Prepare, Survive a disaster
You're in charge of your own disaster plans, officials say
Helen Silvis of The Skanner News
July 24, 2009
Imagine the chaos if a tremendous earthquake suddenly struck the Northwest tonight. What if the quake and its aftershocks were powerful enough to rip up streets, destroy bridges and buildings and knock out power and water supplies in Portland or Seattle? It would be devastating for some. But because our local emergency services teams have spent years preparing for a disaster, they would have everything under control in a few hours. Right? Wrong. The harsh truth is that you will have to take care of yourself and your family for at least three days following a disaster. Officials say are in charge of your own disaster plans.
NEW: Latest Emergency Preparedness Information
Multnomah County Emergency Managers are asking the county commissioners to name September, Emergency Preparedness month. During September they will hold a number of events for other county staff. Check out the county's latest information here. Multnomah County Emergency Management has a new Facebook page. Clarence Harper’s Facebook Page. |
Predicting and Preparing for Natural Disasters
Floods. Fires. Snow and ice storms. Earthquakes and epidemics. Terrorist attacks. Emergencies happen. In fact, according to FEMA we’ve had 31 disasters this year already, in the United States. And during 2008 the United States declared a total of 75 disasters. Sometimes, the threat of a life-threatening emergency will set off panic, as with the recent “ swine” flu outbreak. Chinese authorities, for example, have quarantined thousands of foreigners this year -- often on nothing more than a suspicion of illness. Disasters, whether natural or manmade, can cause tremendous damage, destruction and death. Oregon Rep. David Wu is leading an effort to improve our ability to predict and prepare for natural hazards. Chairing a hearing in the Science Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation, Wu called for a coordinated approach to all disaster research funding. . . Story. |
| Neighborhood Emergency Teams are ordinary men and women, who have been trained to help out their neighbors in an emergency. Pictured here are members of the Woodlawn NET. You don’t need to be specially fit or strong. If you are 14 or older, you can sign up to train as a NET volunteer. To learn more see our story Wanted Heroes. |
Preparedness Tips When the Lights Go Out
A massive line of thunderstorms struck across the Pacific Northwest, knocking out power in over 100 communities across Washington, Oregon and Idaho. But all power outages can cause a number of safety concerns as residents seek to light, heat, cool or power their homes from alternative sources, and emergency management officials urge residents to exercise caution.
“Our region is prone to natural disasters ranging from windstorms and lightning strikes, to seasonal flooding, wildfires, earthquakes, and even volcanic activity,” said FEMA Acting Regional Administrator Dennis Hunsinger. “Power grids, generating plants, transformer stations, power poles and even buried cables are vulnerable. As we all review our family disaster plans and disaster kits, emergency power needs can rank right
up with food, water, first aid kits and shelter, but we need to be careful!”
When the power fails, resist the temptation to call 9-1-1 for information—that’s what your battery-powered radio is for. Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to prevent food spoilage. Turn off electric appliances to protect against power surges when power is restored. Turn off all lights but one (to alert you when power resumes). Plan on cell phones or corded phones for emergency calls—cordless
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supply of fresh batteries. If electric wheel chairs or electric life support devices are part of the equation, consider extra battery packs or a prearranged agreement from local police or fire stations for priority support.
Never use a portable generator in a garage, carport, basement, crawlspace or other enclosed or partially-enclosed area, even with ventilation. If you start to feel sick, dizzy, or weak while using a generator, get to fresh air immediately. Install home Carbon Monoxide alarms that have battery back-up. Store fuel safely.
When the power comes back on, wait a few minutes before turning on major appliances to help eliminate problems that could occur if there’s a sharp increase in demand. If you think that electric power has been restored to your area but your home is still without power, call your local power company.
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The Message
Flu pandemics, earthquakes, flooding, winter storms: we can’t always predict when a disaster will affect us, but we do know that disasters are regular events. And when a disaster does hit, you can’t depend on help from outside. The only source of help for you and your family probably will be YOU.
That’s not paranoia. It’s the message officials and government agencies are sending– to encourage all of us to prepare. Experience has taught us that in any disaster, more than 80 percent of the time the first people on the scene will be ordinary citizens.
During disasters, firefighters, hospitals, emergency medical teams and other first responders quickly become overwhelmed. When transportation is disrupted – as in a major earthquake – it could be days before outside help arrives. Everyone needs to have enough water and food set aside to get through the first few days. Everyone should have an emergency plan. If you take medications, you need to put aside an emergency supply. If you have children or relatives who need help, you need to plan for them too. And if you have pets, you’ll need to know how to keep them safe during a disaster.
