Hllsdale NET summer '23 blog

Should I stay or should I go ?

In the event of a major quake we all know the drop and cover routine, right ? If not, check out the drop and cover link to refresh. After the shaking subsides take stock of yourself and then your surroundings. Are you injured ? Are you able to move about ? Are there people around you (home, work, school) ? Are those people okay ? Can they get around and help you care for others and survey the area ? Then the question becomes…

Should I/we stay or should I/we go ?

Say you and your family are home nestled in your beds in the middle of a Fall night with chilly outside temperatures. A hefty quake shakes you all awake. Drop and cover . You and your family are uninjured. The next step is to survey your home for damages. Pull your under-the-bed life safety cache out and don some heavy shoes or boots. By the way, you’d better quickly get dressed, too. Start with a 360 walk around your abode. If there is obvious SEVERE DAMAGE to your home it is best for all family members and pets to evacuate the house and proceed to your agreed-upon safe meeting place. Don’t forget to bring your evacuation cache or go-bag(s) .

Even in a moderate quake you may experience a broken window or two, some cracks in the plaster or sheetrock or tipped over furnishings. Neighborhood Emergency Teams (NETs) are trained to recognize three levels of building damage.

               

                Little or no damage

·        Superficial cracks in walls

·        Some broken windows

·        Minor interior damage

·        IT IS SAFE TO ENTER AND REMAIN HERE*

Moderate damage

·        Visible signs of instability

·        Decorative work (parapets or cornices) damaged

·        Many cracks and breaks

·        Still on the foundation

·        ENTER ONLY TO SAVE LIVES THEN EXIT*

Heavy damage

·        Partial or total collapse

·        Tilting

·        Off the foundation

·        Smoke/fire/gas

·        Rising water

·        EXIT IMMEDIATELY – DO NOT REENTER !

*EARTHQUAKES ARE USUALLY FOLLOWED BY AFTERSHOCKS. After each aftershock, reassess building damage and evacuate a structure if heavily damaged.

 

Finally, if you must evacuate your home where would you relocate for shelter ?  BEFORE DISASTER STRIKES…

·        KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORS ! They may welcome you into their homes if they are undamaged. Bring whatever emergency supplies, camping supplies and equipment, food and water you can from your disaster cache.

·        ASK YOUR LOCAL PLACE OF WORSHIP IF THEY OFFER SHELTER.

·        ASK YOUR LOCAL SCHOOLS if they could provide shelter. Some may allow you to set up camp in a playing field or parking lot.

·        You may have to set up camp in your yard or even in a public park.

·        Tune in to your emergency broadcast system on a portable radio. Tune in to KOPB (91.5 FM) in the Portland Metro Area. They may broadcast the locations of shelters.

·        Go to your neighborhood BEECN (Basic Earthquake Emergency Communication Node). They may have knowledge of local disaster shelters that are open for evacuees.

What with the potential for aftershocks, you and your family may feel safer outdoors in a secure shelter. Do your homework before disaster strikes. Explore your options for temporary shelter before you need it. And if you find you and your family camping be sure to bring what emergency supplies you can… water, food, hygiene, etc. Do not rely on the authorities to provide these, nor on the kindness of strangers.

Finally, after major disasters many families with the resources to do so choose to leave the disaster area temporarily or permanently when it is safe to flee. 

 

The following images are from  FIELD MANUAL: POSTEARTHQUAKE SAFETY EVALUATION, 2^nd edition, Applied Technology Council

Permission granted for unlimited, non-exclusive, non-commercial use of these images.

 

Moderately damaged buildings (cornices damaged)

Severely damaged buildings (off foundations)

 

What should you pack if you need to evacuate ?

Here’s a simple solution for your IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS. Most of us keep important documents in a safe place at home or maybe in a safe deposit box elsewhere. MAKE COPIES and STORE THEM DIGITALLY on a thumb drive. Store the thumb drive in your GO BAG. Copies aren’t as good as the originals. You cannot use a copy of your passport. But copies can be useful in obtaining replacement documents.

Also, it is amazing what can be stored on a thumb drive. Old photos you love can be scanned (high resolution) and stored on a thumb drive. Copies of digital photos can also be stored there. People who have been forced to evacuate often say all they grabbed on the way out were kids, pets and family albums. Put that thumb drive in your GO BAG as well.