Best Resources For Emergency Preparedness
All areas of the country have their natural disasters that residents prepare their homes and families for throughout the year. Luckily in Minnesota, this typically means preparing for sub-zero temperatures and large amounts of snow. Winter storms may seem to be less dangerous than emergency situations other states face, but the hazards are somewhat deceptive. Often these seemingly harmless storms result in deaths from hypothermia and automobile accidents in blizzard-like snow storms. Here are the best resources for emergency preparedness in Minnesota.
Hennepin County Government
300 S. 6th St.
Minneapolis, MN 55487
(612) 348-3735
www.hennepin.us
For local information and tips for emergency preparedness, it is a good idea to check out the government center. For instance, Hennepin County offers information on surviving winter weather and provides daily weather topics from winter storms to indoor winter safety. Tuesdays cover outdoor winter safety and what to do if stranded outdoors in a winter storm experiencing signs of hypothermia. Fridays cover winter driving tips as well as a list of items to include in a winter storm survival kit.
Minnesota Department of Public Safety
445 Minnesota St.
Saint Paul, MN 55101
(651) 215-1328
www.dps.mn.gov
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety is one of the best resources for safe winter driving tips. The site provides numerous tips for staying safe on the road during the winter snow storms as well as winter survival tips for preparing a vehicle for the road in winter weather and tips for driving in snow and avoiding collisions. There are also brochures and educational materials on traffic safety.
Related: Best Winter Road Trip Destinations Near The Twin Cities
American Red Cross Minnesota
1201 W. River Parkway
Minneapolis, MN 55454
(612) 871-7676
www.redcrossmn.org
Although the Red Cross is generally well known for emergency assistance, Minnesotans may also want to check out one of the many community preparedness presentations or online safety preparedness training courses that are available. Red Cross Minnesota also offers winter safety tips and downloadable winter storm safety sheets that residents can print out and prepare for winter storms. The power outage tips are also important to review in the event that any of the storms in Minnesota result in power outages.
Minnesota Safety Council
474 Concordia Ave.
Saint Paul, MN 55103
(651) 291-9150
www.minnesotasafetycouncil.org
The Minnesota Safety Council (MSC) has focused on safety on the road, at work and in the community since 1928. Minnesotans can prepare for all types of emergency situations with various safety classes for first aid and CPR to seasoned driver classes for drivers over 55. Among the resources for preparing for winter storms is a video library on hypothermia and cold stress which covers hypothermia facts, winter dangers and winter safety.
Minnesota State Council on Disability
121 E. 7th Place, Suite 107
Saint Paul, MN 55101
(651) 361-780
www.disability.state.mn.us
The Minnesota State Council on Disability is the go-to resource that covers all areas of emergency preparedness in Minnesota, from evacuating the home to caring for a person with disabilities during an emergency situation. MSCD also provides hour-long training sessions for emergency preparedness in the home as well as in the workplace. These training sessions include evacuation plans, kit supplies and plans for devising personal and professional emergency preparedness plans in Minnesota.
Christina Majaski is a full-time legal assistant and freelance writer for online and print publications. She has an obsession for all things related to social media and invites you to follow along with her on Twitter @cmajaski. She currently resides with her daughter in central Minnesota. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.
