With Hurricane Katrina highlighting the chaos that can ensue when disaster strikes, the Santa Clara County Emergency Managers Association advises residents of Santa Clara County to make preparations for emergencies. If a catastrophe, such as a large-scale earthquake or a biological attack, were to strike this part of the country, the typical response time for outside assistance to reach the impacted area is three to four days, if reasonable access to the area exists.

The Emergency Managers Association advises all households to maintain an emergency stock of supplies that will last a minimum of 72 hours, with the most important being water. Households should stock a supply of one gallon of water per person per day. Families should establish their own emergency procedures to include an assembly point where they can meet. Because local phone lines are likely to be jammed, families should designate an out of area phone contact for coordination and information, with phone use limited mainly to emergency calls.

Assistant city manager Lorie Tinfow urges Saratogans to familiarize themselves with the emergency preparedness information available on the city's website. Tinfow said Saratoga has a structured plan to follow in the event of an emergency. Procedures are in place to deal with earthquakes, fires, floods and terrorist acts. This being California, most attention is paid to dealing with the effects of an earthquake.

"California tends to be on the leading edge on this kind of stuff," Tinfow said. "Unfortunately, we have a lot experience with disasters."

The city trains every year for emergencies, Tinfow explained. "All employees are designated emergency disaster service workers," she said. In the event of a disaster, city workers report to a designated emergency response center. They then begin to collect information, track fires, maintain contact with the sheriff's office and the fire department, and coordinate with various government agencies. Volunteers would be directed to a staging ground.

City Manager Dave Anderson would take over as the emergency director. "Dave has some really great credentials and some direct experience in responding to emergencies," Tinfow said.

Tinfow said an evacuation like the one ordered for New Orleans is not something that mayors do lightly. "Announcing an evacuation would be a really big deal," she said.

Tinfow said that a good way to be prepared for emergencies is by signing up for a Community Emergency Response Training class. CERT training is meant to give people the decision-making and physical skills to offer immediate assistance to family members, neighbors and associates. The goal of the CERT program is to help people respond to emergencies effectively and efficiently without placing themselves in unnecessary danger.

According to the Santa Clara Emergency Managers Association, preparation by county residents for a large-scale disaster is critical.

Tinfow agrees. "Our emergency responders would be stretched thin," she said. "You need to be self-sufficient for the first 72 to 96 hours."

Emergency preparedness information for the city of Saratoga is available at www.saratoga.ca.us/pdf/emergencypreparedness.pdf. For more information on CERT training, call 408.777.3335.