Ready San Diego Blog

Resolve To Be Ready in 2010

Start New Year Off Right by Updating Family/Individual Disaster Plans

    “Resolve to be Ready” in 2010 for any emergency by having an emergency supply kit and a plan prepared in advance for your household. “Resolve to be Ready” is a Department of Homeland Security campaign to encourage communities to take action and prepare for emergencies in the New Year.

“Personal preparedness is the public’s best protection if a disaster occurs. In order to ensure resiliency in our community, we have to encourage every resident to take steps in their own households to minimize negative impacts,” said Ron Lane, Director of the County Office of Emergency Services.

    Residents can take three simple steps to be better prepared in the New Year: 1) Make an emergency supply kit; 2) Make a family disaster plan; and 3) Become informed about the hazards that could affect your community and learn the appropriate responses.

    By storing an emergency supply kit at home, your vehicles and in your workplace, you will be starting the year off prepared. Emergency supply kits should include basic necessities such as water, non-perishable food, first-aid supplies and flashlights. Vehicle kits should also include blankets, road flares and tools that could assist you if you became stranded.     

    For a complete list of emergency supplies and to download a free Family Disaster Plan and Survival Guide, please visit www.ReadySanDiego.org,  www.ready.gov, or the Spanish language Web site www.listo.gov.

ReadySanDiego Spotlights Business Alliance Connection

The ReadySanDiego team would like to share its first edition of the Business Alliance Connection newsletter in this link. The purpose of the newsletter is connect San Diego businesses to help our communities prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies.

The quarterly newsletter will help keep current and future Business Alliance members up to date on the latest news such as the formation of our Business Alliance Advisory Council, events and resources from ReadySanDiego and the County of San Diego Office of Emergency Services.  

To learn more about the Business Alliance or become a member, contact the Ready San Diego team at readysd.business@sdcounty.ca.gov or (858) 565-3490.

San Diegans Respond to ShakeOut Drill Participation Challenge

Nearly 580,000 San Diego County residents took part in the Great California ShakeOut drill activities taking place around the region. Statewide, nearly 7 million people including individuals, families, schools, universities, businesses, museums, local governments and faith-based and community organizations, registered to join the earthquake drill at 10:15 a.m.

“We are extremely pleased that more people are getting involved and practicing the correct actions to take during an earthquake. Our ultimate goal is for people’s response to become automatic so that injuries and deaths can be minimized in a real earthquake,” said Ron Lane, director of the San Diego County Office of Emergency Services.

Hundreds of museums patrons and employees participated in a drop, cover and hold on drill – ducking under tables or moving to an interior wall and protecting their heads until the audio broadcast was over in Balboa Park. Five minutes later, all the facilities in the park were evacuated as they would be in a real emergency. After all museum staff reported that the facilities had been cleared, all were allowed to return. ShakeOut earthquake preparedness fliers and information was made available to patrons at the San Diego Natural History Museum.

Last year, 5.4 million people including 470,000 San Diego County residents, participated in the Great Southern California ShakeOut.  The drill is now statewide, giving all Californians the opportunity to learn about preparedness and safety during an earthquake, whether you are at home, work or school. Next year’s drill will take place at 10:21 a.m. on 10/21.

Individuals, families, schools, businesses, government agencies and organizations are encouraged to share drill experiences and photographs at www.shakeout.org.  For disaster preparedness information, please visit www.ReadySanDiego.org.

Statewide ShakeOut Drill to Shake Up County

 
All Residents are Urged to Participate in Massive Drill at 10:15 on 10/15

Residents still have time to join the nearly seven million Californians, including more than 480,000 people in San Diego County, who have already signed up for the Great California ShakeOut earthquake drill, which will take place at 10:15 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 15.

 

“We want people to practice how to drop, cover and hold on during the drill by quickly getting under a heavy table or desk to avoid falling objects. It is important for people to participate in the drill because, in an emergency, people react according to what they have practiced,” said Ron Lane, director of the San Diego County Office of Emergency Services. “The Great California ShakeOut also gets people thinking about what they can do now to prepare for a disaster.” 

