Dear CERT and ARES/RACES Members:  Here's an update on the preparedness internet sites I've gathered.  Your additions and corrections would be appreciated!


Update your Disaster Contact Information. 
If you don’t have the following information for yourself and your family members, use this opportunity to collect it.  If you have it, now is a good time for an update.  Write it on an index card and keep it in your wallet: 
~  Out-of-state telephone contact
~  Out-of-neighborhood family reunion site
~  Family member home, cell and work numbers
~  Contact information for adults authorized to pick up children from school
~  Contact information for neighbors to care for children
~  Insurance company policies numbers, telephone number
~  Medical prescription numbers


Hang a gas and water shut-off tool at the door that leads to outside to your meters,and learn how to use it. 
You can purchase a specialized tool, or just use a wrench. 
A gas leak can be one of the most dangerous side-effects of a disaster - or sometimes the disaster itself.  Make sure all your family members know how to shut off both the water and gas at the meter.  Remember:  Always turn off the gas if you have good reason to suspect a leak.  But once you have turned it off, only the gas company can turn it back on.  You may have a leak if you: 
    • Smell gas (natural gas has no odor, so they add the chemical mercaptan for just this purpose)
    • Hear the leak (a hissing sound)
    • See the gas meter dials spinning, yet your gas appliances aren't operating
You can turn your water off and back on again at will, so your family members can practice.  You may have a whole-house shut off inside your house, in addition to the shut-off at the meter near the street.  If you are on a well, you will have a different procedure for turning off the water. 


Take several pictures of each family member and the animals in your household.  Keep these pictures with your important insurance papers.  Be sure to include in the pictures any distinguishing marks, scars, etc. These pictures can help in the search for a lost child or pet. Store the pictures in a resealable plastic bag. 


Program emergency numbers into your cell phone.  You might not be thinking clearly enough during an emergency to remember telephone numbers.  Consider including: 
~  Home number
~  Family members' home, work, and cell phone numbers
~  Childcare and school telephone numbers
~  Designated Out-Of-Area disaster contact
~  Insurance agent
~  Supervisor/Employer telephone number
Since the bombings on London subways and buses, there has been a push to program emergency numbers under the name of "ICE," which stands for "In Case of Emergency."  The concept is that the ICE number could be used by first responders or hospital staff to contact your family in case of emergency.  To read more about this program, go to http://www.eastanglianambulance.com/content/news/newsdetail.asp?newsID=646104183. 



Know how to shut off the electricity to your home, and share that information with responsible family members. 
If you have circuit breakers, remember that they have three settings: on, off and – usually in between them – “tripped”. If a circuit is in the “tripped” position, you will need to move it first to Off, then back on.  If there is a real problem, such as exposed electrical wiring, be sure the breaker is fully to "Off," and do not turn it back on until the problem is repaired.  To turn off all the electricity to your home, turn off the individual circuit breakers first, then the main breaker.  To turn the electricity back on, turn on the main circuit first, then the individual circuit breakers. 
If you have a fuse box, remember to keep spare fuses on hand.  (This will pre-empt the temptation to put a penny behind the fuse when it burns out - a very dangerous practice!)  To turn off all the electricity to you home, pull or unscrew the individual fuses, then pull the main switch.  To turn it back on, push or screw in the main fuse first, then screw in the individual fuses. 
If your wiring is damaged and you must turn the electricity off, do not turn it back until a professional electrician has confirmed that it is safe.  Also, DO NOT stand in water when touching the fuse or circuit box! 



Know your different telephone options.  Nothing will be more important to you than reaching loved ones and connecting after a disaster.
    • Payphones will often be back up before local lines. (They are revenue generators for the phone company!)  Keep coins available and note where nearby payphones are located.
    • Hard-wired telephones - those without wireless handsets - do not need electricity to work.  Keep at least one of these phones where you can find it when you need it.  These low-tech old friends draw power from the phone lines, and they still work during a power failure.
    • Cell phones may work when landlines are down, but they sometimes fail even without a disaster.  Program vital numbers in your cell phone(s), and keep a hard copy in case your battery runs out. 
    • Know the emergency backup plans for your digital phone systems. 
Remember:  Many fax machines, dial-up internet, and DSL providers operate with a regular land line, and those will not work if that line goes down.


