If a Storm Strikes: Don’t Be in the Dark, Refer to Your List of Informational Resources

Being in the dark is an uncomfortable feeling, in more ways than one, when it’s Hurricane Season.

The useful tips below about gathering pertinent information will help enlighten and prepare you for unpredictable emergencies.

The National Hurricane Center advises everyone:

• Know if you live in an evacuation area (Fort Bend County is designated by the state as a pass-through county for evacuees who live along the Gulf Coast. As a municipality in the county, Missouri City would not be under a mandatory evacuation if a hurricane were to hit the region – so it is imperative that residents be prepared to shelter in place.)
  
• Assess your risks and know your home’s vulnerability to storm surge, flooding and wind.
  
• Understand National Weather Service forecasts, and especially the meaning of hurricane and tornado watches and warnings. Hurricanes: For a storm watch in this category, forecasters would report a possibility of winds of 74 mph and higher within 36 hours. For a warning, forecasters would report a possibility of winds at the same speed within 24 hours. Tornadoes: A watch is an alert to monitor the skies and a warning signals that a tornado has struck the ground and shelter must be sought immediately.
  

The national safety group also stresses the importance of keeping a list of informational resources for reference.  A recommended list for Missouri City residents includes:

• Police and Fire Departments: 911 or 281.403.8700
  
• Centerpoint Energy: 713.207.2222
  
• American Red Cross, Fort Bend County Branch: 281.342.9480
  
• Missouri City Television: Comcast—Channel 16 and AT&T U-verse—Channel 99
  
• WQMN – 1690 AM: Missouri City’s emergency advisory radio station
  
• Enable Fort Bend (www.enablefortbend.com): This County agency assists individuals with special needs during an emergency or natural disaster. Staff can be reached at 281.238.3514
  
• MissouriCityReady.com: Visit your emergency preparedness website and sign up to receive alerts and notifications