When Disaster Strikes, Are You Prepared?
Disaster Preparation Tips 
The 6.7 magnitude 1994 Northridge Earthquake
caused $15 billion worth of damage and killed 57 people.
When Disaster Strikes, Are You Prepared?
Disasters can strike without warning. Recently, hurricanes caused billions of dollars in damage to the Gulf states. An earthquake killed thousands of people in Pakistan and India.
The effects can be devastating: people left without water, food or shelter. The key to surviving a disaster often depends on preparation. In California, earthquakes pose the biggest, but not the only, danger.
"Whether wildfires, earthquakes or winter storms, it's not a matter of if, but when," said Maria Shriver, California's First Lady. "You need to be ready."
The following disaster preparation tips were culled from FEMA, American Red Cross and Governor's Office of Emergency Services:
Identify Risks and Get Informed - In the event of a disaster, the City will provide information to local radio and TV stations. If available, Bellflower will also post information on the City's website www.bellflower.org. If shelters are needed, local officials will designate facilities based on the emergency. Ask about emergency plans and procedures at your family's places of employment, schools and child care centers.
Make a Plan - Discuss with your family members ways to meet the challenges of a disaster. Explain the dangers to children and practice your emergency plan regularly. Share the information with caregivers. Your plan should include the following:
• Contact List: After a disaster, it is often easier to make a long distance phone call than a local call, so ask an out-of-town friend or relative to be your main contact. Following a disaster, family members who are separated should call this person and tell them where they are. Every-one in your family should know the contact's phone number, as well as numbers for family members, work, school and emergency services.
• Meeting Place: Choose a place outside your home in case of a sudden emergency, like a fire. Choose a place outside your neighborhood in case you can't return home. This helps if family members are separated during a disaster.
• Special Needs: Plan for those with disabilities or special needs, and pets. Keep support items in a designated place so they can be found quickly. Don't forget prescriptions and medical items. Take your pets with you if you evacuate. Pets are not usually permitted in emergency shelters, so prepare a list of family, friends, boarding facilities, veterinarians and "pet friendly" hotels to shelter your pet in an emergency.
• Utilities: Know how and when to turn off water, gas and electricity at the main switches or valves at your residence and share this information with family members. Keep any tools you need near gas and water shut off valves. Turn off utilities only if you suspect a leak, lines are damaged, or local officials instruct you to do so.
• Emergency Items: Make sure all family members know the location of fire extinguishers, first aid kits and disaster supply kits.
• Vital Records and Documents: Keep vital family records and documents -- birth and marriage certificates, social security cards, passports, wills, deeds and financial, insurance and immunizations records -- in a safe deposit box or other safe location. If kept inside the home, keep in a fireproof and waterproof container near your disaster supply kit and other emergency items.
• Write it Down: Write down your plan and contact information, and keep it in wallets, purses, backpacks and vehicles. Be sure each family member has a copy, and post it near your telephone. Keep a touch-tone phone in your home that does not require plugging into an electric outlet.
Reduce Home Hazards - In a disaster, ordinary items in the home can cause injury and damage. Take steps to reduce risks:
• Have a professional repair defective wiring and leaky gas connections.
• Place large, heavy objects on lower shelves and hang pictures and mirrors away from beds.
• Use straps or other restraints to secure tall cabinets, bookshelves, large appliances (especially water heaters, furnaces and refrigerators), mirrors, shelves, large picture frames and light fixtures to wall studs.
• Repair cracks in ceilings and foundations.
• Store weed killers, pesticides and flammable products away from heat sources.
• Place oily rags and waste in covered metal cans; dispose according to regulations.
• Professionally clean and repair chimneys, flue pipes, connectors and gas vents.
Assemble Emergency Supply Kits - In addition to emergency kits for the home, prepare kits for work and vehicles. Include basic items a family would need to stay safe and comfortable during and after an emergency. Store supplies in a portable container. Review the contents of kits every six months, replacing outdated items and making changes as family needs change. Recommended items:
• Three-day supply of nonperishable food and manual can opener.
• Three-day supply of water, one gallon of water per person, per day (replace every six months).
• Flashlights, portable, battery-powered radio or TV and extra batteries.
• First aid kit and instruction manual.
• Sanitation and hygiene items (soap, cleaning supplies, shampoo, hand sanitizer, moist towelettes, sunscreen and toilet paper).
• Matches in a waterproof container.
• Extra set of car keys and other important keys.
• Extra clothing and blankets, jacket, sturdy shoes, gloves, sleeping bags, etc.
• Tools such as pliers, knife, screwdrivers, hammer, shovel, and hatchet.
• Kitchen accessories and cooking utensils.
• Photocopy of identification and credit cards, plus a list of bank accounts and insurance policy numbers..
• Prescriptions, medications, eyeglasses (extra set), contact lens solution and hearing aid batteries.
• Items for infants, such as formula, diapers, bottles and pacifiers.
• Miscellaneous items like cash and coins, a whistle, pet supplies and a map of the local area.
• Other items to meet your unique family needs.
Additional Items - Try not to let your vehicle fuel tank get below half. There is quite often a shortage of fuel following a disaster, and having fuel in your tank will help. For more information, visit the following websites:
www.fema.gov
www.redcross.org
www.ready.gov
www.oes.ca.gov
www.csc.ca.gov
www.firesafecouncil.org
Additional Bellflower Disaster Information