 

Last year, 5.4 million people participated in the Great Southern California ShakeOut.  The drill is now statewide, giving all Californians the opportunity to learn about preparedness and safety during an earthquake, whether you are at home, work or school.

 

Individuals, families, schools, businesses, government agencies and organizations can register for the Great California ShakeOut at www.shakeout.org.  The ShakeOut Web site also has “ShakeOut Drill Broadcast” recordings to play during the drill; manuals for schools, businesses, non-profits and other organizations; checklists; and educational materials.

 

You can also get information about disaster preparedness from the County of San Diego Office of Emergency Services by visiting www.ReadySanDiego.org.

Local Radio Podcast - Nearly 7 Million Registered to ShakeOut

Are you ready for a 7.8 earthquake? To get ready, register on www.ShakeOut.org to take part in the largest earthquake drill in the state of California at 10:15 a.m. on Thursday, October 15.

To learn more about the Great California ShakeOut drill in San Diego County and the risk to residents, listen to the first hour of KPBS's "These Days" audio podcast. Ron Lane, geologist Pat Abbott, and Dave Dalton, ShakeOut Chair and San Diego Natural History security director, were guests on the program.

Visit the County of San Diego Office of Emergency Services at www.ReadySanDiego.org to learn more about emergency preparedness.

Newspaper Articles Focus on Regional Preparedness Improvements

The North County Times published two articles on regional preparedness over the weekend.

The first: "Region: Officials say region much better prepared to stop wildfires" focused on how the region has more resources in place to help fight a fire.

"We have more firemen, more equipment and better training," said Ralph Steinhoff, fire services coordinator for San Diego County, which provided money to rural fire districts to buy 30 new fire engines. "We have better coordination, and we've adddressed almost everything that was identified as presenting an opportunity for improvement."

A second article, "Region: County is better prepared for evacuations, officials say" looks to improvements in the regional emergency evacuation procedures.

As the region rides out another wildfire season, officials say San Diego County is better prepared to evacuate people from harm's way than it was during the devastating fire storms in 2003 and 2007 ---- a good thing because a survey shows that one out of five backcountry residents ignored evacuation orders in 2007. 

Since those two wildfires, the county developed a regional evacuation plan outlining evacuation routes and potential shelters, improved coordination among law enforcement and transportation agencies, and installed systems that call residents at home and on their cell phones to warn of an emergency.

"Certainly, since 2003, we've done tremendous improvements," said Ron Lane, director of the county's Office of Emergency Services, which coordinates evacuations during emergencies when multiple jurisdictions are involved.

To read the entire articles, click on the article names to be directed to the North County Times web site.

It's Almost Drill Time ... Six Days to the 2009 ShakeOut

As of today, more than 6.4 million Californians are registered to participate in the Great California ShakeOut drill at 10:15 a.m. on October 15 (10/15). In San Diego County, we have more than 481,000 participants this year surpassing 2008's 470,000 participants. The County of San Diego is registered, is your city, business, faith-based or community organization, medical facility, university/college, or family member registered and ready to do the Drop, Cover, and Hold On drill? Register now!

Why should San Diegans be concerned? It may surprise you to know that a major fault, called Rose Canyon, cuts right through the heart of downtown San Diego, through the center of San Diego Bay, and north through La Jolla and northward along the coast. Read more about San Diego County earthquake hazards here.

For more information on preparing for an earthquake, visit www.ReadySanDiego.org.

Shared Responsibility For Readiness and Resilience

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano marked the conclusion of National Preparedness Month by delivering a speech Tuesday emphasizing America’s shared responsibility for preparedness and stressing the important role that individuals play in building a national culture of readiness and resilience.

“When families are prepared—when communities stand together and stand tall—so does our nation,” said Secretary Napolitano. “United, we send a powerful message to those that seek to do us harm: we cannot be broken, we are America—strong and resilient.”

Secretary Napolitano delivered the speech at the American Red Cross Hall of Service in front of more than 300 volunteers and employees representing the Red Cross, DHS Citizen Corps, and local and regional emergency management agencies from around the National Capital Region—as well as employees of DHS and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

“America’s history is not written by the tragedies that have befallen us, but by how we responded to them,” said Secretary Napolitano. “Since our earliest days, every time we have been challenged or have seen tragedy, Americans have shown a sense of purpose and resilience.”

