National Hurricane Awareness Week (May 27th - June 2nd)

History teaches that a lack of hurricane awareness and preparation are common threads among all major hurricane disasters. By knowing your vulnerability and what actions you should take, you can reduce the effects of a hurricane disaster.  Hurricane hazards come in many forms, including storm surge, heavy rainfall, inland flooding, high winds, tornadoes, and rip currents.

 

ARE YOU READY?

BEFORE THE STORM

 

·         Determine safe evacuation routes inland.

·         Learn locations of official shelters.

·         Check emergency equipment, such as flashlights, generators and battery-powered equipment such as cell phones and your NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards receiver.

·         Buy food that will keep and store drinking water.

·         Buy plywood or other material to protect your home if you don’t already have it.

·         Trim trees and shrubbery so branches don’t fly into your home.

·         Clear clogged rain gutters and downspouts.

·         Decide where to move your boat.

·         Review your insurance policy.

·         Find pet-friendly hotels on your evacuation route.

 

DURING THE STORM

 

When in a Watch Area…

·         Frequently listen to radio, TV or NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards for official bulletins of the storm’s progress.

·         Fuel and service family vehicles.

·         Inspect and secure mobile home tie downs.

·         Ensure you have extra cash on hand.

·         Prepare to cover all windows and doors with shutters or other shielding materials.

·         Check batteries and stock up on canned food, first aid supplies, drinking water and medications.

·         Bring in light-weight objects such as garbage cans, garden tools, toys and lawn furniture.

 

When in a Warning Area…

·         Closely monitor radio, TV or NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards for official bulletins.

·         Close storm shutters.

·         Follow instructions issued by local officials. Leave immediately if ordered!

·         Stay with friends or relatives at a low-rise inland hotel or at a designated public shelter outside the flood zone.

·         DO NOT stay in a mobile or manufactured home.

·         Notify neighbors and a family member outside of the warned area of your evacuation plans.

·         Take pets with you if possible, but remember, most public shelters do not allow pets other than those used by used by people with disabilities.

·         Identify pet-friendly hotels along your evacuation route.

 

Plan to leave if you…

·         Live in a mobile home. They are unsafe in high winds no matter how well fastened to the ground.

·         Live on the coastline, an offshore island or near a river or a flood plain.

·         Live in a high rise building. Hurricane winds are stronger at higher elevations.

 

If Staying in a Home...

·         Turn refrigerator to maximum cold and keep it closed.

·         Turn off utilities if told to do so by authorities.

·         Turn off propane tanks.

·         Unplug small appliances.

·         Fill bathtub and large containers with water in case clean tap water is unavailable. Use water in bathtubs for cleaning and flushing only. Do NOT drink it.

 

If Winds Become Strong...

·         Stay away from windows and doors, even if they are covered. Take refuge in a small interior room, closet or hallway.

·         Close all interior doors. Secure and brace external doors.

·         If you are in a two-story house, go to an interior first floor room.

·         If you are in a multi-story building and away from water, go to the 1st or 2nd floor and stay in the halls or other interior rooms away from windows.

·         Lie on the floor under a table or other sturdy object.

 

AFTER THE STORM

 

·         Keep listening to radio, TV or NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards.

·         Wait until an area is declared safe before entering.

·         Watch for closed roads. If you come upon a barricade or a flooded road, Turn Around Don’t Drown! TM

·         Stay on firm, dry ground. Moving water only 6 inches deep can sweep you off your feet.  Standing water may be electrically charged from power lines.

·         Never use a generator indoors.

·         Avoid weakened bridges and washed out roads.

·         Once home, check gas, water and electrical and appliances for damage.

·         Use a flashlight to inspect damage. Never use candles and other open flames indoors.

·         Wear proper shoes to prevent cutting feet on sharp debris.

·         Do not drink or prepare food with tap water until officials say it is safe.

·         Avoid electrocution by not walking in areas with downed power lines.

 

An Emergency Supplies Kit Should Include:

·         At least a 3-day supply of water (one gallon per person, per day)

·         At least a 3-day supply of non-perishable food

·         At least, one change of clothing and shoes per person

·         One blanket or sleeping bag per person

·         First-aid kit

·         Battery-powered NWR and a portable radio

·         Emergency tools

·         Flashlight, extra batteries

·         Extra set of car keys

·         Credit card and cash

·         Special items for infant, elderly or disabled family members

·         Prescription and non-prescription medicines

 

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/prepare/

 

Reasons To Pick Up After Your Pet

Reasons to Pick Up

Dog waste contaminates the ground and becomes a means of passing intestinal parasites and infections to dogs and people. Your own dog can be repeatedly re-infested by parasites in this way. Picking up the feces prevents a great deal of the contamination, especially if diarrhea is not involved. Cleanup can reduce veterinary expenses and might even save on human doctor bills.

