Safety And Survival In An Earthquake, Part 2

A recent survey of census statistics revealed that an estimated 31.5 million non- institutionalized Americans are functionally limited in some way by a chronic medical condition. 7.9 million are considered severely disabled, that is, unable to carry on some major life activity. As can be expected, disability generally increases with age. Of those aged 65 or older, 46% have a generally increases with age. Of those aged 65 or older, 46% have a chronic activity-limiting disability. These startling facts point dramatically to the need for providing special guidelines for disabled and elderly persons.

Many people with disabilities live alone or with family or friends, are employed, go to school, and participate in all activities. Their lives are the same, or very similar to, that of the able-bodied population. However, persons with any type of impairment will need to take some extra precautions for their own safety and survival in the event of a disaster. From the following broad suggestions you may wish to choose those that apply to you and add others tailored to your individual needs. These special tips are designed to be used in addition to the guidelines listed elsewhere in this book.

Before a Disaster Strikes

• Assess your own special need, limitations, and capabilities realistically, and write them down. Make several self-assessment lists; keep one on your person or readily available. This will be helpful to anyone assisting you. Be sure to include your requirements for medications and/or special equipment.
• Ask someone to be your 'buddy' to help you in case of an emergency. This may be someone who lives with you, a neighbor, a friend, or co-worker. Give this person a copy of your self-assessment list and other pertinent information. Update the information when conditions change! You may wish to give your buddy an extra key to your home or tell him where you keep one available.
• Identify exits, hallways, doorways, and possible alternate escape routes. Note these on your self-assessment list and sample floor plan. You want to avoid narrow exits, patios, atriums, or other enclosed areas where you may become trapped and escape notice by rescue personnel. Carefully note (and correct if possible) any obstructions that might impede your safe exit from areas in which you spend your time (home, school, work, recreation, etc.).
• Carry a small flashlight and whistle with you to help signal your whereabouts.
• Keep your special medications, with duplicate prescriptions, close by and in a safe place where they can be easily reached. These should be ready to be taken with you in case of evacuation. If required, keep extra bladder bags, catheters, and sanitary aids near your medication. A cloth string bag, into which you can scoop these items quickly, is helpful.
• Keep near you at all times any auxiliary devices you need to aid in your mobility-for example, a walker, crutches, cane, etc. If practical, keep extra mobile aids in different locations (work, school, etc.)
• Have an auxiliary powered generator at home, as a backup, if you are dependent on electricity for breathing machines, suction machines, etc.
• Have extra batteries if you use an electric wheelchair.
• Have extra hearing aid batteries available.
• Have a notebook and pencils available in several locations if you have difficulty in communicating. Written messages will be invaluable to anyone assisting you.
• Do not forget pet food, harness and equipment if you have a seeing-eye or hearing dog.

During and After an Earthquake

• If you are able, get under a table or into a doorway. If you are in a wheelchair, lock the wheels of the chair once you are in a safe and protected position.
• If unable to move safely and quickly, stay where you are (even in bed) and cover your head and body with your arms, pillows, blankets, books, etc., to protect yourself from falling objects.
• Call for help if you need it! Use your whistle of flashlight to signal others. Bring attention to yourself in any way possible. Don't give up!
• If you are hearing-impaired and electricity is functioning after the quake, turn on the TV; there will be captioned instructions to watch.
• Do whatever you can to help yourself until outside assistance arrives. Try to prepare yourself for possible evacuation by gathering your special things together. A small lightweight drawstring bag is handy and easy to carry.
• Remember, if you have done your planning in advance, your buddy or someone will be coming to help you.

Use this guide to develop your family's Disaster Plan and to familiarize all family members with actions to take before, during, and after a disaster, particularly an earthquake. You may wish to add supplemental information specific to your family's needs.