That’s why The Skanner has put together this disaster resource page – to give you the information you need to prepare for any disaster so you can keep yourself and your family safe. Check out the links and stories below to find out about everything from How to build a low-cost 72-hour emergency kit to how well government is meeting its responsibility to help keep us safe.
To keep current with what is happening with the current h1n1 Flu outbreak and to learn how to reduce your chances of getting sick check out these links:
- King County health Department
Wanted: Heroes
Youth or elder, man or woman, tough-minded or tender: You have what it takes to save lives during a disaster. That’s the big idea behind the Neighborhood Emergency Team program, which offers free training to anyone aged 14 and older. Funded in Portland, through the city’s Office of Emergency Management, and run by seasoned firefighters, the program offers eight sessions of concentrated hero training. “It’s absolutely critical that people get trained,” said Lawrence Behmer, who coordinates the program. “This is about neighbors helping neighbors when it has to count.” Story.Turmoil Strikes Multnomah County Disaster Agency
Multnomah County is the agency charged with disaster planning for the Portland area. But a report from the City of Portland says Multnomah County took three days to respond to a city request during last year's $27 million TOPOFF 4 terrorism preparedness exercise. And that's just one of the problems in an agency charged with failure and poor management at the highest levels. Story.
What’s in a 72-hour Emergency Kit |
Find Out More Online
A wealth of information about how to prepare for an emergency is available on the Internet: the problem is how to find the information you want. To save you hours of frustration, The Skanner compiled this list of useful sites.
72-hour Emergency Kits and family plans
To find out how to make a family plan and create a 72-hour emergency kit visit the Washington County Web site or the City of Beaverton. This site includes a labeled photo of a kit kept in a garage.
Similar information in a video slideshow format is available at The Oregon Trail Chapter of the American Red Cross Website. The presentation is comprehensive, but takes some time to view.
Another user-friendly site is the King CountyWeb site. The Be Prepared section covers everything. Check out the videos section for useful information on everything from natural gas and electricity safety measures to what would happen if Mt. Rainier erupted.
Disaster Preparedness in Other Languages
King County, offe rs disaster preparednessvideos in Spanish, Hmong, Khmer, Lao, Vietnamese and Somaliand online pamphlets in Russian, Spanish and Vietnamese and disaster kit information in 17 languages.
Disaster Volunteer Trainings
Find out how to train to be a disaster volunteer in Seattleor Portland Sign up online or call to have an application packet mailed to you.
Services for Elderly or Disabled People.
If you or a family member is disabled, elderly or would need special help in an emergency, you can sign up with Multnomah County’s new Voluntary Emergency Registry
Resources and information for people with disabilities is available from King County.
Pets
Many of the listed sites include information on how to plan and prepare for your petsduring a disaster. For expert information visit the Humane Society of the United States.
 Oregon Rep. Peter DeFazio, the only Oregon legislator on a congressional Department of Homeland Security committee, says the agency is badly thought out, too large to be effective, and -- under the Bush Administration -- has pursued dubious policies such as data mining. See DHS Rated Poorest Federal Agency |
Official Calls Cuts to State Disaster Grant "Devastating"
From a high of $33 million in 2004, Oregon’s state homeland security grant funding has dropped to $8.9 million in 2008. Now, federal homeland security grants that help states prepare to manage large-scale disasters are facing further cuts. The size of the cuts won’t be known until Congress passes the $69 billion 2009 Homeland Security budget. “Congress has continually whittled away at the state programs,” said Matt Marheine, who coordinates the disaster preparedness program for the State of Oregon. “When you do that you start losing capability…" Story.
DHS Rated Poorest Federal Agency
The federal agency responsible for preparing the country to cope with terrorist threats and natural disasters, the Department of Homeland Security, is one of the least accountable and poorest managed federal agencies.
That’s according to the administration’s own ratings. The 2008 President's Management Agenda Scorecard, published June 30, found that on three out of five performance measures the Department of Homeland Security has “serious flaws.”
Rep. Peter DeFazio, the single Oregonian in Congress assigned to a Homeland Security Committee, said the department is too large and disparate to function well. Story.
DHS Expands its Powers Drawing Fire From Civil Liberties Groups
The Department of Homeland Security, has quietly expanded its authority, allowing border officials to examine, copy and archive private documents and files belonging to travelers, according to documents released by two Washington DC civil liberties nonprofits.
Administration officials say more domestic intelligence gathering is necessary to safeguard our national security, but civil liberties groups argue that the United States is becoming a “surveillance state” with few privacy protections, especially for minorities.
Meanwhile research shows that in the five years after Sept.11, federal prosecutors turned down two out of every three cases referred to them for terrorism.