Archived Posts
From City of Colorado Springs Emergency Management News:
New Emergency Preparedness and Safety Guides now available.
With summer quickly approaching, the City of Colorado Springs Office of Emergency Management (OEM) encourages citizens to prepare now for the area's most common natural hazards: severe weather. Governor Bill Ritter has proclaimed April 11 through 17 as SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK in Colorado.
To mark the season the OEM has published a new 71-page Emergency Preparedness and Safety guide to assist citizens in preparing for the inevitable storms and more. No local tax dollars were used to create the guides. Costs were paid with a $17,000 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Colorado Division of Emergency Management State Hazard Mitigation Program. Interested citizens can access an on-line version by visiting springsgov.com and navigating to the Office of Emergency Management Web page. Citizens can pick up a printed copy at any of the following locations:
- City Administration Building, 30 South Nevada Avenue
- City Hall, 107 North Nevada Avenue, First Floor
- Fire Department Complex, 375 Printers Parkway
- Police Operations Center, 705 South Nevada
- Police Department Falcon Substation, 7850 Goddard Street
- Police Department Gold Hill Substation, 955 West Moreno Avenue
- Police Department Sand Creek Substation, 4125 Center Park Drive
- Police Department Stetson Hills Substation, 4110 Tutt Blvd.
Severe Weather
Colorado Springs' most common natural hazard is severe weather. As weather warms, powerful thunderstorms can produce lightning, heavy rain, strong winds, hail, flash flooding and even tornadoes. A typical storm is 15 miles in diameter, and lasts approximately 30 minutes. When these storms appear citizens should seek shelter in sturdy buildings or hardtop vehicles until the storms pass.
Sometimes heavy rains can produce flash flooding - even in typically dry streambeds. Runoff from our nearby mountains also can quickly cause water levels to rise to unsafe levels. During floods citizens should immediately seek higher ground and never attempt to cross moving water either on foot or in a vehicle. Six inches of fast moving water can knock an adult off his or her feet. It only takes 10 inches of moving water to move a car, and two feet of water can float a vehicle.
Tornadoes, although rare in Colorado Springs, are fairly common in eastern parts of El Paso County, such as Falcon and Calhan. When a tornado is coming, citizens only a short amount of time to make life-or-death decisions. Advance planning and quick response are the keys to surviving a tornado. It is important to designate an area in the home as a shelter, and practice tornado drills will all residents. Also, assemble and keep an emergency supply kit handy for quick access; and create an emergency communication plan.
To help protect citizens during severe weather, The National Weather Service will often issue watches and warnings to alert of dangerous weather conditions. A "watch" is issued when atmospheric conditions are present that could produce severe weather. A "warning" means severe weather is occurring. Tune into local broadcast media during thunderstorms for the latest news from the National Weather Service
| MSCA Newsletter, Meeting and Survey |
To all residents of the Mountain Shadows Community. It is with disappointment that Mountain Shadows Community Association Board is announcing that the Publishing Company N2 could not keep their commitment to publish the Mountain Shadows Connection and they have terminated our contract. The publisher struggled with profitability and did not put in place the normal resources that would have created community involvement. Rather than return to the quarterly newsletter, the MSCA Board has decided to take the question of what services and communications you would like from your association directly to you. Enclosed is a survey that we hope you will fill out and return. Answer the questions you would like, add any comments or suggestions and please return it to us at your earliest convenience. We would greatly appreciate hearing from you. Please feel free to call me, Francine Hansen, at 598-6338 or email Hansenfr@comcast.net if you would prefer. We will review the results of this survey at the annual meeting on April 28th. Important to all of us in the community is the Mountain Shadows Park. Though we may not all use the park, how it looks and how it is maintained reflects on our community. With the cuts backs in the city that removed the trash service, we were very concerned that the park would become an eye sore. The MSCA board therefore elected to sign an “adopt the park” agreement with the city. . The city returned the trash cans and MSCA hired a third party to collect the trash for at least the next year or until the city again begins trash service. The city also repaired the sign at our request. Special thanks to Dave Buckley of the board for making this happen and for also doing some much needed KP the park. You may have heard that we were planning to hold a concert on March 19th. We encountered a D11 requirement to have liability insurance that we do not have and could not procure, and had no choice but to cancel. Rescheduling to another date and venue will depend on the responses to your enclosed questionnaire.
MSCA Survey – March 2010 MSCA board can communicate with you in many ways. Which of the following would be useful to you? Newsletter – Yes or No Website – Yes or No Blog – Yes or No Twitter– Yes or No Facebook– Yes or No Email– Yes or No Your suggestion: What information would you like included in the communication?
