WEST OLIVE, Mich. — Ottawa County Emergency Management, along with our agency partners, is preparing for the winter storm forecasted to impact Ottawa County on Saturday.
The main areas of impact in the county will be power outages, downed trees and wires, and an increase in traffic related incidents, acccording to Nick Bonstell, Director of Ottawa County Emergency Management.
The county says it has been in close communication will all of its local partners, as well as Consumers Energy.
The storm system is expected to have statewide impacts, so emergency managers are asking residents to be patient and plan ahead for extended power outages.
The county has provided some resources available to the citizens of Ottawa County to ensure they remain safe and have access to emergency needs during this time.
Preparedness
• Power outages occur often in ice storms. Have flashlights, extra batteries, and a 72- hour supply of food, water, and medicine available to your family and pets.
• If you utilize a generator, ensure that it is properly installed and vented away from structure. Install a Carbon Monoxide detector in the house to ensure no CO is entering the structure.
• Slow down when traveling and pack a winter survival kit in your vehicle.
• Make sure your cell phones are fully charged at all times.
SMART 911
Go to www.smart911.com to create or update your safety profile. This information gives Ottawa County Central Dispatch and Ottawa County Emergency Management the ability to utilize your emergency contacts, address, and any special medical or emergency needs in the event of a 911 phone call from your mobile phone. If you “opt-in” to emergency alerts, it also gives Ottawa County Emergency Management the ability to send emergency alerts to your phone. SMART 911 has developed a mobile application available for you to download for android and apple devices.
United Way 211
For emergency events, please call 911. For non-emergency situations involving individual assistance you can utilize United Way’s 211 call hotline and chat line. The contact information for United Way’s 211 is; United Way 211 Dial 211 by phone www.call-211.org Emergency Shelters Ottawa County Emergency Management and the Red Cross are prepared to utilize emergency shelters if needs arise. We will continue to monitor the conditions throughout the weekend to determine how long term and widespread the power outage impacts are in Ottawa County.
Further information can be found by following Ottawa County Emergency Management on Facebook at #OttawaEM, and signing up for alerts through SMART 911.
