Orange County is susceptible to many natural disasters; thankfully hurricanes are not one of them. However, we are frequently impacted by characteristics that make up a hurricane including storm surge flooding, inland flooding from heaving rains, destructive winds, high surf and rip currents. All of these events have been “repeat offenders” here southern California and many of the preparedness actions recommended for hurricanes are applicable to these hazards as well. Although we may not fear a hurricane making landfall at UCI this summer, thousands of us within the community will travel to hurricane-prone areas this summer. Likewise, some of our students will be returning home after finals to parts of the U.S. and abroad that are considered “hurricane country.” Therefore, we must know how to prepare for and respond to these types of events or the characteristics thereof, whether they occur locally or elsewhere we may be.
June 1st is the start of the Atlantic hurricane season which makes this week (May 24th – 30th) National Hurricane Preparedness Week. There are a number of resources and a plethora of hurricane preparedness information on NOAA National Hurricane Center website @ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/prepare/ To assist with navigating some key messaging related to this topic please see information and links provided below:
Storm Surge: Historically, storm surge is the leading cause of deaths in the United States from hurricanes. The destructive power of storm surge and large battering waves can result in large loss of life and destruction along the coast. Storm surge can travel several miles inland, especially along bays, rivers, and estuaries. Watch this video to learn about storm surge and how to stay safe:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBa9bVYKLP0
Evacuating Yourself & Your Family: If you reside in an area where a hurricane evacuation order is issued, it is critical that you develop an evacuation plan which identifies where you will go and how you will get there. Visit the following link to learn more: http://1.usa.gov/1oOcwB0
Emergency Supplies: Get ready for hurricanes and severe weather with an emergency supply kit that includes three days of food and water. Having your supplies stored in one place will give you peace of
mind if you need to take shelter or evacuate. Learn more about recommended supplies @ http://www.ready.gov/kit
Communications Plan: Your family may not be together when a disaster strikes so it is important to plan in advance: how you will get to a safe place; how you will contact one another; how you will get back together; and what you will do in different situations. Create a family communications plan using the guidance @ http://www.ready.gov/make-a-plan
Pet Preparedness: During a hurricane, you may have to evacuate to a shelter. If you are going to a public shelter it is important to understand that animals may not be allowed inside. Plan in advance for shelter alternatives that will work for both you and your pets. Learn more @ http://www.ready.gov/caring-animals
Hurricane Activities: The two links below will take you to a couple online hurricane games. The first is “Create-a-Cane” whereby the objective is to create the ideal conditions for a hurricane and the second is “Aim a Hurricane” which is exactly as it sounds; directing the path of a tropical storm. http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/outreach/games/canelab.htm http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/outreach/games/movncane.htm
Lastly, the NOAA National Hurricane Center has created seven streamlined hurricane preparedness video clips, each running about 90 seconds, that do a great job of putting hurricane preparedness in to perspective. They play consecutively one after another by simply accessing the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fq_1PwKuRPg&cc_load_policy=1&list=PL63A9138A2047B1A4
We encourage the community to partner with the UC Irvine Police Department to prevent or report crime by calling (949) 824-5223. If you wish to remain Anonymous, call “OC Crime Stoppers” by dialing 855-TIP-OCCS (855-847-6227), text "OCCS" plus your tip to CRIMES (274637), or use the website http://occrimestoppers.org/
Receive updates directly via email by registering at Nixle.com and search for "UC Irvine Police" or text "UCIrvinePD" to 888777 to receive text message alerts only. Standard text messaging rates may apply depending on your calling plan.
UC Irvine Police Department
(949) 824-5223
http://police.uci.edu/
http://facebook.com/UCIrvinePD
http://twitter.com/UCIrvinePD
http://youtube.com/UCIrvinePD
http://nixle.com/University-of-California-Irvine-Police-Department
