Rick Patrick rick@greenepublishing.com
During the regular meeting of the Madison Rotary Club on Wednesday, May 18, Leigh Basford, Madison County Emergency Management Director, spoke to the club about what her department does and how citizens can better prepare for emergencies. During her presentation, Basford explained the many services that fall under the emergency management umbrella. Much of her work centers around preparedness for weather events, such as hurricanes. In the past couple of years, however, the COVID pandemic took much of the attention of Basford and her office. Basford worked closely with the Madison County Health Department to ensure local health facilities had adequate personal protection equipment (PPE), such as gloves, face coverings, etc.
Basford also spoke briefly about this year’s hurricane season, which began on Wednesday, June 1, and runs until Wednesday, Nov. 30. Basford said forecasters are expecting a busy hurricane season and now is the time to prepare with an emergency kit, which should include food and water for seven days, a waterproof container with important papers, a supply of any prescription medications, a flashlight with batteries, a manual can opener and a supply of cash. Basford also suggested everyone sign up for the free Code Red alert system in order to stay informed in the event of severe weather, or another form of emergency. Simply go to madisoncountyfl.com and click on the Code Red link in the upper left corner of the page. For more about the Madison County Emergency Management Department and emergency preparedness, visit madisoncountyfl.com/emergency-management.