A good way to start is to call a family conference; discuss freely and openly the real possibility of a major earthquake and involve the whole family in the planning process;

• Walk through your home together.
• Search for hazards and correct them.
• Learn and discuss how to protect yourself during an earthquake.
• Observe and become familiar with the location of utility shutoff valves.
• Instruct family members how to shut off valves properly.
• Delegate responsibility for specific tasks to family members.
• Plan for special needs of family members (infants, chronically ill, elderly).
• Instruct family members (especially children) how to call emergency phone numbers.
• Plan for family members to take Red Cross training in first aid and CPR.
• Plan how to evacuate safely after a quake if necessary.
• Draw a floor plan of your home indicating escape routes, the location of emergency supplies, and location of utility shutoffs.
• Hold earthquake drills; be sure family members are familiar with the plan.
• Practice evacuation of the home.
• Determine 3 or 4 nearby reunion locations, e.g., neighbors, Red Cross shelter, relatives.
• Identify an out-of-town friend or relative to be your contact person if family members are separated during a disaster.
• Share and discuss your plan with neighbors, friends, relatives, and coworkers.

Total family preparedness must also include preparedness in the workplaces and in the schools that the family children attend. This is essential to provide the maximum possible peace of mind in knowing that other family members are prepared and/or cared for in the immediate confusion following an earthquake.

For the purposes of the earthquake course, and in your planning 'the family' is not limited to the traditional mother, father, and children. It could be a 'family' of roommates, friends, neighbors, or even the residents of an apartment building. If you are a single person, you should create a family of friends or neighbors for disaster planning and assistance.

HAVE ON HAND:

• Flashlight with spare batteries. Keep a flashlight beside your bed.
• Portable radio with spare batteries. Most telephones will be out of order or used for emergency purposes so radios will be your best source of information.
• First aid kit: Have a first aid kit and book such as the Standard First Aid and Personal Safety by the American National Red Cross. Have members of your household take basic first aid and CPR courses.
• Food: Have sufficient canned or dehydrated food and powdered milk for at least two weeks of meals.
• Water: It should be stored in airtight containers and replaced about every 12 months. A family of 4 should have about 6 gallons for 3 days. Also have purification tablets, but read the label on the bottle before using them.
• Pipe wrenches and crescent wrenches for turning off gas and water mains.

HOW TO USE THE FLOOR PLANS

• Draw your house or apartment floor plan. Don't worry about how it looks- the artwork is not important! Now mark the exits, emergency equipment, and utility turn-off locations on your floor plan.
• The importance of this exercise is to have you actually learn these locations and mark them down. It is also very helpful when discussing how to escape from your home safely during a fire or other emergency.
• Also, note the reunion place where all family members will meet following the evacuation.
• Post your completed emergency floor plan in an accessible location such as inside a cupboard or closet door, back porch, or garage. Inform family members, baby sitters, and neighbors where it can be found in case of an emergency.

HOME PREPAREDNESS

• Place large and heavy objects on lower shelves. Securely fasten shelves to walls.
• Remove glass bottles from medicine cabinets and from above or around the bathtub and sink.
• Remove all flammable liquids such as painting and cleaning products to the garage or outside cupboard. Store in proper containers.
• Make sure your home or place of work has ample exits that will not be blocked with fallen debris.
• Fasten all top-heavy furniture such as refrigerators, tall bookcases, and glass cabinets, to the walls by means of hooks, angle brackets or braided wire.
• Install fasteners or latches on cupboard doors. Strong child-proof latches will work well.
• Apply the same precautionary measures to your places of work. Secure, or bring to the attention of the appropriate person(s), apparatus that could move or fall, dangerous chemicals, and unreachable emergency shutoff switches.
• Hold a home earthquake drill. Provide your family with knowledge to prevent injury and panic during earthquakes. Practice what you have learned by holding an earthquake drill.
• Bolt down water heaters and other gas appliances, or strap them securely to the nearest walls. Fires start from broken gas lines and appliance connections. Use flexible connectors whenever possible.
• Relocate beds, if possible, so they are not directly under large windows.
• To secure a water heater, place two strips of metal straps or plumber's tape around the water heater (1 strap approximately 1/3 down from top of water heater and the other 1/3 up from the bottom of tank). Secure straps by bolting to the studs with 1/4'-diameter lag screws or bolts with washers.

The following suggestions have been gathered from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, to assist you in protecting from earthquake damage the decorative items, artwork, and collectibles in your home and office.

Earthquakes cause things to fall from shelves and 'jump' off walls. They also cause cabinets, bookcases, and tall, narrow tables or pedestals to topple. Therefore the first step in protection is to secure the cabinet, case or stand itself. You may be hesitant to drill holes in your cabinets in order to protect them. Only you can decide whether you are willing to risk losing the entire piece of furniture and its contents rather than bolting it to the wall.