During her remarks, Secretary Napolitano recognized Citizen Corps and Red Cross volunteers who donate their time and energies to train others in critical readiness and emergency response skills while contributing to a culture of preparedness.

“We should measure our nation’s security not just by the borders we strengthen and the laws we enforce, but also by the strength and resilience of the communities we build,” said Secretary Napolitano.

Secretary Napolitano’s remarks on preparedness today build on previous speeches outlining her approach to counterterrorism, delivered in New York City in July, and border security, delivered in Texas in August—and reflect her commitment to ensuring readiness and resilience among all citizens.

To view the entire speech on YouTube, click here. For more information on personal preparedness, visit http://www.ready.gov/ or http://www.readysandiego.org.

Two Weeks to the 2009 ShakeOut!

 

The Samoan earthquake and tsunami on 9/29 and the Indonesian earthquake on 9/30 remind us that earthquakes happen without warning, and can cause widespread destruction. Our goal in California is to develop a culture of earthquake and tsunami readiness, so that losses will be minimized and we can recover quickly. What each of us does in our homes, schools, and offices, and what we do together as communities and as a state, will determine whether California's next major earthquake will be a natural disaster (from which we can recover quickly), or a major catastrophe that will affect our way of life for many years.

 The Great California ShakeOut is about more than just practicing "drop, cover, hold on." It's about getting us all to talk about earthquakes, think about preparedness, and to act now. Have you told your neighbors, family, colleagues, or others that you are part of the ShakeOut, and asked them to join you by registering? This, more than anything ShakeOut organizers can do, will lead to people participating, getting prepared, and one day possibly surviving a major earthquake. 

Great news! As of today more than 5.6 million Californians are registered to participate in the ShakeOut drill at 10:15 a.m. on October 15. Use the interactive map on the ShakeOut home page to see how many are in your area- and review lists of who is participating. The 2009 ShakeOut is now officially larger than the 2008 ShakeOut, and there are still 15 days left! Please forward this message to colleagues, friends, family, and others to make sure they are aware of the ShakeOut and know about these resources. With two weeks still to go, many more can still register! 

REMINDER... Free ShakeOut Web Conferences this week! Ready for your ShakeOut drill? Learn how your business, organization, or government agency can plan an effective earthquake drill by participating in one of these FREE web conferences:

Government Agencies – October 1, 9 a.m.

Businesses & Organizations – October 2, 9 a.m.

EMERGENCY CONTACT DRILL PLANNED

Residents Encouraged To Establish Emergency Contact And Meeting Place

What would you do if a disaster occurred while you were separated from your family and you couldn't reach them to assess their safety? If you had an out-of-state contact, your family could text that person to provide an update on their safety status and location, and your contact could notify other family members as they checked in and assist in your reunification.

"We recommend that all residents talk with their families and establish an out-of-state emergency contact and meeting place in the event of an emergency," said Ron Lane, director of the San Diego County Office of Emergency Services. "Then we encourage them to take a few minutes out of their day on Friday to put that plan into practice."

In San Diego County, County employees, 68 schools and up to 1,700 businesses will be participating in a nationwide "9/11 Drill Down for Safety" in partnership with the Safe America Foundation. In San Diego, employees and students are encouraged to text a simple message to their emergency contact that says "I am safe. Heading to meeting place." The drill will take place between 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Friday, September 11, 2009.

The test will also serve as a test of our region's phone texting capabilities as Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, Cricket and T-Mobile are participating and plan to track the number of text messages sent during this short time period.

The drill has three goals; To influence people to select an out-of-state emergency contact for their family; To confirm that all family members are trained to text a message to that contact; and to ensure that the phone system can handle a surge in text messages or phonecalls during a specific time frame.

To pledge to drill, go to www.safeamerica.org. To obtain additional information on preparing for an emergency, go to www.readysandiego.org and download a copy of our family disaster plan under the Family tab.