The recent flooding events in the Carolina’s remind us how dangerous flooding can be. During one week in October, roughly 11 trillion gallons of water were dumped onto the Carolinas. We should all try to be prepared for flooding. Here’s a few tips on how to stay safe:

1. Do not walk or swim through moving water. Six inches of moving water can make you fall. If the water is not moving and you must cross it, use a stick to check the ground for firmness. Shuffle your feet as you cross.
2. Do not drive through moving water or flooding areas.
3. Do not drive around barricades.
4. Listen closely to UConn Alerts.

UConn takes emergency preparedness seriously. With the Division of University Safety, the Office of Emergency Management has contracted the firm Tetra-Tech to assist the University with emergency planning. This assistance with help us ensure that we are doing the best we can to keep our community safe. We’ve worked hard to establish our program’s core. Now, with Tetra-Tech, we are ready to expand the program throughout the entire community.

If you attended the Open House today, October 18th, you may have noticed the Office of Emergency Management’s presence. We have regularly joined our close partners, UConn Fire Department and UConn Police Department, to establish Public Outreach and education. Other events OEM has attended this year include Early College Experience training, RA training, New Student Orientation, RA Resource Fair, Health and Wellness Fair, and UConn’s earlier Open House. Please look for our booth at other upcoming events on campus. We’re usually with our University Safety counterparts!

During the first full week in October, UConn’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM) taught the Basic Emergency Operations Course to potential University Emergency Operations (EOC) Center representatives. Participants in this group are known as the Emergency Operations Team. OEM created the course, based on State and Federal standards, to establish a common understanding across departments of UConn’s EOC. It was the first training course OEM created and will soon be offered monthly to faculty and staff. In addition, OEM is working on multiple training courses that will be offered to our entire community. Topics under development currently include the EOC, National Incident Management System (NIMS), and basic personal emergency planning. Please check back regularly for training updates. Email us at oem@uconn.edu if you have any questions.