disaster preparedness

We live in earthquake country, and a house fire could happen to any of us. A small amount of fire mitigation can prevent a tragedy, and effort you commit to preparing for a large earthquake might just mean that you survive. The question is how to learn what to do.

Lynhaven Emergency Response Committee

LNA has created an Emergency Reponse Committee to promote the idea of preparedness. In a large earthquake we will likely be on our own for days, since there aren't all that many police, fire, and medical resources to respond to what will be an overwhelming number of requests for assistance. So anything we can do to promote community self reliance is all to the good.

Our goal is to get everybody in the area up to a basic level of knowledge of how to prepare for a disaster and how to respond to same. Ultimately, it would be good to send a lot of people through the city's CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) training and create a core response team that will be capable of assisting the rest of us if the big one hits.

We're starting by assembling block-sized neighbor groups to get to know each other and learn about preparedness. This will likely take a while, but it's well worth the effort.

The Emergency Response Committee is composed of:

Ivan Heling (Chair)
Jerry Giles
Mary Ann West
Dave Stegmeir
Betty Wieske

If you're interested in getting involved or just want more information, email Ivan at info@lynhaven.org.

Things You Can Do to Prepare

For fire

Have at least one fire extinguisher in the house, preferably near the kitchen, since that is where most fires start. Be sure to get the A-B-C type so that it can deal with all three fire types (A-normal combustibles like paper and wood, B-liquid like oil and grease, and C-electrical). And then be aware that a small home fire extinguisher will last less than 15 seconds, so if the fire is larger than a waste basket in size, get out and call 911.

Store combustible material away from sources of heat, like your furnace and water heater.

For earthquake

Batten down the hatches. Strap your water heater to the studs in the wall and be sure heavy items of furniture (the china hutch) and electronics (television) are somehow anchored to prevent their falling on someone. Heavy hanging items like bedroom mirrors can be attached to the wall with special hangers that prevent the wire from escaping. Items on shelves (like that ceramic college mug that you paid $60K for) can be secured with museum wax, which is available at your favorite hardware store.

Create a disaster kit for your family that contains water, food (don't forget pets), prescription medicines, a battery- or crank-operated radio, first aid supplies, clothing, and bedding materials. Everybody recommends be prepared for a minimum of three days, but you ought to have enough critical items like important medicines for a couple of weeks. Remember, after a big quake hospitals will be overwhelmed, and the pharmacy may not be all that available.

Know how to turn off your electricity and gas.

Web-Based Resources

San Jose Prepared! is the fount of all city knowledge about preparedness. You can sign up for classes and download their preparedness manual which has all sorts of good information, including what should be in a family disaster kit.