Because of contamination as well as smell and mess, dog waste is highly offensive to many people in the community. It often becomes a reason to ban dogs from areas. Of course the dogs can't clean up after themselves, so this is a people problem rather than a dog problem. It's easy to enact "no dogs allowed" rules, and then the people who clean up suffer right along with the ones who don't.

If happiness for you is being able to have your dog live with you in your association, be conscientious about cleaning up. Dog waste damages landscaping, offends other owners, and costs money to your association.  It pays to not only clean up after your own dog, but others, too, whenever the poop is especially conspicuous.

Neighborhood disputes over dog poop can escalate into real misery. In some localities it is illegal to allow your dog to relieve on someone else's property unless you have that person's permission. The very existence of such laws is an indication of how seriously people take the cleanup issue!

If you've ever tried to have a pleasant outdoor meal next door to a yard contaminated with foul-smelling dog feces, you have some idea of how quality of life can be affected by cleanup neglect. If you've found your lawn mower stinking up the tool shed because of dog feces on the mower blades after mowing your own yard where someone else's dog deposited poop, you surely weren't pleased.

Keeping the yard clean keeps the dog cleaner, since the dog won't be stepping or playing in the mess on relief trips outside. A clean yard also gives both people and dogs a lot more exercise space.

Ways and Means

Various tools are available for picking up dog waste. Some people use a shovel, and may bury the waste in the yard. If you want to dispose of the waste outdoors, a septic or other sewage disposal system may do a better job of handling potentially infectious material.

Scooper tools can make the job easier. These are usually lighter in weight than a shovel and more customized for the pickup task. You can tote along a bucket or bag to save steps.

A simple plastic bag slipped over your hand like a glove makes an efficient and completely clean pickup tool. A latex glove is also useful. A wide variety of bags will work, making this one way to recycle. Simply pick up the poop, turn the bag inside out to enclose it, tie the top, and deposit it in a legal container. This system works well on outings as well as at home.

If bending is difficult for you, a long-handled scooper tool may be your better choice. Some of these are designed to work with disposable bags. There are quite a few different tools designed for picking up poop.

The association has doggie stations located throughout the community.  Take advantage of these!

Good Habits

You can make pickup easier with how you manage your dog. Though you need to always be ready to pick up on outings and walks, many dogs will learn to relieve themselves at home before and after walks if consistently given the chance. That saves you having to carry it home.

Keeping the elimination to certain areas can help the dog be more social on outings, too. Some dogs will defend territory they have marked by urinating and defecating. Getting your dog to do this at home instead of on your walk can have a positive effect on the dog's attitude toward other dogs and people on walks.

If your outings are long and the dog needs to eliminate before you get back home, you may be able to teach your dog to eliminate on cue. Dogs vary in how their bodies work for elimination. Some will be so stimulated by exercise that they simply must move their bowels on every walk. This is just the way they are made, not a training issue.

Be Proud

There's no place so isolated that you can be sure dog poop would not put some animal at risk of catching something from your dog, or some person or animal at risk of stepping in the mess. Picking up is just part of having a dog. If everyone would do it, there would be far fewer objections to dogs living and traveling in human communities.

Be proud to be seen picking up dog poop. It may seem silly at first, but people who see you do this will know any mess left behind is NOT from your dog.  Picking up shows pride in your community, in yourself, and in your dog. You set a great example for others, and you help create a brighter future for dogs and their people.

 CLEANING UP DOG POOP

IF YOU WALK YOUR DOG, REMEMBER YOU MAY BE ON CANDID CAMERA!

 

This is lovely dog walking weather. Everyone is grateful for the good neighbors who carry a disposal bag or container and pick up the poop their pet puts out. For those who may have forgotten, it is against the law NOT to pick up your pet’s poop. If someone identifies you and sends a picture to Animal Control of you watching your pet pooping on someone else’s property, you could be cited and not picking up the poop could affect your pocket or pocketbook (this could be quite expensive). With the growing number of surveillance cameras and phones with cameras, it is increasingly likely your picture could be taken in such embarrassing circumstances. Be a good neighbor, tuck a bag in your pocket for poop pick-up, don’t get yourself cited and help keep our city clean.

