The U.S. National Weather Service in Great Falls is forecasting showers, thunderstorms and strong winds with gusts up to 60 miles per hour Friday and Saturday in Central and Northcentral Montana.
NWS is predicting worst-case scenario winds of up to 60 miles per hour in Great Falls, with a 10 percent chance of stronger gusts.
According to NWS, showers and thunderstorms associated with a cold front are expected to develop across the Northern Rockies on Sept. 25, which have the potential to enhance already strong and gusty southwest to west winds, especially along the Rocky Mountain Front.
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Strong west winds will persist into Sept. 26, in the wake of the cold front across the plains of Central and North Central Montana, according to NWS.
Those recreating outdoors should be aware of their surroundings and any potential hazards.
Travelers, especially those operating high-profile vehicles, should be prepared for strong crosswinds.
NorthWestern Energy is reminding customers to stay safe and prepared before, during, and after the storm.
NorthWestern Energy is prepared with staffing and equipment to respond as quickly and safely as possible to any outages caused by the storm.
Before the Storm: Prepare Now
- Charge devices: Make sure cell phones and other essential electronics are fully charged.
- Gather supplies: Stock up on water, non-perishable food, flashlights, batteries, and necessary medications.
- Check emergency kits: Include blankets, first-aid supplies, and items for pets.
More tips: https://www.northwesternenergy.com/safety/outage-safety/before-the-storm
During the Storm: Stay Safe
- Stay indoors: Avoid going outside during high-wind conditions.
- Report outages: Use NorthWestern Energy’s outage reporting tools online or by phone.
- Avoid downed lines: Treat all downed power lines as live and dangerous. Stay far away and report immediately.
More tips: https://www.northwesternenergy.com/safety/outage-safety/during-the-storm
After the Storm: Exercise Caution
Inspect surroundings: Watch for downed lines, damaged poles and debris before venturing outside.
More tips: https://www.northwesternenergy.com/safety/outage-safety/after-the-storm
September is National Preparedness Month and it’s a good time to think through your personal emergency plans and be aware of community efforts.
The Cascade County Local Emergency Planning Committee meets monthly to share updates from participating agencies, discuss potential hazards and develop plans for emergencies.
Taylor Harrell, Cascade County’s disaster and emergency manager, said that the committee’s role is to provide information and educate the community on preparedness.
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The overarching law governing LEPCs is the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, or EPCRA, of 1986, which was part of the superfund legislation and intended to help communities plan for chemical emergencies. It requires industry to report on the storage, use, and releases of certain chemicals to federal, state, tribal, territorial, and/or local governments. It also requires these reports to be used to prepare for and protect their communities from potential risks.
Harrell said the community has a right to know what hazardous substances are in the community and how those that have them are planning to respond.
There are some well-known facilities, such as Calumet Montana Refining, she said, but others are lesser known.
The LEPC is supposed to maintain a list of those facilities and stationary materials.
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Harrell said they’re working to develop that list and keep it current, and are working with local geographic information systems offices to map those facilities and show half-mile and one-mile radii for potential chemical releases.
“It’s not a naughty list; it’s hey, we’ve got these things,” Harrell said. “LEPC is a mechanism to bridge the gap between agencies and industry and the community.”
The U.S. law followed an industrial disaster at an insecticide plant in India, which was a subsidiary of an American company, in 1984 that killed thousands.
Harrell said there are various reporting requirements related to chemicals and toxic substances at the federal, state, tribal and local levels.
Other legislation has added additional layers of responsibilities, she said, in helping communities prepare for chemical releases or incidents.
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Harrell said that locally, if there’s a release at one of those facilities, it’s reported to the LEPC and the group disseminates that information if necessary and records the incident.
The LEPC includes fire, policy, military, public health, transportation, environmental agencies and those facilities that house or use specified chemicals.
Most member agencies have their own emergency response plans.
Cascade County is currently updating its Community Wildfire Protection Plan, which was last updated in 2008.
The county recently received a $74,000 grant from the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation for the project and awarded a contract to DJ&A for the update.
Harrell said the Cascade County group isn’t special in not doing everything described in the law, because it’s a lot, and most of it falls on an emergency manager and fire chiefs.
Maura Casey, the warning coordination meteorologist for the U.S. National Weather Service’s Great Falls office, said she’s attended a lot of LEPC meetings across the coverage area and they all struggle with doing everything addressed in the federal laws.
Harrell said the meetings are open to the public and anybody can request information.
“We don’t have any trade secrets and generally all of this info is accessible to the public,” she said.
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The local LEPC is an opportunity to strengthen partnerships amongst the local agencies and facilities so that they aren’t meeting each other for the first time during an emergency, she said.
“Everybody’s got their niche for how to prepare for things,” Casey said.
The agencies are all good at their particular area, but come together for LEPC and planning since it takes broader awareness and coordination to prepare for emergencies.
“It’s lots of different people with a lot of different expertise coming together,” she said.
When it comes to preparedness, both Harrell and Casey said individuals need to be prepared for minor incidents like power outages and cold weather.
“You have to be able to sustain yourself for a week, because we’re not coming,” Harrell said, because there aren’t enough local resources as responders. “We want to come to you, but we may not be able to.”
She recommends having food, water, batteries and things specific to your household.
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Harrell said in the current tough economy to buy things like a big bag of beans when its on sale, or extra batteries when there’s a deal.
It’s little things, she said, not just a one-day event to prepare for emergencies.
If you know your kid won’t eat rice and beans, stock up on the things they will eat, particularly shelf-stable items, since there’s enough stress already during an emergency.
Keep your gas tank above half-full, as best you can with high gas prices, she said.
It’s challenging to prepare for emergencies in the current economy, she said, with high grocery prices, but important to think about it now.
Harrell encouraged residents and families to develop their own escape plans for their homes and discuss it with their families.
“In Montana, people pride themselves on resilience,” Casey said.
Weather is different in different areas, all with varying concerns and risks, ranging from wind, fire and flooding with their seasonal cadences to more serious and infrequent emergencies such as dam failures.
The only disaster declaration since 1953 in Montana that wasn’t weather-related, Casey said, was the COVID-19 pandemic.
Preparedness starts with understanding your local environment and your local risks, Casey said.
She recommends understanding your local geography, such as whether you’re near trees, on top of a hill, at the bottom of a hill, or
Understand your local geography, like whether you’re by trees, on a hill, at the bottom of a hill or near a riverbank.
The local NWS office works with other agencies for forecasting and emergency planning, but “you should have a plan in place by the time we’re telling you there’s severe weather.”