The second step is to be sure that all cabinets with doors have secure latches. Those advertised as 'child-proof' or 'positive' latches are good.

The third step is to secure the items themselves, as well as possible, without packing them all away. In determining how to secure them, take into consideration the composition of the item itself and of the shelf, stand, or wall on which it is displayed. Guidelines for material compatibility are given below. Also consider whether you intend to leave things in place for a long time or to move them frequently.

Many strong aftershocks will follow an earthquake. You may wish, after the quake, to pack away special items until the aftershock period has passed, to avoid exposing them to continued risk.

Methods of Anchoring Items:

Caution Regarding Florist's Clay: While florists' clay has sometimes been recommended for use under objects, the Museum of Art advises that many florists' clays contains sulfur, which can damage both your decorative items and your shelves.

This section is designed as a very basic overview of the safety of your home. For more information, consult a structural engineer, architect, your local building department, or any one of the excellent books on the subject.

• Consider replacing large plate glass windows with safety glass.
• Install positive latches on all cabinets.
• Study the possibility of purchasing earthquake insurance. It may be a sound investment for you.
• If you rent your home, discuss these recommendations with your landlord.

Following a major earthquake, your local fire department may be overwhelmed with calls for assistance. They may be unable to respond to small residential fires (frequently caused by arcing wires, downed electrical lines, damaged wiring in appliances, etc.) Having a suitable home fire extinguisher in good condition, and knowing how to use it, may save your home-even your life!

Remember, in 1906 the city of San Francisco was almost destroyed by fire, not by the earthquake.

When used correctly, fire extinguishers can:

• Keep small fires from becoming big ones
• Provide an escape route through a small fire
• Help fight a small fire until the fire department arrives (if they are able to respond)

There are three major classes of fire:

• Ordinary combustibles (paper, cloth, wood, rubber, many plastics).
• Flammable liquids (oils, gasoline, kitchen greases, paints, solvents)
• Electrical equipment (fires in wiring, fuse boxes, motors, power tools, appliances)

You may find the traditional A-B-C labels, or both the labels and the newer symbols on an extinguisher.

To be safe and effective, you must use the right kind of extinguisher for each type of fire. If you plan to buy only one extinguisher, a multi-purpose dry chemical type labeled A-B-C puts out most types of fires. Place your extinguisher in an accessible location. Your local fire department will be pleased to recommend the proper sizes, numbers of extinguishers, and mounting locations for your home.

Learn Now, Before There's A Fire:

• Read the label
• Instruct all family members
• Periodically review instructions and operations.

Learn how to P-A-S-S:

• Pull the pin or ring. Some units require releasing a lock latch, pressing a puncture lever, or other motion.
• Aim the extinguisher nozzle at the base of the fire.
• Squeeze or press the handle.
• Sweep from side to side slowly at the base of the fire until it goes out.

If the fire gets big, get out! Close the door to slow the spread of the fire.

In addition to fire extinguishers, properly installed smoke detectors save lives! A smoke detector could warn you if a fire breaks out after an earthquake, in an uninhabited area of the home, or when you are sleeping.

The National Fire Protection Association states that 'smoke detectors shall be installed outside of each separate sleeping area in the immediate vicinity of the bedrooms, and on each additional story of the family living unit, including basements, and excluding crawl spaces and unfinished attics.'

For maximum protection, smoke detectors should be installed on the wall or ceiling in each sleeping room and in each hallway, corridor, or adjacent area to any such sleeping room. Where sleeping rooms are on an upper level, a detector should also be placed in the center of the ceiling directly above the stairway. Avoid installation in bathrooms and in areas exposed to heating and air-conditioning vents.

Smoke detectors require minor periodic maintenance, such as dusting and replacing batteries (if yours is battery powered). All smoke detectors, whether battery-operated or powered by house current, must be tested at least once a month.

If you install a smoke detector on a wall, the top of the detector should be no closer than four inches and no farther than 12 inches to the ceiling.

If you have additional questions about fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, or fire safety, check with your local Fire Department.

Use this list for your important family records. You may wish to add to this list-just staple another sheet to this form. Place these records in a safe location (such as a metal box or a safety deposit box).

List Key Work or School Addresses and Phone Numbers of All Family Members Here:

Father's Work: (Name of Business)____________________________________________

Address:_