Store LPG bottle outside your home

An accident waiting to happen exists in many Vincentians kitchens.

“Do you know that most Vincentians still keep their cooking gas cylinders in their kitchens?{{more}} That is the last place it should be,” Howie Prince, Director of the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) pointed out in an interview with SEARCHLIGHT earlier this week.

Prince is appealing to Vincentians to store Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) bottles on the outside of their homes.

“That (LPG bottle) should be outside where if even it blows it is hardly going to affect anything on the outside unless somebody is standing by,” Prince stated.

Prince, commenting on NEMO’s state of readiness as the most active part of the 2008 Hurricane season approaches, used the opportunity to issue the warning as well as appeal to Vincentians to take steps to protect themselves and their loved ones.

He drew another scenario which many people overlook.

“Your house is flooded out and you may be on the outside at the time or you may be in bed. Rain is falling all night, you’re not thinking about it, but your house is underwater. It may also be from a pipe that is burst in your house…. You step out and down into that water not knowing that an electrical outlet has been covered by water, there’s the possibility for electrocution that’s right there,” said Prince.

The NEMO Director is urging persons to ensure that all electrical outlets are placed high on walls, above flood levels, advising, “If your house is flooded and there is water all around, don’t walk around unless somebody turns off the electrical main,” he said.

Meanwhile, Prince is asking the nation to activate their hurricane plans. He added that persons can get a Family Emergency Plan by visiting the NEMO’s Secretariat at Montrose.

“Right now is the time not even to be preparing a plan for your family but to be activating the plan. So if you haven’t made one yet then you really have to go with speed to put one together,” said Prince.

“I like to tell our Vincentian people don’t wait until we have a Katrina before we learn our lessons. Use the misfortune of others to put our own houses in order,” said Prince. (HN)