 

THE LAST BAG

 

If you have just used your last bag and your dear dog decides to poop again, try knocking on the neighbor’s door and asking if they have a poop bag you could use, because you just used your last one. Some neighbors would prefer to help you instead of finding poop on their lawn.

 

 

 

 

Respectfully,

 

Jennifer Webb

Senior Community Manager
Certified Manager of Community Associations (CMCA)
Association Management Specialist (AMS)

Accredited Association Management Company (AAMC)

  349 Folly Road; Suite 2B
    Charleston, SC 29412    
      843-795-8484 x329

     CMGCharleston.com

 

 

Bees Ferry Road Widening Project Meeting

 

Charleston County RoadWise invites you

to attend a Community Meeting for the

Bees Ferry Road Widening Project

 

DATE: MONDAY, MAY 14, 2012 TIME: 6 – 7p.m.

LOCATION: Grace on the Ashley Baptist Church 2014 Bees Ferry Road

 

HOA representatives and business owners in the project area are invited to attend a community meeting. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet with project managers and representatives of RoadWise to ask questions about the project and the construction schedule.

 

www.ccroadwise.org

 

 

 

Pet Waste Pick Up

Reasons to Pick Up

Dog waste contaminates the ground and becomes a means of passing intestinal parasites and infections to dogs and people. Your own dog can be repeatedly reinfested by parasites in this way. Picking up the feces prevents a great deal of the contamination, especially if diarrhea is not involved. Cleanup can reduce veterinary expenses and might even save on human doctor bills.

Because of contamination as well as smell and mess, dog waste is highly offensive to many people in the community. It often becomes a reason to ban dogs from areas. Of course the dogs can't clean up after themselves, so this is a people problem rather than a dog problem. It's easy to enact "no dogs allowed" rules, and then the people who clean up suffer right along with the ones who don't.

If happiness for you is being able to have your dog live with you in your association, be conscientious about cleaning up. Dog waste damages landscaping, offends other owners, and costs money to your association.  It pays to not only clean up after your own dog, but others, too, whenever the poop is especially conspicuous.

Neighborhood disputes over dog poop can escalate into real misery. In some localities it is illegal to allow your dog to relieve on someone else's property unless you have that person's permission. The very existence of such laws is an indication of how seriously people take the cleanup issue!

If you've ever tried to have a pleasant outdoor meal next door to a yard contaminated with foul-smelling dog feces, you have some idea of how quality of life can be affected by cleanup neglect. If you've found your lawn mower stinking up the tool shed because of dog feces on the mower blades after mowing your own yard where someone else's dog deposited poop, you surely weren't pleased.

Keeping the yard clean keeps the dog cleaner, since the dog won't be stepping or playing in the mess on relief trips outside. A clean yard also gives both people and dogs a lot more exercise space.

Ways and Means

Various tools are available for picking up dog waste. Some people use a shovel, and may bury the waste in the yard. If you want to dispose of the waste outdoors, a septic or other sewage disposal system may do a better job of handling potentially infectious material.

Scooper tools can make the job easier. These are usually lighter in weight than a shovel and more customized for the pickup task. You can tote along a bucket or bag to save steps.

A simple plastic bag slipped over your hand like a glove makes an efficient and completely clean pickup tool. A latex glove is also useful. A wide variety of bags will work, making this one way to recycle. Simply pick up the poop, turn the bag inside out to enclose it, tie the top, and deposit it in a legal container. This system works well on outings as well as at home.

If bending is difficult for you, a long-handled scooper tool may be your better choice. Some of these are designed to work with disposable bags. There are quite a few different tools designed for picking up poop.

The association has doggie stations located throughout the community.  Take advantage of these!

Good Habits

You can make pickup easier with how you manage your dog. Though you need to always be ready to pick up on outings and walks, many dogs will learn to relieve themselves at home before and after walks if consistently given the chance. That saves you having to carry it home.

Keeping the elimination to certain areas can help the dog be more social on outings, too. Some dogs will defend territory they have marked by urinating and defecating. Getting your dog to do this at home instead of on your walk can have a positive effect on the dog's attitude toward other dogs and people on walks.

If your outings are long and the dog needs to eliminate before you get back home, you may be able to teach your dog to eliminate on cue. Dogs vary in how their bodies work for elimination. Some will be so stimulated by exercise that they simply must move their bowels on every walk. This is just the way they are made, not a training issue.

