Disaster Preparedness

  • Duties of the Sand City Police Department also include development of the City’s Emergency Operations Plan for the prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery to any disaster which might take place in Sand City.  Emergencies may include natural disasters, acts of terrorism, power outages or any other incident that may occur that poses a threat to public health and safety.

     

    The Sand City Police Department is committed to insuring the needs and concerns of vulnerable people are addressed in emergency preparedness and response.

     

    For information about disaster preparedness in Sand City, residents can visit City Hall to read posted information about locations of care and shelter facilities which would be established for those in need.

     

    EARTHQUAKE PREPAREDNESS

     

    An earthquake is the sudden, rapid shaking of the earth, caused by the breaking and shifting of subterranean rock. While earthquakes are sometimes believed to be a West Coast phenomenon, there are actually 45 states and territories throughout the United States that are at moderate to high risk for earthquakes including the New Madrid fault line in the Central U.S. Since it is impossible to predict when an earthquake will occur, it is important that you and your family are prepared ahead of time.

     

    Step 1: Get a Kit

     

    Get an Emergency Supply Kit, which includes items like non-perishable food, water, a battery-powered or hand-crank radio, extra flashlights and batteries. You may want to prepare a portable kit and keep it in your car.

     

    This kit should include:

     

    Copies of prescription medications and medical supplies

     

    Bedding and clothing, including sleeping bags and pillows

     

    Bottled water, a battery-operated radio and extra batteries, a first aid kit, a flashlight

     

    Copies of important documents: driver’s license, Social Security card, proof of residence, insurance policies, wills, deeds, birth and marriage certificates, tax records, etc.

     

    Step 2: Make a Plan, Prepare Your Family

     

    • Make a Family Emergency Plan. Your family may not be together when disaster strikes, so it is important to know how you will contact one another, how you will get back together and what you will do in case of an emergency.
    • Plan places where your family will meet, both within and outside of your immediate neighborhood.
    • It may be easier to make a long-distance phone call than to call across town, so an out-of-town contact may be in a better position to communicate among separated family members.
    • You may also want to inquire about emergency plans at places where your family spends time: work, daycare and school. If no plans exist, consider volunteering to help create one.
    • Be sure to consider the specific needs of your family members
      • Notify caregivers and babysitters about your plan.
      • Make plans for your pets
    • Take a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) class from your local Citizen Corps chapter. Keep your training current.

     

    Step 3: Be Informed

     

    • Prepare Your Home
    • Fasten shelves securely to walls.
    • Place large or heavy objects on lower shelves.
    • Store breakable items such as bottled foods, glass, and china in low, closed cabinets with latches.
    • Hang heavy items such as pictures and mirrors away from beds, couches, and anywhere people sit.
    • Brace overhead light fixtures.
    • Repair defective electrical wiring and leaky gas connections. These are potential fire risks.
    • Secure a water heater by strapping it to the wall studs and bolting it to the floor.
    • Repair any deep cracks in ceilings or foundations. Get expert advice if there are signs of structural defects.
    • Store weed killers, pesticides, and flammable products securely in closed cabinets with latches and on bottom shelves.

     

    Identify Safe Places indoors and outdoors like under sturdy furniture or against an inside wall away from where glass could shatter around windows, mirrors, pictures or where heavy bookcases or other heavy furniture could fall over.

     

     

     

    Prepare Your Business

     

    QuakeSmart.org will show you how Mitigation can work for you and how to reduce your risks in three steps: Understanding What’s the Risk, Making a Plan and Getting the Work Done. Each step even has a checklist to guide you.

     

     

     

    Listen to Local Officials

     

    Learn about the emergency plans that have been established in your area by the Sand City Police Dept.

     

     

     

    For further information on what to do after an earthquake in Sand City, residents should visit the bulletin boards just outside City Hall to see the locations of undamaged buildings which will be open as temporary shelters for residents whose homes have been damaged.

     

     

     

    Additional disaster preparedness resources:

     

    Monterey County Office of Emergency Services www.co.monterey.ca.us/OES/Default.asp

     

     

    Governor’s Office of Emergency Service
    www.oes.ca.gov

     

     

     

    Earthquake Survival Program “The 12 Steps to Family Survival”
    www.portlandonline.com/oem/index.cfm?c=38065

     

     

     

    CARD (Collaborating Agencies Responding to Disasters)
    www.cardcanhelp.org

     

     

     

     

    Association of Bay Area Governments
    www.abag.ca.gov