Conduct a fire drill with family members.  What should you do if there is a fire?
  • Get out safety and quickly.  Don't try to gather possessions or pets.
  • Check the door and door handle for heat. 
  • If the door feels cool, open it slowly.  If it is safe, stay low and make your way out of the house.
  • If the door feels warm, or you see smoke or flames when you open the door, use your second escape route from the room. 
  • If you are trapped, seal the openings around the door and vents with bedding or towels, and call 9-1-1.  If it is safe, open the window to signal for help. 
  • Go the the family meeting place to count noses and ensure everyone got out. 
  • Send one family member to a neighbor's house to call 9-1-1.  (Simulate this during drills!)


Clear Some Space for "Drop, Cover, and Hold On."  When office space is at a premium, sometimes safety takes a back seat to the need for storage.  Don't let this happen to you!  Check to make sure all emergency exits are clear AND under-desk or table spaces remain open and available to "Drop, Cover and Hold " in an earthquake or to take refuge in an emergency. 




For an extensive list of useful Internet sites dealing with hazards, see
http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/resources/.]

http://sdr.gov/SDRGrandChallengesforDisasterReduction.pdf
"Grand Challenges for Disaster Reduction" is a ten-year strategy for
disaster reduction through science and technology formulated by members
of the Subcommittee on Disaster Reduction, an element of the National
Science and Technology Council, in collaboration with scientists and
engineers around the world. It presents six grand challenges and
provides a framework for prioritizing the related federal investments in
science and technology to improve America's capacity to prevent and
recover from disasters.

http://www.intelcenter.com/LTBA-PUB-v1-0.pdf
The Intel Center has released "London Tube Bus Attack v1.0," a report
that provides a breakout of data related to the July 7, 2005, attack on
the London subway and bus system. It also provides background and
context information. It is a working document and frequent updates will
be issued over the near future.

http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/83/1/71.pdf
The January 2005 issue of the "Bulletin of the World Health
Organization" featured this article, "Mental and Social Health During
and After Acute Emergencies: Emerging Consensus."

http://dels.nas.edu/dr/f14.shtml
Presentations from the June 21, 2005, Disasters Roundtable Workshop,
"The Indian Ocean Tsunami Disaster: Implications for U.S. and Global
Disaster Reduction and Preparedness, are available here.

http://www.nae.edu/NAE/pubundcom.nsf/weblinks/CGOZ-642P3W?OpenDocument
The National Academies National Research Council Division on Earth and
Life Studies, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Homeland
Security, has prepared these fact sheets on four types of terrorist
attacks: biological, chemical, radiological, and nuclear. Designed
primarily for reporters as part of the "News and Terrorism:
Communicating in a Crisis" project, they should also prove useful to
anyone looking for an explanation of the fundamentals of science,
engineering, and health as they relate to such attacks.

http://www.disasterscharter.org/
The objective of the International Charter Space and Major Disasters is
to provide a unified system of space data acquisition and delivery to
those affected by natural or human-caused disasters through authorized
users. Each member agency has committed resources to support the
provisions of the charter and thus is helping to mitigate the effects of
disasters on human life and property. Visit the Web site to find out
more about the charter and its member agencies.

http://benfieldhrc.com/activities/publications.htm
Two new working papers about mainstreaming disaster risk reduction in
organizations have been published by the Benfield Hazard Research
Centre. "Social Learning and Adaptation to Climate Change" (Working
Paper 11) and "Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction: A Tool for
Development Organisations" (Working Paper 12) are available here.

http://www.72hours.org/
Available in English, Spanish, and Chinese, this Web site from the San
Francisco, California, Office of Emergency Services instructs residents
on how to prepare themselves and their families for emergencies. It also
provides information on what to do in response to specific disasters,
such as earthquakes and tsunamis.

