All this week, we’ve been observing Severe Weather Awareness Week. Each day has focused on a different topic, and today’s is family preparedness.

Dallas County Emergency Management Coordinator Barry Halling emphasizes that knowing your plan in the event of a weather emergency can save you in the aftermath. “If there’s a disaster, whether it’s snow, wind, hail, tornado, all those kind of things, you need to be prepared for at least 72 hours by yourself. My favorite little saying is, ‘The first 72 are on you.’ So whatever you need for 72 hours to be by yourself, whether it’s a cell phone, cell phone chargers, flashlights, if there’s any medication that you take regularly. So if you take that stuff with you, you at least have a cell phone, and you’ll have a flashlight, and you’ll have some of the bare necessities that you need to get by for the first 72 hours or so.”

Another aspect of preparedness is knowing where you should go in the event of severe weather. That includes when you’re at home, at school, at work, or even somewhere in between. Halling advises families, especially those with young children, to practice tornado drills. He believes being prepared ahead of time can reduce the stress and fear kids can have in those situations. He adds, whenever severe weather is threatening the area, he’ll be in contact with the Raccoon Valley Radio Severe Weather Action Team to keep people informed and safe.

To learn more about Severe Weather Awareness Week, listen to the two-part Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County program with Halling at RaccoonValleyRadio.com under the Let’s Talk tab.