New Public Health Emergency Website

HHS Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) Launches New Public Health Emergency Portal <http://www.phe.gov/emergency/>

This new site acts as a cross-governmental portal for residents in the U.S. and worldwide to obtain information from all U.S. federal agencies and their state and local partners involved in a public health emergency, medical disaster or public health aspects of a natural or man-made disaster. 

Using this portal, visitors can find the current status and actions taken by the federal government in preparing for and responding to public health emergencies and medical disasters.

Links to report potential public health threats, and information about medical response, emergency support functions and medical services are also available along with public health actions taken by the federal government during domestic and international emergencies.

In addition, visitors can learn about U.S. efforts to provide basic and advanced research and development of medical countermeasures and how these countermeasures will be used in response to public health emergencies.

Source:  THE NEW JERSEY CENTER FOR PUBLIC HEALTH PREPAREDNESS AT UMDNJ- SCHOOL OF
PUBLIC HEALTH. Thu, October 28, 2010 NJCPHP News PHlash: Preparedness News & Events, Issue 140

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Whose Fault Is It?

More people live and work on or near the Hayward Fault in the San Francisco Bay Area than any other fault in the United States. As of 2008, 2.4 million people lived close by. More than 1.5 million people “work at sites that would experience strong or very strong levels of shaking” from the next powerful quake on the Hayward Fault.

This is earthquake country. California has a 99% chance of having at least one magnitude 6.7 or greater quake anytime in the next 30 years. For the S.F. Bay Area, the risk is 63%. And of all the faults in the S. F. Bay Area, the risk is highest for the Hayward/Rodgers Creek Faults.

Homes, mass transit corridors, major freeways and roadways intersect the Hayward at many locations. It is crossed by many critical water and gas pipelines, and electrical transmission lines. It begins near San Jose and winds its way northward through Santa Clara,  Alameda and part of Contra Costa County to San Pablo Bay.

The Hayward Fault has not ruptured since 1868, 142 years ago, in case you’re counting, and if you live in the Bay Area, you should be. The average period between the last 5 major quakes on the Hayward Fault  is 138 years. 

Pressures in the Hayward Fault have been building unabated, since 1868. Similar pressures in the San Andreas Fault were at least partially relieved by the 1906 San Francisco quake, and to a small extent by the 1989 Loma Prieta. There has been no relief for the Hayward.

The 1868 quake was felt as far away as Nevada. There was major damage in Hayward, San Leandro and Fremont, and lesser but significant damage in San Jose, Oakland, Santa Rosa, and San Francisco. Even Napa, yes, that Napa suffered substantial damage from the 1868 quake. 

So, residents of Santa Clara, Contra Costa, Alameda, Napa, Marin, Sonoma and other counties, the Hayward is your Fault too.  Your counties suffered damage in the 1868 quake,  you rely on services that traverse the Hayward Fault, or you live, work or commute on or near the Hayward Fault. 

Residents of any area could find themselves in double- or triple-trouble. Some regions, like Marin and Sonoma counties have several large fault systems, in these cases the San Andreas and the Rodgers Creek Faults. Many have unknown faults, like the one that ruptured in Napa County, CA in 2000. In many cases, seismic waves from one fault rupture transfers to another, extending damage over a wider area than expected.  

Oh yes, the United States Geological Survey (USGA) wants everyone to know that the 6.7 magnitude 1994 Northridge California earthquake occured on an unknown fault. The Northridge caused extreme damage to roadways, overpasses, buildings and other structures. 33 people were killed. 141 were injured.

Of the 141 injured, 138 required hospitalization – those were nasty injuries. 12,000 homes, schools, hospitals and other buildings were structurally damaged. The USGS says the world has many unknown faults. We cannot use our knowledge of existing faults to predict future earthquakes. Future quakes are as likely to occur on unknown as they are on known faults.

Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Washington D.C., Alaska, Washington, and many other parts of the U.S. and the World, you have your faults too. The Earth is full of them. Take heed. Mother Nature gives no warning. You’ll be on your own when she strikes.

Ready? If not, here are some tips. More will be coming in future posts:

1. Your family may not be together when an earthquake strikes. They may not be able to get home

Complete a communication plan for emergencies and disasters and keep copies at home, work  and in your car. Have wallet size versions with the most essential information for each family member. The plan should include emergency contacts, both local and out of state. When family members call the contact they should advise their exact location, whether injured or in need of help or not , and where they are going.

Teach each family member to text. Text messages get tranmitted more readily than voice transmissions.

Telephones with transformers require electricity to work. This includes cordless phones and many business or advanced feature phones. Have at least one old-fashioned, no bells or whistles, plug in telephone at home, work, and hopefully, schools.