http://www.climate.org/climate_main.shtml
As part of its ongoing efforts to inform decision makers, the Climate
Institute's Climate.org features information about climate change, sea
level rise, extreme weather, and more.

http://www.iawfonline.org/k2news/example1.php?Action=Full&NewsID=14
The proceedings and poster papers from the International Association of
Wildland Fire's Wildland Fire Safety Summit held in Missoula, Montana,
April 26-28, 2005, are available here.

http://www.hsdl.org/
The Naval Postgraduate School's Homeland Security Digital Library is a
gateway to a wide range of authoritative resources on the subject of
homeland security. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Office of Domestic Preparedness, the password-restricted Web site is for
government officials and scholars who are working to secure the nation
and require access to information on a wide spectrum of homeland
security-related topics. Resources include a large collection of
authoritative documents and relevant online and locally held resources,
the ability to search multiple online databases, homeland security news
headlines, an "Ask the Librarian" feature for research questions, and a
Weblog announcing new reports, book reviews, and other relevant
resources.

http://www.dhs.gov/interweb/assetlibrary/OIGr_05-22_May05.pdf
"Disaster Recovery Planning for DHS Information Systems Needs
Improvement (Redacted)," a report from the U.S. Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General, addresses the strengths and
weaknesses of the DHS Information Technology disaster recovery program.

http://commerce.senate.gov/hearings/witnesslist.cfm?id=1564
On June 29, the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee's Disaster Subcommittee
held a hearing on how effectively the National Weather Service is at
predicting the impact of severe storms and what can be done to increase
their accuracy. Testimonies included commentaries on how communities and
individuals can improve the resistance of built infrastructure to
natural disasters triggered by severe storms.
Prepared panelist testimonies and a video of the hearing are available
here.

http://www.who.int/globalchange/en/
This Web site on global environmental change from the World Health
Organization focuses on large-scale and global environmental hazards to
human health, including climate change, stratospheric ozone depletion,
loss of biodiversity, changes in hydrological systems and the supplies
of freshwater, land degradation, and stresses on food-producing systems.
The latest addition is a July 2005 fact sheet on climate and health.


 Here's a link to an interesting article from the American Red Cross.  It starts out with:
This time of the year is more likely to conjure thoughts of gift-wrapping than emergency preparedness kit packing. However,
according to the American Red Cross, the season of togetherness provides no better time for family, friends, neighbors and colleagues to gather, ask, and answer the question: "What's in your emergency preparedness kit?"
http://www.redcross.org/article/0,1072,0_312_3850,00.html

The CERT Steering Committee now has a web site at http://www.HillsboroCERT.org.  Coming attractions at that web site will include the ability to register for classes, a map of the city with dots indicating where CERT members live or work, the ability to submit CERT success stories or other CERT Alert articles, and maybe even some CERT trivia or survey questions. 

TERRORISM-RELATED INFORMATION 
~  American Red Cross Fact Sheet on the Homeland Security Alert System -  http://www.redcross.org/services/disaster/beprepared/hsas.html

Homeland Security Databases and Web Based Bibliographic Information
Comprehensive: resources dealing with all or most areas of emergency management and Homeland Security; mitigation, preparedness, response, recovery, and analysis 
http://ppri.tamu.edu/homeland_security/index_home.html

Federal Emergency Management Agency- http://www.fema.gov/pdf/areyouready/security.pdf (Terrorism-related section of "Are You Ready?  A Citizen's Guide to Preparedness")

TRAINING 
FEMA's independent study courses - http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/crslist.asp  (Many of the course materials can be downloaded to your computer.  Others need to be ordered on CD from FEMA.  Most tests can be taken on-line.  Many courses offer college credit.)

Oregon Emergency Management - http://www.osp.state.or.us/oem/#PROFESSIONAL%20DEVELOPMENT (Professional development training, including an emergency management assosicate's degree program through Clackamas County Community College.)

