December 5, 2023 |
Photo – Elk Mountain Senior Center – Courtesy Carbon County Senior Services
Carbon County Office of Emergency Management is continuing to offer its series of preparedness meetings for seniors in our area.
Last winter’s heavy snowfall forced the closure of many Wyoming roads or at least limited travel for many. Many seniors in our area were stuck in their homes during the storms. To combat the danger of being snowed in, the Wyoming Department of Homeland Security purchased five-gallon buckets containing emergency supplies to be distributed to the state’s senior population.
Emergency Manager Lenny Layman received 96 of the five-gallon buckets. Speaking at the October 3rd Board of Carbon County Commissioners meeting, Laymen said the buckets contain emergency supplies, such as blankets and a first-aid kit.
Layman said the emergency buckets would be distributed to the county’s eight senior centers. When the buckets are delivered, Layman said he will give a presentation about emergency preparedness similar to the presentation he gave in Hanna.
In September, Hanna Senior Center Manager Debbie Schasteen asked the Office of Emergency Management to speak to residents about how to handle an emergency situation. At the September 21st presentation, Schasteen said the winter caused her to worry about the town’s most vulnerable residents: senior citizens.
At the September meeting in Hanna, Layman said the most important way to be prepared for an emergency is to know an emergency is happening. The county emergency manager advised attendees to sign up for the county’s emergency response system, Alert Sense.
Speaking to the county commissioners on November 21st, Layman said his next two presentations at the Baggs and Dixon senior centers went well. Layman told the board that he will visit the remaining five county senior centers before the end of the year.
Layman’s Rawlins Senior Center presentation occurred last Wednesday. In a written statement provided to Bigfoot99, Layman said around 30 people were in attendance.
The following day, November 30th, Layman was at the Saratoga Senior Center. Layman said he registered 18 people for Alert Sense. The county emergency manager said Saratoga Police Chief Mike Morris and representatives from South Central Wyoming EMS and County Public Health participated in Thursday’s presentation.
Tomorrow, Layman will be at the Encampment Senior Center to give his last emergency preparedness presentation in the Platte River Valley. Next week, Layman will move to the northern end of Carbon County. On Tuesday, December 12th, Layman will visit the Elk Mountain Senior Center. The following day, December 13th, the emergency manager will give his final presentation at the Medicine Bow Senior Center.
Signing up is free. To receive the Alert Sense messages, visit https://public.alertsense.com/