Be Proud

There's no place so isolated that you can be sure dog poop would not put some animal at risk of catching something from your dog, or some person or animal at risk of stepping in the mess. Picking up is just part of having a dog. If everyone would do it, there would be far fewer objections to dogs living and traveling in human communities.

Be proud to be seen picking up dog poop. It may seem silly at first, but people who see you do this will know any mess left behind is NOT from your dog.  Picking up shows pride in your community, in yourself, and in your dog. You set a great example for others, and you help create a brighter future for dogs and their people.

 CLEANING UP DOG POOP

IF YOU WALK YOUR DOG, REMEMBER YOU MAY BE ON CANDID CAMERA!

 

This is lovely dog walking weather. Everyone is grateful for the good neighbors who carry a disposal bag or container and pick up the poop their pet puts out. For those who may have forgotten, it is against the law NOT to pick up your pet’s poop. If someone identifies you and sends a picture to Animal Control of you watching your pet pooping on someone else’s property, you could be cited and not picking up the poop could affect your pocket or pocketbook (this could be quite expensive). With the growing number of surveillance cameras and phones with cameras, it is increasingly likely your picture could be taken in such embarrassing circumstances. Be a good neighbor, tuck a bag in your pocket for poop pick-up, don’t get yourself cited and help keep our city clean.

 

THE LAST BAG

 

If you have just used your last bag and your dear dog decides to poop again, try knocking on the neighbor’s door and asking if they have a poop bag you could use, because you just used your last one. Some neighbors would prefer to help you instead of finding poop on their lawn.

 

 

Respectfully,

 

Jennifer Webb

Community Manager
Certified Manager of Community Associations (CMCA)
Association Management Specialist (AMS)

Accredited Association Management Company (AAMC)

  349 Folly Road; Suite 2B
    Charleston, SC 29412    
      843-795-8484 x329

     CMGCharleston.com

 

 

Grilling Safety

City of Charleston

Fire Department

Fire Marshal Division

46 ½ WENTWORTH STREET, CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA 29401 • PHONE (843) 720-1981• FAX (843) 720-4267

JOSEPH P. RILEY, JR.

MAYOR

THOMAS CARR, JR.

FIRE CHIEF

Open-flame Cooking Devices: Grilling

Issued: July 19, 2010

Outdoor cooking is a great way for friends and family to gather and a fun summertime activity. In order to provide safety guidelines during this important activity minimum precautions have been established in the Fire Code. We ask that you please take a few moments to read and understand these requirements for the benefit of your tenants. A few simple precautions can improve safety and reduce the chance of injuries or a substantial monetary loss.

 

The International Fire Code, 2006 Edition, section 308.3.1 and 308.3.1.1 address open-flame cooking devices. The code provides the following guidance:

 

308.3.1 Open-flame cooking devices.

Charcoal burners and other open-flame cooking devices shall not be operated on combustible balconies or within 10 feet (3048 mm) of combustible construction.

Exceptions:

1. One- and two-family dwellings.

2. Where buildings, balconies and decks are protected by an automatic sprinkler system.

308.3.1.1 Liquefied-petroleum-gas-fueled cooking devices.

LP-gas burners having an LP-gas container with a water capacity greater than 2.5 pounds [nominal 1 pound (0.454 kg) LP-gas capacity] shall not be located on combustible balconies or within 10 feet (3048 mm) of combustible construction.

Exception: One- and two-family dwellings.

 

These code requirements prohibit the use of open-flame cooking devices on or within 10 feet of combustible structures or balconies. All cooking appliances must be moved off of combustible decks and not less than 10 feet away from the building before use. Propane type grills shall not be operated or located on combustible balconies or within 10 feet of combustible construction. These requirements are very important in multi-family dwellings, such as apartments or similar, as one tenant’s mistake may jeopardize numerous families.

 

The City of Charleston Fire Department will typically address violations with the Property Manager; however, it is the responsibility of every tenant to be knowledgeable of the code requirements and take the appropriate safety measures. 

 

Please contact the City of Charleston Fire Department – Fire Marshal Division at 843-720-1981 with any questions, comments, or concerns. We look forward to working with you in maintaining a safe environment for your clients and staff.

 

 

Respectfully,

 

Jennifer Webb

Community Manager
Certified Manager of Community Associations (CMCA)
Association Management Specialist (AMS)

Accredited Association Management Company (AAMC)

  349 Folly Road; Suite 2B
    Charleston, SC 29412    
      843-795-8484 x329

     CMGCharleston.com

 

 

Charleston Police - DEA Drug Take-Back This Saturday

Got Pills?