Your suggestions: Which events would you like to attend? These are ones we have sponsored in the past but please feel free to add any that you would like us to consider. Concerts - Yes or No Easter Egg Hunt- Yes or No Garage Sale- Yes or No Shredder- Yes or No Wildland Mitigation (formally FireWise) Your Suggestions: Suggestions we have received: Circle the ones you would beinterested in attending Progressive Dinner - Yes or No Restaurant Outing - Yes or No Square Dancing (once a MSCA Staple) - Yes or No Since you are currently not a member, we would appreciate your telling us why not. Your comments and suggestions: Thank you for participating in this survey. The MSCA Board |
| MSCA Blog |
Don't forget to check out the MSCA Blog. Add your comments - see what's happening: Animal Sightings - Leave a comment when you see any animal that is of interest to the neighborhood. The comment will be automatically forwarded to the MSCA board members or anyone else who would like to be notified. Local Community Groups - Members have expressed interest in groups such as:
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FireWise Neighborhood Chipping Event - Oct. 12, 2009
Again this year, the Colorado Springs Fire Department’s FireWise program is available to help homeowners reduce their wildfire risk by providing a no-cost curbside chipping program. For more information, visit the FireWise page - link is located on the left side.
FireWise:
Colorado Springs, CO—The Colorado Springs Fire Department’s FireWise program honored sixty-five area residents for their efforts to reduce the city’s wildfire risk at the fifth annual FireWise Champions recognition event this past October. The efforts of the individuals that were recognized contributed to 375 residential acres of wildfire mitigation that improved the survivability of homes in those neighborhoods. More than 200 tons of vegetation was removed as a result of these projects. In addition to the individual awards, the Patrick Niedringhaus Memorial Award was presented to Sandy Lewis of Cedar Heights. The Patrick Niedringhaus award, established in 2006 as a ribute to Patrick Niedringhaus, is given to the person that most embodies Patrick’s spirit, energy and enthusiasm for preserving our community and its natural beauty... Read more
Date Change: FireWise Neighborhood Cleanup is now set for August 1, 2009
Volunteers are needed for a Fire Wise neighborhood event on AUGUST 1st. The event is a great opportunity to meet neighbors and learn about fire mitigation by removing the dangerous buildup of undergrowth. The event will focus on an area to the South-East side of Flying W Road between Rossmere and Wilson. The event will serve as a demonstration on how to improve fire safety of our natural open spaces.
Fire Danger conditions change frequently, for the latest conditions visit: Colorado Springs Fire Department Web Page
FireWise Evacuation Planning
Planning for an evacuation should occur well before an emergency happens. Because a wildfire is a dynamic event, there will potentially not be much time for homeowners to respond an evacuation order. It will be important for people to think clearly and act decisively when they are told to evacuate. Download and read the rest of the FireWise Evacuation Planning Document Here
Important information regarding Computer Security:
How Can You Promote Computer Security?
Spread the Word with OnGuard Online!
The federal government and the technology industry have teamed up to prepare straightforward, plain-language materials that you can use to help computer users be on guard against Internet fraud, secure their computers, and protect their personal information. There are lots of ways you can use these resources, whether through your work place, community, friends, or even the media. Learn more by clicking below:
SpringsGov What to know for Snow!
Did you know that since 1913 property owners have been
required to clear the snow from adjacent sidewalks? This
includes pedestrian ramps and sidewalks running along the
back or side of property lines or fences. And, it must be
done within 24 hours after a snow storm has ended...
| Neighborhood Watch and Related Information |
There have been a number of vehicle burglaries in our neighborhood lately. If you notice any suspicious activity, try to get a license number or other description and contact police. One burglary victim left an empty purse in the vehicle and thieves broke the window to get it. Another burglary victim had a portable GPS system stolen. This occured on Talleson Ct - a rock was used to break the drivers side window. If you must leave your car parked outside, please do not leave anything of value visible in the car. Also, remove or lock your garage door opener in your glove box. If you have guests, check and make sure they do not become victims by leaving anything that may tempt the thieves to break a window to access the vehicle. REFUSE TO BE A VICTIM 2009 Identity Theft Guide: Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in America. A dishonest person who has your Social Security number can use it to get other personal information about you. Identity thieves can use your number and your good credit to apply for more credit in your name. Then, they use the credit cards and do not pay the bills. You may not find out that someone is using your number until you are turned down for credit or you begin to get calls from unknown creditors demanding payment for items you never bought... The guide is available here Identity Theft Repair Kit: Message from Colorado Attorney General John Suthers Dear Coloradoans: Neighborhood Watch: MSCA Contact: C.S.P.D. Falcon Division, Crime Prevention Officer |