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RESOLUTION NO. R-1314-16: A RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORMAN, OKLAHOMA, AFFIRMING THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE CENTRAL REGION OF OKLAHOMA EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION TO DEVELOP PERSONAL SAFETY PLANS, TO STAY INFORMED, AND TO SHELTER IN PLACE IN THE EVENT OF SEVERE WEATHER AND CLOSING PUBLIC STORMS SHELTERS IN CONFORMANCE WITH THIS RECOMMENDATION.
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BACKGROUND: The Central Region of the Oklahoma Emergency Management Association has developed a position paper regarding best practices for citizens in the event of severe weather. The Association is made up of emergency managers from cities and counties in Central Oklahoma and is supported by the Red Cross and the National Weather Service. The recommendations in the position paper include: encouraging citizens to develop personal safety plans; to stay informed; and to shelter in place where possible in the event of severe weather.
The Central Region of the Oklahoma Emergency Management Association made these recommendations for several reasons. First, individuals are encouraged to develop a personal safety plan in order to predetermine where family members should go within a structure or outside of a structure if the structure has no safe place within it, for, during, and after a severe weather event. An important piece of this safety plan should be to stay informed regarding the potential for severe weather, and individuals should strongly consider purchasing a weather radio for this purpose.
Second, standard residential construction (except mobile homes and manufactured housing) typically provides survivable protection for approximately ninety-eight percent of the tornadoes in Oklahoma if those potentially impacted see shelter early by moving to the lowest possible level in a small interior room or closet away from external openings such as doors and windows. Because of this, sheltering in place is a safer option than traveling to a public facility, operated as a storm ...
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