When disasters strike, people are rarely ready, said Kathy Bailey, emergency services coordinator of the Office of Emergency Services. "Nobody is as prepared as they should be," Bailey said.
She ought to know. Before taking her current job, she spent three years rushing to disaster scenes to help people as an employee of the state Department of Social Services' Disaster Response Services Bureau.
"The more prepared you are, the less likely you'll be thoroughly devastated," Bailey said. "There are a lot of things we all put off until too late. You can put together an earthquake [preparedness] kit gradually. Every time you go to the store, pick up a little something, so it doesn't come as a big, one-time investment."
City officials and utility companies agree that Saratogans need to prepare better for a severe disaster, one that causes the city more damage than it suffered in last month's storms.
Scott Blakey, a spokesman for Pacific Gas and Electric Co., said the company does its best to restore power after disasters such as last month's storm, but in the case of a major disaster, residents should be prepared to function without electricity for a few days.
Blakey said PG&E recommends buying flashlights and fresh batteries for emergencies and keeping a supply of food that doesn't need to be cooked.
"If you're not prepared for it, you're going to be uncomfortable and maybe in a lot of trouble," he said.
Saratogans can start with the checklist below.
Bailey said residents also need to take a look at their own circumstances. The list-writers don't think of everything, she explained.
"What they should do is look at their own lives and determine what they would need to have to be self sufficient for a few days," Bailey said. "Be sure you've always got any medications you need on hand."
Or, if you have a cordless telephone, be sure to keep a spare, plug-in model on hand. The cordless models will be useless if the power goes out, even if phone lines still work. You may need the phone to call for an ambulance or a fire truck.
How to get ready:
The following tips, offered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and California Office of Emergency Services, can help residents prepare before the next disaster and cope afterward.
Before disaster happens:
Assemble the supplies you'll need in an emergency now:
* Portable radio for information and instructions;
* Flashlight, with extra batteries and an extra flashlight bulb;
* First aid kit;
* Canned food and juice and a non-electric can opener, dried fruit, baby food, high-energy food (such as peanut butter or granola bars) and comfort foods (such as cookies and instant coffee);
* Paper plates and plastic silverware (dishwashing may be impossible);
* Enough bottled water to last several days (a gallon a day per person)
* Wrench to turn off your gas line;
* Cash or traveler's checks and change for pay telephones;
* Fire extinguisher;
* Toilet paper, soap, other toiletries;
* Rain gear, gloves;
* Blankets or sleeping bags;
* Medicines you take regularly.
Store the items in a place that will be accessible after a major disaster, such as your car trunk. The house could be destroyed or impossible to get to.
Decide where your family will reunite if you can't go home, and designate one out-of-state contact to check in with if you can't join the family for some reason.
To prepare for an earthquake:
* Move beds away from windows and out from under skylights. Remove heavy pictures from above beds.
* Keep flammables, such as paints and cleaning products, in cabinets or secured on lower shelves.
* Attach your water heater to the wall with steel plumber's tape.
* Secure bookcases, china cabinets and other top-heavy furniture to wall studs.
* Add latches to cabinet doors, so they'll stay closed.
* Find main valves or fuses for your water, gas and electricity and learn how to shut them off.
To prepare for a storm or a flood:
* Learn the safest route from your house and workplace to higher ground. You may have to evacuate in a hurry.
* Keep insurance policies and a list of personal belongings in a safe place, such as a safe-deposit box.
* Keep your car's gas tank at least half full in case you have to evacuate by car. Gas station pumps are electric and will not work if the power goes out. Take your emergency supplies with you.
* Avoid driving through flood waters--they may conceal washed-out parts of the road.
* If your car becomes stalled in the water, leave it behind and head for higher ground. Flood waters can rise rapidly and sweep away cars and their occupants.
* Don't try to swim or wade through flood waters. People sometimes are swept away and then drown attempting to wade or swim away from a house being submerged or attempting to walk through a flood-created stream that crosses a road. This can happen even if the water is only knee deep where you're crossing.
* Avoid unnecessary trips. If you must travel, dress warmly and tell someone where you're going.
* If you have time before flood waters rise, protect your property. Turn off electricity and gas. Board up windows or cover them with tape to prevent breakage and flying glass. Bring outdoor possessions such as garbage cans, lawn furniture and tools inside, or tie them down securely.
During an earthquake:
* Turn off gas stoves.
* Take cover beneath sturdy furniture or in a doorway. Don't go outside.
* Avoid windows and bookcases.
* If you're already outside, get away from buildings, trees and power lines.
* If you're in a car, pull over and stay inside.
After an earthquake:
* Check for fires.
* Clean up. Be careful of chemicals or medicines spilled.
* Be prepared for aftershocks.
After any disaster:
* Shut off utilities if necessary. You can shut off the gas to an individual appliance if you think it's leaking gas or damaged. Don't turn the gas back on or light pilot flames yourself--PG&E repairpersons must inspect the house for further leaks before turning the line back on. After a flood, turn off the electricity, if you haven't done so already. Don't turn on any lights or appliances until an electrician checks the system for short circuits.
* Tune into a local station for news and disaster information. The city of Saratoga transmits emergency information at 1610 AM.
* Before entering a building, check for structure damage.
* Don't light matches, candles or lanterns indoors. Natural gas could be trapped inside your house. A battery-powered flashlight is safer.
If you can't get water from the tap, drain your water heater and toilet tanks.
* Use the telephone only to report dangerous conditions or for a family emergency.
After a storm or flood:
* Any water used for drinking or cooking should be boiled vigorously for 10 minutes. This is necessary until the water district announces that tap water is safe to drink.
* Protect your house against any further weather damage by covering broken windows or holes in the roof.
* Take pictures of the damage to your home and belongings. Your insurance company may ask for them.
* Take wooden furniture outside and dry it. Keep it out of direct sunlight to prevent warping.
* Shovel any mud out of your house while it's still wet to allow walls to dry.
* Flooded basements should be drained and cleaned as soon as possible. But structural damage can result from draining them too quickly. Wait until floodwaters around the property have subsided, and then drain about a third of the water from the basement each day.
Saratoga plans for the worst
Saratoga's city, fire and law-enforcement officials have made various plans to handle damage resulting from a natural disaster:
Saratoga city officials are prepared to open up an emergency operations center at City Hall during or after a catastrophe to gather information and dispatch city crews, if needed.
City employees drop the day's business and handle emergency business, such as opening the doors of shelters and keeping open the lines of communication with police and fire officials and the county emergency agency.
Ham radio operators set up their battery-powered sets at City Hall and fire stations, so officials can use them if their communication network gives out.
The city has its own radio station (1610 AM) to transmit information about school closures and blocked roads around the city.
During the Dec. 10 deluge that knocked out phones and electricity, the emergency operations center sent public works crews to clear streets and storm drains of debris.
The sheriff's department and the fire districts are networked with other departments throughout the state. Authorities can send out a call for help to firefighters and police outside the area.
PG&E is part of a statewide network of utility companies that help one another after disasters. Following the December storm, 36 crews from Southern California utility companies helped PG&E repair broken power poles and cables, spokesman Scott Blakey said.
Should Saratogans become homeless after a natural disaster, the Red Cross is prepared to set up 75-bed shelters at the Saratoga Community Center and at Saratoga High School within hours of a catastrophe. The supplies are stored in metal cargo containers nearby. If those aren't enough, the Santa Clara Valley chapter of the Red Cross can provide a total of 750 cots and 1,200 blankets, as well as mobile kitchens.
This article appeared in the Saratoga News, Wednesday, January 24, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing Inc. All rights reserved.