If a disaster strikes...how to evacuate

It’s smart to think before you act. For something as traumatic as an evacuation, preparing ahead of time can lessen your stress level and improve your state of mind. Determine your most valuable belongings, pack them up and put them by the door or in the car. Take your important insurance, medical and financial documents with you. Fill up your escape vehicle with gas. Turn off gas and water supplies at main switches and valves. Secure all loose yard items such as lawn furniture, barbecue grills, trash cans and planter boxes. Move more valuable items to inner rooms or, in the case of a flood, upper floors. If a hurricane is approaching, you may want to board up the windows of your home with plywood. Have a clear evacuation route in mind before you leave. Notify your neighbors when you are leaving and where you plan to go. If you do not have a vehicle, arrange a ride with a neighbor or call your local City Emergency phone number.

Okay, time to grab your kids, your pets and your most valuable items. If you’ve planned properly, the actual evacuation process should proceed with in an orderly fashion. Here’s what you should do: Turn off your lights and unplug any unnecessary appliances. Load up your car and get all of your family members into the vehicle as well. Remember to put your disaster supply kit in the car. Close and lock all windows and doors of your residence. Check to make sure that you have a good, up-to-date road map. Don’t forget your cell phones, which should be fully charged. Take your checkbook, credit cards and cash with you. Be sure that you have flashlights with extra batteries. Drive away from your home at a safe speed.

For many people, an office building is like a home away from home. We spend a good portion of our waking hours at work. So it’s possible that, at some point, you may get trapped in a building during a fire, an earthquake or some other disaster. Once again, the best evacuations are those done calmly and orderly. Here’s some advice that could save your life when fleeing a building. Go to the nearest fire escape exit when you hear a fire alarm or see a fire. If you need to descend from a higher floor, always take the stairs… never use the elevator. Alert others to the possible danger as you exit the building. Offer assistance to others if it does not threaten your own life. If possible, as you exit avoid areas in the building that might contain chemicals or other flammables. If it is a fire situation, close doors and windows behind you as you leave, as this can slow the spread of fire and smoke. Follow any designated evacuation signs posted in the building. Once you get outside, go immediately to an area that is safely away from the disaster site. When you are safely outside, make a mental note of any people that seem to be missing and notify emergency personnel at the site.

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Do You Know About ENLA?

Emergency Network Los Angeles, Inc. (ENLA) is a network of Los Angeles County, non profit, community based organizations (CBOs) that provide assistance to individuals, families, and organizations following emergencies and disasters. ENLA works in coordination with government agencies and the private sector.

ENLA is recognized by the Los Angeles County Operational Area and the City of Los Angeles as the networking agency for community based organizations.

ENLA is the Los Angeles County VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters), and is recognized by Southern California VOAD and National VOAD.

ENLA is incorporated as a 501(c)(3) organization under the laws of the State of California.

OUR MISSION
ENLA’s mission is to enhance the capacity of non-profit, community, and faith-based organizations, government agencies and the private sector for preparedness, response to and recovery from disasters in Los Angeles County by facilitating cooperation, communication, coordination & collaboration.

OUR HISTORY
Following the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, the Mayor of Los Angeles convened a meeting of CBOs that were active in the recovery from the disaster. The combined efforts of members of this group significantly aided the earthquake recovery efforts. In December of that year that group, which had become known as ENLA, merged with the Los Angeles County VOAD (Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters) and the Los Angeles Access Network to bring all CBO disaster work in Los Angeles County under one umbrella. In 1997, both Los Angeles County and the City of Los Angeles designated ENLA as their primary point of contact with community based organizations for disaster preparedness and recovery efforts.

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Emergency Kit

Take a moment to download the following checklist of what you and your family need to include in your emergency preparedness kit.

Prepare City Emergency Kit

If You Can Prepare for a Zombie Attack...Then You Can Prepare for Anything

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has launched a clever social media effort aimed at reminding people just how necessary and easy it is to prepare for an emergency by pointing out that if you can get ready to a zombie attack (and it is coming to Long Beach on October 27 (click here for goulish details) then you can get prepared for other disasters, such as an earthquake.

Click here to read a cool comic book on preparing for a zombie attack and other disasters.

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