Emergency Management Home Page Engineering Dep. Engineering FAQs www.FEMA.gov Fema Map Service Center   Safety Committee Jump to a section: Severe Weather Flooding Tornadoes Wildfires Earthquakes Homes Away From Home Evacuation   Emergency Management -Hazard Awareness- Disasters happen.  There is not much we can do about that.  But there are things we can do to protect ourselves, our families, and our homes and reduce the risk that they will be damaged.  Reducing the risk is called “mitigation”. Although some mitigation is very expensive and complicated – like moving our home to a different piece of land that is higher or away from a river – some things are easy.  Here are some things you and your family can do to mitigate. Avoid downed or dangling utility wires.  Avoid metal fences which have been “energized” by fallen wires.  Be especially careful in clean-up activities, such as cutting or clearing fallen trees which may have power lines in them. Beware of snakes, insects, or animals driven to high ground by flood waters. Enter your home with caution.  Open windows and doors to ventilate and dry your home. Be cautious with fire.  Do not strike a match until you are certain that there are no breaks in gas lines. Photograph or video-tape damage to your home and contents.  Make temporary repairs to correct any safety hazards or minimize further damage. Report broken water, gas, or sewer lines to your local utility departments as soon as you can. Stay tuned to your local radio station for advice and instructions from your local government about emergency medical, food, housing, and other forms of assistance. Use your telephone only for emergencies to keep the airways clear for emergency communications. If there has been flooding, have an electrician inspect your home or office before turning on the breaker.  If you have lost power, don’t connect any emergency generator to building wiring.  This could kill or seriously injure anyone working on lines to restore service. If you do not have sufficient bottled water, you must purify tap water until officials notify you of its safety.  Bring the water to a rolling boil for a full five minutes or use chlorine or water purification tablets   Links: Be sure to check http://www.fema.gov Fema Map Service Center - to look up an address on the flood insurance rate map For flood insurance: http://www.fema.gov/business/nfip/   Types of disasters in Hobbs might include the following: High Winds Lighting Hail Severe Weather Flooding Earthquakes Tornadoes Extreme Heat Drought Wild Fires Hazardous Materials Events Dam Failures Sinkholes and Subsidence Click for larger view. Homes Away From Home Public shelters are open to all residents who wish to use them.  However, shelters provide an austere living environment.  If you can make other arrangements with relatives, friends or at hotels or motels, then you should do so.  Tune to the local television and radio stations for updated shelter information.  Announcements will be made confirming shelter openings and designating alternate shelters if necessary.  Remember:  If you evacuate to a public shelter, do not bring pets or alcoholic beverages If Ordered to Evacuate If you live in an area ordered to evacuate, secure your home and leave immediately.  Failure to obey an evacuation order is a law violation.  In addition, all mobile home residents in the city or county must evacuate at all evacuation levels.  If you do not live in a mobile home or one of the areas ordered to evacuate, take precautions and stay in your home or in a sound structure If you have any questions or concerns regarding the web page, please contact webmaster@hobbsnm.org!