Pledge to Prepare

20120325-A-CY398-006 (Photo credit: 29th CAB - Public Affairs)

Interested in preparedness throughout the year? If so, continue here to Pledge to Prepare.  By Pledging you will become part of the National Preparedness Coalition.  There is no cost or obligation in doing so.  As a Coalition Member, you will have access to exclusive resources and be able to collaborate with thousands of fellow members across the country on ways to participate and get your community involved. 


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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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New research challenges assumptions that the central part of the San Andreas fault would act as a barrier, preventing a big quake from traveling between the northern and southern parts of the state.

A recent article points to possibility that California could be hit by a statewide earthquake. The San Andreas fault was once thought to be a barrier that would prevent a statewide quake from happening, but now researchers say that assumption may be wrong.

The article appeared in the COPE newsletter (http://cope-preparedness.org/archives/2416). COPE stands for Community Outreach Promoting Emergency Preparedness.

The major earthquakes in Japan pointed researchers to the fact that "Using a combination of laboratory measurements and computer simulations, the two scientists showed how so-called creeping segments in a fault — long thought to be benign because they slip slowly and steadily along as tectonic plates shift — might behave like locked segments, which build up stress over time and then rupture.?

Are you ready?

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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Earthquake Fact

English: This map, created by the Regional Plan Association, illustrates the Southern California megaregion (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Two minor earthquakes felt in last couple of days.
Each year the southern California area has about 10,000 earthquakes. Most of them are so small that they are not felt. Only several hundred are greater than magnitude 3.0, and only about 15-20 are greater than magnitude 4.0. If there is a large earthquake, however, the aftershock sequence will produce many more earthquakes of all magnitudes for many months.

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Fire Risks for Older Adults

Fire alarm notification appliance (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Older adults—those over 65 years of age—represent one of the highest fire risk groups
in the United States, in large part because they are the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population.
Of course, many older adults may also fall into the other three groups since the elderly suffer
some or all of these impairments to a much greater degree than do the general population.

People who are deaf or have hearing impairments, those who are blind or have vision impairments,
and those with mobility impairments may face unique challenges in an emergency. Their
ability to detect a fire or escape its effects may be hindered by their impairments. As a result,
people with these impairments are at a greater risk of death or injury due to fire.

As might be expected, many of the fire safety issues are of concern for all four groups.
This commonality is reflected in the reports, particularly in the fire safety tips, most of which apply
to all the groups. These safety tips are presented in an appendix at the end of each report, organized
in three sections: before the fire, during the fire, and fire prevention.

The tips that are common to all four groups are summarized here:
Before the Fire
· Identify the nearest fire exit
· Install smoke alarms
· Live near an exit
· Plan and practice escape plans
· Involve the fire department
During the Fire
· Get out and stay out
· Test doors before opening them
· Stay low and go
· What to do if you are trapped
· Stop, drop, and roll
Fire Prevention
· Cooking
· Electrical safety
· Smoking
· Space heaters
· Heating
· Fireplaces

See the following for a complete report on this important issue.

Fire risks for elderly

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Print Out Free Labels for Door and Window to Alert People Pets Inside

Let people know your pet is inside