Second annual Waldo County Emergency Preparedness Fair

Emergencies can strike at any time, and the Waldo County Emergency Management Agency wants you to be prepared, for the next one.

"Were hoping to encourage the public to get better prepared for emergencies and we're doing an emergency preparedness fair. We got a hurricane coming up the coast, if it had turned west we'd probably be dealing with a disaster. So we're trying to encourage people to be ready for those type of things," said Dale Rowley, Waldo County Director of Emergency Management.

The fair included plenty of emergency experts to share information about how to prepare for anyone of the types of disasters that can hit the state of Maine.

"Well we have ice storms and blizzards which we can lose power for and then we're putting people up in shelters if they're not prepared. We have hurricanes that can come through in the summertime. We have flooding in the spring, wildfires in the fall and the spring. So we have all kinds of disasters that we can experience here," said Rowley.

One emergency expert at the fair was Rachel Lindsey, the Director of Ready Freddy.

A program that goes to schools and teaches kids how to prepare and act in emergency scenarios.

"We work out our family communication plan and where we're gonna meet if we had to evacuate. Who were gonna call and what does a shelter look like and practice those things," said Lindsey.

Being prepared for an emergency can include a lot of different things like knowing where your local food sources are.

"Well we're providing the excess that people know where there's fresh food. We also have food in storage like in the spring, and we have a tremendous storage facility. We could truck stuff in, redistribute it to the county," said William Shoray, a Waldo County Commissioner.

Those food storage areas are located in Swanville but would provide food to Waldo County soup kitches, rec centers, and other areas for those who need it.

Experts also say for most emergencies to make sure you have access to clean drinking water and first aid supplies.