Emergency Management

• Alert Lapeer County: Alert Lapeer County is a text/email alerting system which is used to notify the public of severe emergencies and other critical information relevant to the citizens of the county.
• American Red Cross App: The American Red Cross offers iOS and Android apps for a variety of disasters from general emergency, hurricanes, tornados and earthquakes.
• NOAA Weather Radio Link/Picture: Get a weather radio to be notified by the National Weather Service of any incoming severe weather. Local frequencies are available at this link.
• FEMA App: The FEMA App allows you to receive real-time weather alerts, send notifications to loved ones, locate emergency shelters in your area, and more.
• AirNow:  AirNow reports air quality using the official U.S. Air Quality Index (AQI), a color-coded index designed to communicate whether air quality is healthy or unhealthy for you.

• Family Preparedness Guide: This is a helpful guide for a variety of adverse situations families may find themselves in, from preparing for tornado’s, flood, and other extreme weather conditions. It also provides after action steps to take when you’re affected by these disasters. Preparedness is key in being able to weather the storms rather than being overwhelmed by them.)
• Ready.gov: This federal website is designed to assist people in preparing for the worst to happen. It covers scenarios for severe weather, financial preparedness, kids, pets, and people with disabilities. It can assist with building your own disaster supplies kit and more.
• Severe Weather Awareness: The National Weather Service has information on severe thunderstorm safety, tornado safety as well as lightning and flood safety tips.
• Pet Disaster Preparedness: Your family’s disaster plans must include your furry family members too. Learn what to do to keep your beloved pets safe!
• MIREADY:  The Michigan State Police MIREADY program provides resources and education to prepare Michigan residents for emergencies, disasters, and threats to our homeland. 

• Do1Thing: Do1Thing you can take small steps that make a big difference in an emergency. Do1Thing is a 12-month program that makes it easy for you to prepare yourself, your family, and your community for emergencies or disasters.

• Tornado Siren Monthly Test: The Lapeer County Fire Association conducts regular tornado siren tests on the first Saturday of the month at 1pm. This is done April through October.  

  
  Lapeer County Central Dispatch is responsible for coordinating the tests of the sirens and activating them when needed, the separate jurisdictions within the county own and maintain the sirens within their respective jurisdiction.  
  
  The monthly test lasts approximately 3 minutes and has a solid blast tone. The test will be canceled if threatening weather conditions exist at the time of the test. Also, remember that the sirens are designed to warn people out of doors. They were not designed to penetrate buildings or wake you from sleep. 
  
  If a siren does not sound during a test or a real event, please contact your local fire department with jurisdiction over the area where the siren is located.

• Skywarn: Skywarn is a National Weather Service program to train citizens on how to identify tornados, their formation and the dangers of severe thunderstorms.

• Floodsmart.gov FEMA and the National Flood Insurance Program provide information and offers for coverage of your home in the event of a flood. It is important to know that most homeowner’s insurance and mortgage companies do not cover flood damage by default. Typically, flood insurance is carried as a rider or separate insurance altogether. Don’t wait for a flood to happen before checking to see if you’re covered. Check now!

• Fema Independent Study

Public Act 12 of 2014 that went into effect on July 1, 2014 revises the number and scheduling of required school safety drills. Ten drills will be required each year:

• Five fire drills per school year. Three of which must take place by December 1. There must be a reasonable interval between each drill. The other two during the remainder of the school year.
• Two tornado safety drills per school year. One of which must take place in March.
• Three lockdown drills per school year, including security measures appropriate to an emergency "such as the release of hazardous material or the presence of a potentially dangerous individual on or near the premises." At least one of the drills must take place by December 1 and at least one after January 1. (There must be a reasonable interval between each drill.)
• At least one of the above-listed drills must be scheduled during lunch, recess, or at another time when a significant number of students are present, but not in classrooms.

For a list of scheduled and completed drills, visit the desired school's school safety drills web page. 

Completed School Drill Form

Schools need to submit their drill schedules to the Lapeer County Office of Emergency Management by September 15 each year. They can email them to swhaley@lapeercounty.org

• Hazard Mitigation Plan  This plan is updated every 4 years by local public officials to include a list of potential hazards that could happen in Michigan and Lapeer County. The list includes criteria such as potential for occurrence, number of affected people, economic impact, and the county’s ability to mitigate those hazards. This plan was last updated and approved by the State of Michigan in 2022

• Ok 2 Say This is a program for school safety where students can report tips in confidence, not worrying about retaliation. This program is in partnership with the Michigan State Police and participating school districts.
• See Something, Say Something Is a program through the Department of Homeland Security. It focuses on the ability to report suspicious activity in your daily life and across our communities.