 

The Charleston Police Department is partnering with the DEA for the semi-annual Drug Take-Back. It will be THIS SATURDAY APRIL 28 from 10-2pm. The focus of this event is for citizens to clean out medicine cabinets and turn-in expired medicines and prescriptions they no longer need. This will prevent accidental or intentional misuse of the medicines, and will keep them out of garbage and the water-supply. Citizens can turn in all such pill- or powder-form medicines, but please, NO NEEDLES or liquid medicines. No questions will be asked, no forms to sign. Just drop them in the receptacle. (All sites will be manned by uniformed Police Officers) The DEA will destroy all of the medicines.

 

Charleston Police will have THREE sites where people can turn in these medicines:

1 – Charleston Police Headquarters (out front of the Court/DMV building)

2 – Mall Park (Columbus/Aiken St) at the Healthy Families event

3 – Citadel Mall parking lot on the Orleans Rd. side.

 

See the below News Release

                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

 

NEWS RELEASE

 

                                    

DEA HOLDING FOURTH NATIONWIDE PRESCRIPTION DRUG TAKE-BACK DAY IN APRIL

 

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This spring, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and its national and community partners will give the public another opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.  On Saturday, April 28^th, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time, DEA and its partners will hold their fourth National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day at sites nationwide.  The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

 

Americans participating in DEA’s three previous Take-Back Days turned in nearly a million pounds—almost 500 tons—of prescription drugs at over 5,300 sites operated by more than 4,000 of the DEA’s state and local law enforcement partners.  Last fall’s event encouraged participation by long term care facilities and Indian nations as well as the general public. 

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue.  Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse.  Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high--more Americans currently abuse prescription drugs than the number of those using cocaine, hallucinogens, and heroin combined, according to the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.  Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. 

 

“Prescription drug abuse is a major epidemic across the country and DEA is committed to reducing the potential for misuse by providing a safe and secure method for Americans to clean out their medicine cabinets and properly dispose of unwanted, unneeded, or expired medications,” said DEA Administrator Michele M. Leonhart.  “Americans responded overwhelmingly to DEA’s first three Take-Back Day events, disposing of nearly 500 tons of medication in the past two years.  This nationwide community effort prevents home medicine cabinets from becoming sources of dangerous – and even deadly – drugs."

 

The public can find a nearby collection site by visiting www.dea.gov, clicking on the “Got Drugs?” icon, and following the links to a database, where they enter their zip code.  Law enforcement agencies interested in operating one or more collection sites on April 28 can register with the DEA by clicking on the above-cited “Got Drugs?” icon and calling the DEA POC for their state, which can be under the link for law enforcement.

 

Four days after last fall’s event, Congress passed the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010, which amends the Controlled Substances Act to allow an “ultimate user” of controlled substance medications to dispose of them by delivering them to entities authorized by the Attorney General to accept them.  The Act also allows the Attorney General to authorize long term care facilities to dispose of their residents’ controlled substances in certain instances.  DEA is in the process of drafting regulations to implement the Act.

 

Information Provided by: Trevor Shelor SHELORT@charleston-sc.gov

 

---

 

Bees Ferry Expansion Project Meeting

The Board of Directors has arranged an on-site meeting with several representatives from the Bees Ferry Rd Expansion Project.  The meeting will take place on Monday, April 9^th at 5:30 beginning at the mail kiosk and continuing as a walk through behind the units that back up to Bees Ferry Road.  This will be an excellent opportunity for the members of Radcliffe Place HOA to ask questions, see firsthand the proposed boundaries, get an idea of what the area will look like upon completion and receive general information concerning the project from these representatives.  

 

Please note: This meeting is NOT to discuss the affect on property values or to discuss the acquisition of the land.  It is to gain a better understanding of what will be removed, what will remain, how close they are coming to the buildings, etc.  Again, this meeting will be outside and will be done while walking the property so dress accordingly and be prepared with bug spray. 

 

Please share this with your neighbors,  especially if you know they do not utilize email or do not check emails on a regular basis.  

 

 

 

Respectfully,

 

Jennifer Webb

Community Manager
Certified Manager of Community Associations (CMCA)
Association Management Specialist (AMS)

Accredited Association Management Company (AAMC)

  349 Folly Road; Suite 2B
    Charleston, SC 29412    
      843-795-8484 x329

     CMGCharleston.com