Hello Friends, Many of us where jolted awake at 3:20 am on Saturday night/Sunday morning by the 6.0 Napa Earthquake, in an effort to keep you safe, I’d like to hearken back to days gone past and provide some helpful information regarding Earthquake Preparedness. Lo’ these many years ago, your stylist was the Communications Director for the Association of Contingency Planners (ACP) in Los Angeles. Being picked up 4 feet in the air and chucked across the room by an earthquake called “The Sierra Madre Earthquake” while living IN Sierra Madre has the effect of instilling a life-long dedication to Earthquake Preparedness…Yes people, I’m old, I’ve lived a thousand lives… Let’s start off by dispelling the fallacy that smaller earthquakes relieve pressure and help prevent larger ones – this is not true – let’s say that again, not true. Although believing that might make us all feel better, it also makes people feel ok about putting off getting prepared for the eventuality of a major earthquake. To help you separate fact from fantasy when it comes to earthquakes, check out this link: earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/topics/megaqk_facts_fantasy.php Here is a fact for you; the Hayward Fault in the East Bay is capable of generating a 7.0+ earthquake. The average time between the last five major events on the Hayward Fault is averaged at 140 years. The last major break on this fault was in 1868, so we are 6 years past the average for break on this fault. Many feel this is the one we need to prepare for folks. Your distance from the epicenter of an Earthquake is one factor that determines how violently you will feel the motion of the quake. The Napa Quake epicenter was 30+ miles from San Francisco. The Loma Prieta Quake epicenter was 55+ miles from San Francisco. A large section of the Hayward fault is about 20 miles from San Francisco. For more information on this fault zone, paying particular attention to the “Probability of Future Activity” section, check out this link: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayward_Fault_Zone Parents, it’s critical to have a plan for you and your children. If your kids are old enough, it should be a plan you go over and practice consistently. Put it on your calendar and do an earthquake drill with your kids once a month. The more confident they feel executing the plan, the less likely it will be that they will panic when an earthquake happens. Here are the very basic things you’ll need to do: - There should be nothing hanging on the walls over your beds; no frames, no shelves, etc. Nothing that can fall and cause injury. - Bookshelves or other tall or heavy furniture should be bolted to the wall so it cannot fall over and land a person, especially if it can fall on a bed. - You and your child should have slip on shoes (NOT flip flops), long pants, a flashlight (batteries!), and gardening or leather gloves under the bed. If you or your child has to crawl out of a room, you will first want to cover your hands, feet, and legs to prevent being cut on broken glass. - Determine the best place to shelter during an Earthquake, keep in mind that often is “right where you are”, utilize the links provided here to evaluate your home and determine your plan. - Do earthquake (and fire) drills consistently. Practice “duck, cover, and hold” with your family during the drill. - Check in with your school and make sure you are fully informed of what their plan is for your child in the event of an Earthquake. Know the school’s procedures and policies in the event of an emergency and what you can do to help the school in their efforts to keep your child safe. - Designate ONE out of state family member to check in with you in the event of a major Earthquake. Make sure the rest of your family and friends knows who your designee is, and ask them to call the DESIGNEE, not YOU with inquiries. This helps keep phone and cell lines available to emergency service personnel, rather than being inundated with 20 calls to each person that lives in the affected area… - Build your earthquake kit; utilize the links provided here to put it together. Store it someplace easy to access. For AMAZING information on building your earthquake kits, preparing your home, and how to manage this issue with your children, check out this link: ready.gov/build-a-kit For those of you who are technologically inclined and dig the Ap, thing check out UC Berkeley’s Quake Ap, which can keep you informed regarding area Earthquakes, shake levels in specific areas (helpful for parents during school hours), and other alerts, check out this link: seismo.berkeley.edu/myquake/ If you want to see what fault lines surround you, this link provides an excellent map of the various faults in the Bay Area: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maacama_Fault#mediaviewer/File:Flat_eq_map_anotated.png To further educate yourself and get involved in community preparedness, check out the he San Francisco Fire Department, Neighborhood Emergency Response Team Training Program (NERT). NERT provides training in disaster and emergency response. Since 1990 the NERT program has trained more than 24,700 San Francisco residents to be self reliant in a major disaster. The underlying premise is that a major disaster will overwhelm first responders leaving many citizens on their own for the first 72 hours or longer after the emergency. The NERT Program seeks to teach as many San Francisco residents as possible that with basic training, they can make a difference in the lives of their families and others when they are affected by a disaster. Your stylist is a NERT, but my certification is out of date, so if anyone wants to join me in doing the training, let me know! Here is the link for NERT: sf-fire.org/index.aspx?page=859 I sincerely hope this is helpful. You’re all wonderful people and we need to keep you safe! Much Love & Happy Hair Days Kate at The Strand Salon
Posted on: Tue, 26 Aug 2014 04:07:08 +0000
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