2. Essential services (water, electricity, trash service, sewage treatment plants, transportation and some roadways) may be inoperable for days to weeks. If transportation is disrupted, store shelves cannot be stocked. If electricity is out, ATMs, gas pumps, cash registers, and water pumps won’t work.

This will be more than an inconvenience for those who rely on oxygen concentrators, insulin and other drugs that require refrigeration, or those who don’t store extra water, baby formula or other essentials.

Store cash, water, food, medicines, baby formula, a solar or battery powered radio and extra batteries, first-aid and medical supplies and alternative light and heat sources in sufficient quantities to supply essentials to household members. Supplies must include at least 1 gallon of water per day for each person and pet – a 3 day supply is minimal, a two week supply may not be enough. If possible, store extra supplies to help out neighbors, friends and family who will be caught unprepared.

3. Expert help (police, fire, medical, nursing, pharmacies, utilities, ambulance) could be delayed, inaccesible, or unavailable for hours, days or weeks.

Stock  first aid supplies and a manual (available at the Red Cross, Amazon and bookstores) in your home. Take a CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) course, available in most communities, and a First Aid class. Reach out to people in your neighborhood with special needs; the frail elderly, those with sight or hearing loss, in wheelchairs, with language barriers, or other needs who will require extra help in an emergency or disaster. 

Before a disaster strikes, know how your community will respond. Where will emergency treatment locations be set up?  Is there a local emergency warning system? Are there experts in your neighborhood that would be willing to help? What is your EAS (Emergency Alert Station) for your area? For the San Francisco Bay Area counties, it is KCBS, 740 on the AM dial.

I’ll be publishing other preparedness tips through October 21, 2010, when the great California Shake Out Earthquake Exercise will take place.

Defying Disaster is underwriting another preparedness workshop on November 6, 2010, this time at the Napa Library in Napa, California. Click here for more information.

Posted in Earthquake Preparedness, General Preparedness and Response, Infrastructure Failure, Preparedness Tips and Resources, Supply Chain Disruptions, Vulnerable Populations | 1 Comment »

44% of Households Surveyed Have an Emergency Plan. “Really!?”!

Seth and Amy, the Saturday Night Live duo, have elevated many questionable issues of our day to a well-deserved level of incredulity in their ”Really?!?” skits. It is in a Seth and Amy spirit that I ask if the statistic noted above, a survey finding, doesn’t seem a bit inflated? The statistic is from the 2009 Citizen Corps National Survey on Personal Preparedness in America, and can be found here.  The same survey found that 57% of respondents have supplies set aside just for diasters. On closer inspection, it turns out that those supplies often don’t include a portable radio, first aid kit or flashlight. So, are 57% of respondents really ready? I think not.

As I may have mentioned once or twice before, September is National Preparedness Month. In the likely event that you’re one of the 56% or so who don’t have a Household Emergency Plan, here are some links:

http://www.fema.gov/plan/prepare/plan.shtm

http://www.ready.gov/america/makeaplan/

http://72hours.org/make_plan.html

At minimum, your plan would include where to go, what to do, and how to reach household members, basic emergency services and information in the event of a disaster. In an emergency, you’ll be thankful to have critical information at hand. Really thankful. Review it with everyone involved and keep a copy at work and home, and a wallet-size version in packpacks and wallets.

Defying Disaster’s own comprehensive Emergency/Disaster Planning document, available to workshop and consulting participants, is currently in a format that does not lend itself to downloading.  A downloadable version will soon be available.

For those unfamiliar with the concept of an Emergency Plan, here’s some additional information. An emergency plan document is individualized for each household. It organizes essential information so you can more readily locate family members, and pets and obtain appropriate medical or other services in an emergency or disaster. Many list contact information for local hospitals, doctors, and pharmacies, in addition to evacuation and disaster emergency treatment locations, medical conditions, and emergency notifications. Contact, and family meeting (reunification) locations both near and far, are vital pieces of information, the former in the likely event your family is not together when the disaster hits, and the latter in case your entire neighborhood or area are affected. 

You can’t afford to be without an Emergency Plan. Put it at the top of your to-do list and tackle it a bit at a time for the rest of this Preparedness Month. Life happens. Get a plan, fill it out, and review it with family members and others mentioned. If you can’t manage to find the time or find the task too daunting, attend one of Defying Disaster’s Emergency Planning Workshops (we sponsor them regularly), or call me (707 255-7146) to schedule a time to get yours done. 

So, is your household ready? ”Really?!?” What about your business, organization and schools?

