CAPE COD EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS HANDBOOK:
A Guide to Natural Disasters

The information in this handbook is a compilation of reference material from a variety of existing sources. It is modeled after the 2003 All Hazards Guide from Collier County, Florida. With permission much of the text herein is taken directly from that publication, though tailored to the risks and environment of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Specific references to materials other than Collier County's guide are provided throughout this handbook. Available in several ways:

1. Cape Cod Emergency Preparedness Handbook - the entire 36-page illustrated 2007 handbook, including the 2010 update of the map of storm shelters (PDF file; 63.4 MB)

2. Maps of Storm Shelters on Cape Cod and the Islands - color maps - updated August 2010 - NOTE: Only regional shelters will be open during extreme weather events (such as hurricanes). Community shelters will be open during localized events.

• Letter-sized 2010 Shelters Map - high resolution for printing on an 8.5x11-inch sheet (PDF file; 2.6 MB)
  
• Poster-sized 2010 Shelters Map - lower resolution for viewing on screen (PDF file; 3.2 MB)

3. Cape Cod Emergency Preparedness Handbook - By Section:
(All sections are in PDF file format; approximate file sizes are indicated in parentheses.)

• Front Cover (2.4MB)
• Table of Contents (132K)
• Hurricanes (9.5MB)
• Planning for People with Special Needs (5MB)
• Disaster Supply Kit (392K)
• Floods (4.9MB)
• Nor'easters and Winter Storms (6.7MB)
• Tornadoes (3.1MB)
• 2010 Map of Storm Shelters on Cape Cod (letter size; 2.6 MB) - NOTE: Only regional shelters will be open during extreme weather events (such as hurricanes). Community shelters will be open during localized events.
• Storm Shelters on Cape Cod (2.4MB)
• Thunderstorms and Lightning (2.1MB)
• Heat Waves (1.2MB)
• Wildfires (5.4MB)
• Preparing Your Boat for a Storm (3.6MB)
• Protecting Pets in the Event of a Disaster (832K)
• Driving in a Disaster (1.1MB)
• Power Outages (520K)
• Generator Safety (1.3MB)
• Understand Your Stormwater Drainage System (1.9MB)
• Hazardous Household Products (4.3MB)
• Tracking a Hurricane - Atlantic Basin Hurricane Tracking Chart (76K)
• Important Contacts (48K)
• Back Cover (2MB)

A reader seeking additional information and the original sources are encouraged to contact the Cape Cod Chapter of the American Red Cross at (508) 775-1540, their local emergency manager, or their local police or fire department. For a listing of American Red Cross general disaster preparedness materials see:
www.redcross.org/pubs/dspubs/genprep.html
www.capecodandislandsredcross.org/

We also encourage readers to visit the following web sites to search for additional information about risks and preparedness:
www.fema.gov
www.noaa.gov

This Guide focuses on risk and preparation for natural disasters. We also take the opportunity to provide information on household hazardous products. In today's political climate, terrorism is certainly an issue on everyone's mind. If you seek information about preparedness in the face of a terrorist threat, please visit www.ready.gov.

Funding:
See the back cover for a list of groups who collaborated to produce this handbook.

The Cape Cod Commission funded the original publication through a Project Impact Cape Cod program grant. Project Impact was a national program funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and established to empower communities to address disaster resistance and hazard mitigation at the regional and local levels; it is no longer in operation.

Cover Photos:
Front Cover, clockwise: S. Albers, Jim O'Connell, NOAA, NOAA.
Back Cover, clockwise: S. Teper, Jim O'Connell, Jim O'Connell, unknown.

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