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orangeleader.com (Orange, Texas) - First responders stay ahead of ‘eye’
With Rita swelling in the Gulf and thousands of Southeast Texans clamoring for higher ground, Orange County Judge Carl Thibodeaux was shocked when he discovered a man working out in his yard on Friday, Sept. 23, 2005.
“We found out the man was deaf and just had no warning that he needed to evacuate,” Thibodeaux, the regional incident commander over Jefferson, Orange and Hardin County, said. “We finally got someone to translate the message to him that a hurricane was approaching and got him out of the area safely.”
It’s stories like Thibodeaux’s that are motivating hundreds of area first responders to ready for what could be another Rita — or worse.
“We are using hurricane table top exercises today to prepare for situations that could arise if we get another storm,” Sue Landry, director of the South East Texas Regional Planning Commission (SETRPC), said Tuesday at the Governor’s Division of Emergency Management Hurricane Workshop at Lamar State College-Port Arthur. Hurricane season begins June 1.
The conference was an opportunity for city officials and first responders from Jefferson, Orange and Hardin Counties to work together to better prepare for future storm threats.
Kay Chiodo, president of the San Antonio based company Deaf Link, said she is working with the state to provide an alert service specially designed to notify deaf residents of emergency situations.
“Texas will be the first state to offer signed alerts to deaf and hearing impaired residents,” Chiodo said. “When the evacuation call comes, we will alert deaf residents with a direct feed to someone signing the evacuation notice on the television. Or, if they wear a specialized pager or cell phone, we will send the alert via a signed video.”
Chiodo said most people don’t understand that English is a second language for the deaf.
“Those subtitles you see on television are really for people who have a hard time hearing,” she said. “For people who are born deaf, sign language has no roots in the English language.”
Perhaps surprising to some, Chiodo said at least 10 percent of Southeast Texas’ population are deaf or hearing impaired.
Like the use of the new specialized evacuation alerts, Thibodeaux said he feels like the area is ahead of the game on storm preparedness.
“I want all residents to rest assure that they will be taken care of and we will keep them safe,” he said.
In that safe keeping, Thibodeaux said the state has allotted more funding for the evacuation of special needs residents.
“We encourage anyone who thinks they would have a difficult time evacuating to call 2-1-1 now and register,” he said. “That does not just mean the elderly or the sick. This includes people who just simply don’t have a car and have no way out of town. We want to keep everyone safe and out of harm’s way.”
For motorists leaving on their own, Thibodeaux said the state has made better preparations for fuel accessibility.
“That does not mean it is free gas,” he added. “All that means is the state is there if our resources fail. The tankers stationed along the way will not hand out free gas. They will supply stores with additional gas if there are gas shortages.”
Thibodeaux said he recommends all Southeast Texans keep their gas tanks full during hurricane season.
“Just go ahead and fill up every two or three days,” he said. “It is very important that people at home stay prepared.”
If people do run out of gas on the evacuation route, however, Landry said patrols along the way will give out five gallons of fuel to get motorists back on the road.
With Rita swelling in the Gulf and thousands of Southeast Texans clamoring for higher ground, Orange County Judge Carl Thibodeaux was shocked when he discovered a man working out in his yard on Friday, Sept. 23, 2005.
“We found out the man was deaf and just had no warning that he needed to evacuate,” Thibodeaux, the regional incident commander over Jefferson, Orange and Hardin County, said. “We finally got someone to translate the message to him that a hurricane was approaching and got him out of the area safely.”
It’s stories like Thibodeaux’s that are motivating hundreds of area first responders to ready for what could be another Rita — or worse.
“We are using hurricane table top exercises today to prepare for situations that could arise if we get another storm,” Sue Landry, director of the South East Texas Regional Planning Commission (SETRPC), said Tuesday at the Governor’s Division of Emergency Management Hurricane Workshop at Lamar State College-Port Arthur. Hurricane season begins June 1.
The conference was an opportunity for city officials and first responders from Jefferson, Orange and Hardin Counties to work together to better prepare for future storm threats.
Kay Chiodo, president of the San Antonio based company Deaf Link, said she is working with the state to provide an alert service specially designed to notify deaf residents of emergency situations.
“Texas will be the first state to offer signed alerts to deaf and hearing impaired residents,” Chiodo said. “When the evacuation call comes, we will alert deaf residents with a direct feed to someone signing the evacuation notice on the television. Or, if they wear a specialized pager or cell phone, we will send the alert via a signed video.”
Chiodo said most people don’t understand that English is a second language for the deaf.
“Those subtitles you see on television are really for people who have a hard time hearing,” she said. “For people who are born deaf, sign language has no roots in the English language.”
Perhaps surprising to some, Chiodo said at least 10 percent of Southeast Texas’ population are deaf or hearing impaired.
Like the use of the new specialized evacuation alerts, Thibodeaux said he feels like the area is ahead of the game on storm preparedness.
“I want all residents to rest assure that they will be taken care of and we will keep them safe,” he said.
In that safe keeping, Thibodeaux said the state has allotted more funding for the evacuation of special needs residents.
“We encourage anyone who thinks they would have a difficult time evacuating to call 2-1-1 now and register,” he said. “That does not just mean the elderly or the sick. This includes people who just simply don’t have a car and have no way out of town. We want to keep everyone safe and out of harm’s way.”
For motorists leaving on their own, Thibodeaux said the state has made better preparations for fuel accessibility.
“That does not mean it is free gas,” he added. “All that means is the state is there if our resources fail. The tankers stationed along the way will not hand out free gas. They will supply stores with additional gas if there are gas shortages.”
Thibodeaux said he recommends all Southeast Texans keep their gas tanks full during hurricane season.
“Just go ahead and fill up every two or three days,” he said. “It is very important that people at home stay prepared.”
If people do run out of gas on the evacuation route, however, Landry said patrols along the way will give out five gallons of fuel to get motorists back on the road.