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Preparation is a Potent Antidote to Danger

Everyday life fulfills our most basic expectations. Lights go on. Store shelves are stocked. Banks open. Water is safe to drink. Medical, nursing, fire, and law enforcement personnel respond to emergencies.

But what if one day, the lights don’t work? Food, medicine, and gasoline deliveries stop. Banks and ATMs are closed. Water supplies are disrupted. There aren’t enough responders.

Whether from another Katrina-like climate disaster, a massive earthquake, a nuclear terrorist attack, or widespread electrical grid failure, it takes only one event of sufficient magnitude to transport us from lives of comfort and convenience to stressed-out survivors in need of food, shelter, sanitation, clean water and urgent medical attention.

These are clear possibilities from past events: the 1906 San Francisco, 1989 Loma Prieta and 1994 Northridge quakes in California and more lethal quakes in Haiti, China, Turkey, Indonesia and elsewhere; 9/11; Chernobyl and Three Mile Island nuclear incidents; Hurricanes Katrina, and Andrew; the Indonesian tsunami. Other long-forgotten catastrophes should be considered. One such event occurred in September, 1900. A hurricane and storm surge that converged with high tide in Galveston, Texas, killed more than 6,000 people, placing it among worst natural disasters in the Nation’s history. And there is nothing to stop such an event from happening again.

An unrelenting hum of destruction is felt around the world: Volcanoes and wars erupt; massive floods and droughts sweep the land; hurricanes and tornadoes level large areas; epidemics and pandemics emerge and spread; massive pollution fouls the air, earth and waters; ecosystems and habitats are lost; earthquakes spawn ruin; and terrorists destroy.  As we consider disaster preparedness, which of these do we heed and in what manner?

Each area has local vulnerabilities for which preparation is essential, whether for floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, industrial accidents, fires, or some combination. But there are many other catastrophic events that deserve a place in the public consciousness and preparedness activities. These include another devastating (nuclear, cyber?) attack by terrorists, a severe pandemic, extreme climate or atmospheric convulsion, or a massive electrical grid failure – all would bring an abrupt end to life as we know it, possibly for extended periods. Preparedness cannot save us all from the most destructive events. But planning, preparation and knowledge can greatly reduce risks, stress, suffering, and loss of life and property, for a variety of threats.

Everyone who has health, homeowners, or auto insurance or wears seatbelts or helmets is already preparing for an emergency. But the sheer scale of some calamities assures that neither insurance compensation, nor any hope of adequate government protection or provisions will be forthcoming.  These are the disasters that can place you, your household, neighbors and community, utterly on your own for hours, days or even weeks.

September is Preparedness Month. Now, before disaster strikes, seize a portion of each weekend for a preparedness activity. Involve your family. Develop a family disaster/communication/evacuation plan so each household member will know what to do if you’re separated at the time of the disaster and communications are cut off or roads impassable. Involve every person named in your plan as well as friends, family members, neighbors and others in your community. Remember that preparedness requires information and knowledge, as well as plans and supplies.

Stock at least a 7 day supply of water, 1 gallon per day for each family member and pet. Purchase familiar non-perishable food items to store in your disaster stockpile. Include a manual can opener and other tools. Assemble or purchase a first-rate first aid kit, and add a first aid book. Stock at least a one to two week supply of all essential medications and vitamins and a two week supply of cash and coins. Don’t forget a battery operated radio, flashlights, headlights, light sticks and other alternative light, heat and cooking sources plus extra fuel or batteries for each, comfort as well as recreational items such as card and board games. Also, supplies for infants and others with special needs. A mini version of your stockpile, a “go” bag with 3 days of provisions should be packed for each family member, for home, school and work, and even for pets.

And if you can, set aside one weekend day this month for an home-based exercise. Purchase a single one gallon bottle of water for each family member and pet, place a family member’s name on each and request that any water use, whether for drinking, cooking, or hygiene, be limited to that one gallon for a 24 hour period. For more adventurous souls, make all electrical use off-limits for at least 12 hours. That means no TV, appliances, stereo, lights, or computers. At the end of the exercise, ask family members if they would be willing to assist with development of disaster, communication and evacuation plans for your household. You’re likely to have some takers.

For advice on preparedness visit www.ready.gov, www.ready.gov, www.cdc.gov, or www.72hours.org. You may also want to visit this website’s  ”Resources” page for an extensive listing of sources for emergency and disaster information.

If it doesn’t look as though disaster preparedness will make it to the top of September’s to-do list, another chance awaits. On Saturday, October 2, 2010 Defying Disaster is underwriting two preparedness workshops at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Napa. See today’s post titled “Get Your Family Ready: A Disaster Preparedness Day with 2 Workshops”, for more information. Or, submit an inquiry using the form on the Contact page of this website.

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