January 17, 2010

Bay Area: Access to Help

As the aftermath of the devastating 7.0 Haiti earthquake unfolds, what can we learn from their experiences?  

What provisions and resources does your local town or City government have in place to assist residents after a major disruption in roads, water-delivery,  emergency medical  assistance, electrical and gas services?

Certainly, California's Office of Emergency Services and FEMA will be called upon to aid any areas devastated by a catastrophic earthquake but as we have witnesssed in the Haiti earthquake response, timing and access to the areas effected is crucial.

Depending on the severity of the earthquake, local airport runways could be disabled partially or completely. San Francisco International Airport

and Moffett Field's runways sit on bay-fill. How many jumbo-sized cargo planes could fit on the runways at San Jose International Airport for unloading of emergency supplies and rescue teams, if those runways were intact?

The Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG)

from ABAG History: "In 1961, elected officials from the region's cities and counties came together to form ABAG-California's first council of governments. Since its inception, ABAG has examined regional issues like housing, transportation, economic development, education, and environment.

In 1970, ABAG broke ground with the Regional Plan, 1970-1990, the Bay Area's first comprehensive regional plan, outlining the first regional open space plan, regional information systems and technology support, criminal justice and training, water policy and waste collection, and earthquake hazards and planning."

We have stronger earthquake building code requirements in California than in most other places in the world. So it is unlikely that we would experience the housing collaspes seen in Haiti to a similar degree. However, no matter how strong the building codes are, impassable broken roadways, ruptured gas and water mains  and structure fires will present similar obstacles for rescuers, medical teams and first responders.

Organizing Your Neighborhood

California's OES has produced a brief document containing tips and suggestions for how to organize your neighborhood for first response if emergency services are unable to get to your neighborhood right away after a quake. Know  the location of your local Evacuation Center .

What's in the Trunk of your car?

Do you have  leather work gloves, a jacket, work shirt, sturdy pants like blue jeans and heavy duty shoes in the trunk of your car? Many folks carry running shoes or workout clothes for the gym in the trunk of their car. That's better than nothing - but if you had  to dig through rubble to save a loved one, you might want to be better prepared than that.

Make an Emergency Backpack.

Home: What supplies do you have on hand now?

Look around in your house or garage and see about what you have right now if a major earthquake happened in the next 30 minutes. How well would your family fare through it? Read the full article Small things can make a huge difference

WATER, WATER, WATER

A lot of folks do not realize that the majority of all drinking water supplies serving the Bay Area  will be out of commission if the Hayward Fault ruptures the Hetch-Hetchy line through the Diablo Range to the San Mateo terminus.   While California's OES and FEMA will be  working feverishly to get water back online - it is a safe  guess that it will be a while before they succeed.

CERT SANTA CLARA

Santa Clara's HEAT   Home Emergency Assistance Teams program began in 1995. Since the program began, hundreds of participants have learned about the City's emergency organization and have received the 20-hour training. The training, which consists of 4 classes, covers safety, awareness, preparation, utility control and fire suppression, basic medical care, damage assessment, light search and rescue, communications, terrorism awareness, and HEAT team management.

  From FEMA's
Are You Ready....
There are real benefits to being prepared. Being prepared can reduce fear, anxiety, and losses that accompany disasters. Communities, families, and individuals should know what to do in the event of an earthquake. They should be ready to evacuate their homes and take refuge in public shelter and know how to care for their basic medical needs. The need to prepare is real. Read the full document here...

The American Red Cross
Safe and Well Website offers  those who have been affected by a disaster,  a way for you to register yourself as “safe and well.” This provides a way to communicate to your family members, letting them know of your well-being.

Earthquake Alert plugin for Firefox Browsers

USGS Earthquake Notifier

via email pager or cell phone