AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin ranks sixth in the U.S. for homes at risk of wildfires, with a significant number of homes vulnerable due to dry conditions and vegetation.
KXAN Meteorologist Tommy House sat down with David Wiechmann, with Austin Homeland Security and Emergency Management, to discuss the importance of emergency supply kits, emphasizing a seven-day supply of medications, water, non-perishable food, maps, spare clothes and pet supplies.
Read an edited version of the conversation below or use the video player above to listen.
Meteorologist Tommy House: David, we’ve spoken before about being prepared for natural disasters. I want to specifically talk about the emergency supply kit that the city of Austin has on its website. Walk me through some things on that list.
David Wiechmann: Having an emergency supply kit is the second step in emergency preparedness that we like to preach and teach people at our events. In a basic emergency supply kit, you want to make sure that you have a seven-day supply of any medications and a gallon of water per person per day. So if it’s seven days—that’s seven gallons of water per person in your house.
It sounds like a lot, I know, but also keep in mind canned food goods, non-perishable foods that you need to take with you, maps of the area are also on the list. That’s crucial in case there’s a wildfire threat that we’ve seen recently. If you need to evacuate your home and your cellphone’s not working, do you know the way around, or a way to get out of the area by using some paper maps, a spare change of clothes, if you need to evacuate your home, spare key, car keys and home keys for whenever you need to come back.
Don’t forget about your pets. You want to make sure you have water for your pets, a collapsible bowl, so that way you can they can drink water, no matter where you’re at, and some of their food and their medications as well.
Fortunately, a lot of pharmacies and your pharmacist will work with you if you tell them that you’re planning on building out an emergency supply kit and you need an extra week of your medications so that if something were to happen and you need to either evacuate your home or hunker down and not be able to go anywhere for a while. That way you would have your medications, and you’re not without life-saving medications.
House: You’ve mentioned to me that Austin is one of the most vulnerable cities for wildfires. Can you elaborate more on that?
Wiechmann: Austin ranks sixth in the nation for the number of homes at risk for wildfire, with the top five all located in California. We’ve seen the devastating wildfires out there recently, and they can be life-threatening, deadly, and spread very quickly.
Given how many homes are located on the edge of town, along rivers, creeks, or green belts, where fuels and vegetation can dry out due to dry conditions, wildfire remains a real threat for those in these areas.
It’s essential to make sure people understand the necessary steps for preparedness, including supply kits and what they need to have ready to go.
We emphasize the “Ready, Set, Go” approach, which we’ve developed in collaboration with the Austin Wildfire Division, to ensure people are prepared for a wildfire. This includes getting homes ready by creating a defensible space around them, clearing brush or debris, and cleaning out gutters.
Embers can travel over a mile during a wildfire, and if they land on your roof and roll into clogged gutters, your house could catch fire. It’s crucial for people to understand the precautions they can take to prevent a wildfire from starting or spreading and to have their supply kits ready at the door for quick evacuation if needed.
You can download digital copies of our supply kit also at ReadyCentralTexas.org. We have it available in multiple languages.
