Overloaded telephone circuits may keep actual emergency calls from getting through. Evacuation may be an appropriate precaution during a flood or hurricane, but you should NOT attempt an evacuation during a chemical emergency unless specifically ordered by city officials. Leaving your home or business may expose you to more chemical vapors, especially if you travel toward the leak or through the toxic cloud as it drifts downwind. Signs have been posted in all city parks identifying the closest public buildings where you can shelter in place. City employees have been assigned to open these buildings after normal operating hours in order to provide safe shelter.
Studies indicate that taking shelter is the best response to a chemical release.
Even a poorly sealed building or vehicle provides some protection against chemical vapors. If you are inside a vehicle, close your vehicle's doors and windows, and turn off the vehicle's air conditioning and ventilation system. Turn on your car radio to AM 530 or KTRH AM 740 for more information. If you can't get inside, move in a crosswind direction, so the wind is blowing from left to right, or right to left, but NOT directly into your face or from behind you. You can see what direction the wind is blowing by observing nearby trees, flags, or clouds in the sky.