U.S. Army to offer disaster training
U.S. Army personnel will train residents on March 22 on how to survive in the event of a disaster in which they can’t be reached by emergency personnel.
The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Frank D. Greco Senior Citizens Center at 207 Market St.
“The military will be here with the Citizen Preparedness Corp,” town Police Chief Joseph Sinagra said. “They are going to be doing a presentation on how to prepare for major disasters, whether they are environmental or man-made.”
Sinagra said the session will be provided by trainers from Camp Smith in Cortlandt Manor.
“Now is the time for people to start thinking about it,” he said. “How about if the family’s all out and there’s a natural disaster, what do you do and how do you contact one another? Suppose cell service goes down?”
Among information to be provided will be the items to have available during long periods without electric or during travel emergencies.
“It will include ... what provision should you have, supplies, notifications, radios, they go over everything,” Sinagra said. “It’s what you do if you’re going to hunker down for awhile.” Situations that occur locally include being caught on the road during a snowstorm, in the middle of a fire in the woods, or during rising water levels when creeks flood.
“It’s not just about being prepared in Saugerties and, if you learn these techniques, any place that you go and a ... disaster strikes, you’ll be prepared,” Sinagra said.
“Suppose we have another (Tropical Storm) Sandy or Irene?” Sinagra said. “Those were the two big storms that caught people off guard. I would hate to think about what would happen if one of the dams burst, if Gilboa was ever out.”