GENERAL PREPAREDNESS: 
Washington County Office of Consolidated Emergency Management - http://www.ocem.org  (To access the collection of 24 family preparedness flyers, which you've seen at the various information booths we staff and classes we teach: click on the "OCEM Publications" button.) 

American Red Cross Oregon Trail Chapter - http://www.redcross-pdx.org/  (Contains a wealth of preparedness information in English and Spanish.)

Federal Emergency Management Agency - http://www.fema.gov/  (Contains a wealth of information - you could spend days browsing this site!) 

Federal Emergency Management Agency - http://www.fema.gov/areyouready/ ("Are You Ready?  A Citizen's Guide to Preparedness")

METRO  - http://www.metro-region.org  (Maps and extensive information on specific natural hazards within the Portland metropolitan area.)

Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI) - http://www.oregongeology.com  (Frequently updated site with information on earthquake, landslide and tsunami hazards in Oregon.)

Oregon Emergency Management - http://www.osp.state.or.us/oem  (Oregon's emergency management agency. Large amount of information on specific hazards, training, preparedness, state laws and rules governing emergencies. Also includes helpful links.)

AMATEUR RADIO 
Washington County ARES/RACES - http://www.washcoares.org  (Washington County-specific information for amateur radio volunteers supporting emergency services.  Lots of events, training, meetings, nets)

American Radio Relay League - http://www.arrl.net  (ARRL is the "professional" organization for amatuer radio operators.  Lots of great information about obtaining a license, participating in public service, educational materials, and what's happening in amateur radio in your area and across the nation.) 

QRZ.com - http://www.qrz.com  (Link to the FCC's callsign database, so you can locate any U.S. amateur radio operator by name or callsign.  Also, a link to take practice exams for all levels of amateur radio licenses.) 

Federal Communications Commission:  http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_00/47cfr97_00.html (Link to text of the FCC regulation concerning amateur radio, 47 CFR Part 97.) 

NATURAL GAS INFORMATION 
Northwest Natural - http://www.nwnatural.com/safety  (Information on what to do if you smell natural gas, when you should and shouldn't turn off the gas yourself, and  what you need to do before digging in the vicinity of a gas line.) 

FIRE PREVENTION AND SAFETY INFORMATION 
Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue  - http://www.tvfr.com
Portland Fire Bureau  - http://www.fire.ci.portland.or.us 

EARTHQUAKE INFORMATION - http://www.geophys.washington.edu/seismosurfing.html  (Detailed list of earthquake data links for global seismographic information.)

POWER OUTAGE PREPAREDNESS 
PGE - http://www.portlandgeneral.com/ee/.  (Includes a virtual home tour with energy savings tips and an estimated energy cost savings.  You can also talk to a "live" PGE Energy Expert at 1-800-722-9287.  PGE offers free home energy audits, rebates to residential consumers if they invest in energy efficient appliances, and information on related tax credits.)

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory - http://HomeEnergySaver.lbl.gov  and http://HomeImprovementTool.lbl.gov  (Requires you to input specific information about your home (size, age, insulation, types and ages of appliances, etc.), then offers customized suggestions for no-cost, low-cost, and more expensive measures for energy efficiency.  Note:  Berkeley Lab is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory located in Berkeley, California.  It conducts unclassified scientific research and is managed by the University of California.) 

CERT - Beaverton - coming soon!  For now, just a telephone number:  (503) 350-4085 
CERT - FEMA - http://www.fema.gov/emi/cert/  (Provides information to help you establish and maintain an effective CERT program, and to network with people throughout the United States and its territories regarding CERT activities.)

THE CONNECTION - America’s Bridge to Preparedness - http://www.naem.com/connection.html   (A quarterly newsletter for CERT and other preparedness programs.  Articles are submitted by various people from across the nation, and your input is encouraged!) 
  
Thanks for listening! 
Sharon 

Sharon Kennedy, AC7UK 
City of Hillsboro Emergency Manager 
Hillsboro, Oregon 
sharonk@ci.hillsboro.or.us 
http://www.ci.hillsboro.or.us/fire/cert.asp

"If it can't be done, don't interrupt the person doing it!"