Disaster expo was not a disaster - IT WAS A
BENEFIT
By Gail Paparian
For the Record Gazette
The disaster prevention expo was not a disaster.
Other than the Best Buy grand opening last Saturday, nothing made me happier
than attending the 3rd Annual Banning Disaster Prevention Expo. Poor, dear
Bill would be ashen if he knew that I was now in walking distance of
an electronics' toy store.
Having lived in Charleston, South Carolina, for nearly six years, I am well
versed in preparing for hurricane season. People in the south take this very
seriously; the smart ones prepare wisely. There isn't really a specific
season we face in California; we are capable of being hit by a disaster at
any time of the year.
I can tell that people are taking potentials for disaster more seriously,
based on how many varieties of survival kits are on the market. Thanks to
the staff of the Banning electric department and public benefits program,
and given to me by the energetic Chuck Thurman, I am now the beneficiary of
a nice green tote bag filled with useful survival items, including another
hand crank flashlight. I keep one in my car, one in my survival kit and one
in the bathroom!
Knowing I was planning to attend the event, I did some prep work at home,
which included checking the expiration dates on the items in my various
kits. Please check yours.
Don't have a survival kit yet? Shame on you.
There are really few valid reasons for not preparing a disaster survival
kit. Even those who may be physically handicapped can have a mate or a
friend get one ready.
Today the kits are a bit more sophisticated, smaller and more user-friendly
than before. The ones generously provided by the City of
Banning's Public Benefits program included:
Water (aqua blox), millennium food bar, 3-wet
naps, green 12 hour light stick, space blanket, adhesive bandages, quake
card, reclosable plastic bag. The expiration
dates are in 2012-a safe time period down the road. A good rule of thumb is
to check these items twice a year and replace anything that is, or
approaching expiration.
The kits I purchased at
expos 1 and 2; have multiple numbers of usable items. Make sure you include
a week's worth of your medications and a separate list of what you take. I
just went to my emergency backpack and took out the pills I had put aside in
case of emergency and recirculated them into my
daily pile of pills after I counted out another 7 days worth for the kit.
You need a 3-day supply of water ... that's one
gallon per person per day. If you have a pet, you need to allocate an
appropriate amount of water for them. If you already have a pre-packaged
evacuation kit: good. Still, you will need items like toilet paper, change
of clothes and underwear, sturdy shoes, jacket or coat, hat, whistle,
photocopies of: insurance policies, driver's license numbers, contacts,
identification and credit card numbers. Take your cell phone charger(s) in
case you can plug in, or charge in your vehicle.
I collected a great deal of useful information at
the expo; some more of which I will share with you. When it came time to
pick up a booklet put out by FEMA, I figured if was as effective as their
handling of Hurricane Katrina, I would ignore it! There is an excellent
website to use for your check lists and create your own plan. Go to
www.ready.gov.
Bob Ewert, the
choreographer and force behind EPAP (the masterful and imitated Sun Lakes
evacuation plan) told me about an excellent piece of information. Riverside
County has an Early Warning Notification System (EWNS).
One could describe it as reverse-911 system. In
case of a small to medium sized emergency such as wildfires, floods,
hazardous materials, severe weather, and law enforcement incidents, public
safety first responders can simultaneously make 250,000 calls per hour to
notify those who might be affected. Whoever thought of this...?
Congratulations.
Speaking about pets or companion
animals Š miraculously, there is now SB 1578. In
effect since January 1, 2007, it is now illegal to tether or chain dogs to a
stationary object for more than three hours in a 24 hour period. The offense
is punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 or imprisonment.
This makes a great deal of sense, as a dog could
easily become tangled in the chain and become unable to reach food, water or
shelter. It also makes them a target for ill behaved animals, biting
insects, or people.
Tethered dogs can become highly aggressive, making
them dangerous to humans and other animals. Can you blame them? Subscriber
that I am to the “eye for an eye” philosophy, my punishment to the human
perpetrator of such a dastardly offense would be to chain them the same way
they chained their dogs. Did I mention it would be in the Coachella Valley
during the summer and in the sun?
Your pets need to be thought of in your
evacuation/emergency preparedness. If I have to evacuate, I will not leave
Sandy alone. Either we will tough it out together (proper food, water and
meds for both), or I will have pre-arranged to stay with a friend who will
take Sandy. I need to make a list of the motels in the area who accept pets
if I am not lucky enough to engage a friend.
Sandy is micro chipped, she wears a collar (ALL
THE TIME, CLARE) with her various identification numbers and my phone number
imprinted. I carry an extra collar and leash in my overcrowded trunk in case
of emergency or we are blessed with the opportunity to take a run on the
“Dog Beach” in Del Mar.
Fortunately, there are people around like Mickey
Valdivia who possess the entrepreneurial spirit and has a regional vision of
what is needed for recreational AND disaster planning. As I mentioned in
another column, Valdivia has in place at Noble Creek Park- an animal
evacuation center.
Be they dogs, cats, equines, bovines or Pat
Hughes' 50 pound pet turkey, Valdivia has planned ahead so that humans can
evacuate their animals and remain together during a crisis.
With all due respect to Valdivia, I hope his
evacuation center is never needed and he can use the Olympic-size horse rink
for competitive or recreational events. While I hate paying for all of the
insurance I carry; I pay on time or early. I will continue to pay and pray
that I don't have to use it. Please take a moment to prepare your evacuation
route (let friends and family know) and assemble an evacuation kit. If you
are well prepared, just maybe you will not have to use it.
Now if the City of Banning would just open Sun
Lakes Boulevard through to Sunset, nearly six thousand people would have a
safe evacuation route in case of a dire emergency.
Gail and her husband Bill Paparian created a
service called Writing Solutions in 1996. Gail has also written for a number
of local and national magazines and newspapers over the years.
Currently, she provides public relations
consulting services for the Banning Unified School District. She can be
reached at
info@WritingSolutions.com.
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