out of the boat. It’s too late at that point to get a preserver,” explained Brown.

Prince George Master Gardener Debra Prior shared, “There are some things you can do before and even after situations. One is...making sure trees are properly trimmed up and the other pre-storm safety tip is to make sure all your garden tools are stored away safely so they don’t become projectiles during a storm.

Prior asked and answered her own question, “After the fact...what do you do with a tree that is down on your house? Don’t attempt to remove it yourself. Call a professional.”

Bank of Southside Marketing Manager Brody Rotzoll of Prince George was beaming with excitement manning his table.

When asked what tips he had to pass along, Rotzoll answered, “On the banking side, you want to make sure you allocate sufficient funds in case of a disaster, because ATMs and banks could be closed. You need proper cash flow to buy resources.”

On his fourth return to the event, PG Electric Cooperative Manager of Marketing Glenn G. Hurst Jr. shared some tips, “Have a plan, have an emergency preparedness kit including financial documents, charge cell phone, have a little cash, don’t forget to take care of pets, fill your gas tank, and help senior citizens in the community who may not be able to evacuate efficiently and as rapidly as others.”

The Community Fair was like adult Trick or Treating! Vendors were extremely generous with useful everyday items that are ideal to toss in emergency kits.

Representatives with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) invited me to try on a fully encapsulating chemical resistant Level-A suit. I’m pretty sure...it’s the closest I’ll ever come to being an astronaut.

The EPA also provided dioramas that showed how flooding occurs in different river types.

John Tyler Community College RN student LPN Angela Harris of Petersburg who was representing the Crater Medical Reserve Corps offered to take my blood pressure.

Apparently, 130/80 is now considered to be the beginning stages of hypertension.

Harris provided some helpful tips for me, “Drink at least eight glasses of water each day, limit sodium intake, cut out both processed and fast foods, and exercise at least three to four times a week for a minimum of 30 minutes each time.”

Based on Harris’ list, I need to get busy exercising!

In a special trailer outside, I participated in a tornado simulation hosted by Prince George Volunteer Fire Department Company 1 Assistant Chief Kevin Foster with Prince George High School senior/Cadette Joseph Thurston’s assistance.

The simulation was pretty realistic. While on the trailer floor curled up like balls and covering our heads, the trailer rocked, the blinds moved, car alarms went off, crashing noises took place and dogs barked.

Once in Iowa, our family hunkered down in our basement while a tornado fiercely tore through uprooting trees, tearing off shingles, and knocking down structures in its path. All the while, it sounded like a freight train coming at you.

A CERT volunteer Gloria Holloway of Petersburg handed me a note while saying, “Here’s a cheat sheet for you.”

Holloway was very adamant that I share with our readers that CERT offers classes where they educate individuals about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, disaster medical operations and more.

If you would like to learn the skills necessary to be a useful CERT volunteer and team member, call the Prince George County Department of Emergency Management at 804-722-8614, and ask to be added to the list for notification of the next CERT 8-week course which is held on Thursday evenings from 6-9 pm.

I met a Facebook friend of mine face-to-face for the first time. CERT volunteer Janice Rowley of Prince George.

Janice who also wore a PG Rotary hat shared, “The event was wonderful. I like being at these events, because I can be an ambassador in my neighborhood in conversation while walking the dog or in any way I can broadcast it.”

What is the role of the LEPC who hosted this annual event?

To support emergency planning for chemical hazards; and to provide local government and the public with information about possible chemical hazards. And, to assist with issues of emergency preparedness beyond chemical hazards to include: natural disasters and industrial emergencies such as power outages as well as chemical and nuclear incidents.

Blumenschine stated, “We had a successful event especially on the heels of hurricane Dorian rushing through Prince George. We’ll offer this again in the fall.”

Each individual [one per family] that registered for the Disaster Preparedness Workshop received a free backpack LOADED with supplies to help in getting an emergency plan kit started.

I kid you not...each contained: Am/Fm Radio, flashlight, emergency blanket, work gloves, light stick, dust mask, plastic sheeting , poncho, water jug, whistle, first aid kit, duct tape and a can opener. Wowza!

Do you and your family know what to do to prepare for emergencies and disasters? Can you take care of yourselves for 3-5 days by yourselves in the event of a disaster?

Being prepared is critical...seconds count! Your household may not be together in an emergency, so it is important to plan in advance.

I highly recommend attending this free highly-interactive, three-hour workshop to learn how to be better prepared as an individual or family.

For more information, contact Donald Hunter at (804) 722-8614, or email him at dhunter@princegeorgecountyva.gov.

Kristi K. Higgins, aka The Social Butterfly, is a staff writer and author of a column that appears every Sunday in the Lifestyles section of The Progress-Index. Reach Kristi at 804-722-5162 or khiggins@[rpgress-index.com.