Winter Weather Preparedness

[scannerboy02]

OES Director Urges Californians to Continue Winter Weather Preparedness Efforts

SACRAMENTO - Governor's Office of Emergency Services (OES) Director Henry Renteria today urged Californians to continue their personal winter weather preparedness efforts as many areas of the state brace for several inches of rain, snow and high winds during the coming weekend.

"Even though the National Weather Service has indicated this weekend's storms probably won't be as strong as the ones that struck the state last month, history has shown that hazardous conditions can develop quickly," Renteria said. "It's important that Californians help ensure their personal safety and the safety of their loved ones by reviewing their emergency plans, restocking their emergency supply kits, and planning their trips to coincide with periods of good weather."

The OES Director recommended that Californians make sure their emergency kit is well-stocked and includes:
At least a three-day supply of water for drinking, pets and personal hygiene
At least a three-day supply of foods your family likes
Battery-operated flashlights
Battery-operated radios
Extra batteries
First Aid kit
Warm clothing

Residents in the southern California burn areas that remain vulnerable to mud and debris flows are encouraged to:
Make advance plans to stay with friends or relatives if a weather watch or warning is issued in your area.
Be prepared to evacuate immediately and cooperate fully with local officials if you remain in your home during a watch or warning.
Monitor the weather, particularly at night, if you are in a canyon, burn area or other location subject to flooding, mudflows and debris flow.

Evacuate immediately, preferably to higher ground, if you hear these sounds or see these signs:
crackling trees
boulders knocking together
other sounds that might indicate that debris or mudflow is occurring
sudden increases and decreases in water flow
changes in the clarity of the water in a stream or channel

"Our winter storm season is far from over," reminds Renteria. "There is no substitute for staying alert, planning and being prepared."

Additional OES tips include:
Teaching children to avoid creeks, canyons, drainage control channels and washes at all times
Identifying evacuation routes and a place to reunite if family members are separated
Meeting with neighbors to discuss their plans and how you can help one another
Contacting county flood control personnel and other experts to learn what actions you can take, including sandbagging, to protect your property from small mudflows
Maintaining a full tank of gasoline
Listening to the radio or watching TV for the latest weather forecasts and emergency instructions
Cooperating fully with emergency officials

For more information and storm-preparedness tips, visit the OES Web page at www.oes.ca.gov.

 

[scannerboy02]

We are going to be staffed all weekend doing live cut-in's on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Weather people saying we could see 50 MPH+ winds for about 12 hours. I am working a 2pm to 3am on Saturday. Should be a lot of stuff to scan this weekend.

 

[SCPD]

I've spoken to a few people who were some of the first outside responders to New Orleans after Katrina. They indicated that most of the city residents did not have the ability to feed themselves for three days or live without power or water service for the same period of time. They then blamed government agencies for their plight.

It is hard for me to relate to this attitude as I'm fairly well prepared for "come what may." I've lived at high elevations in snow country in remote locations for nearly 35 years. Out of necessity you have a pantry that is fairly well stocked at all times. Rural homes quite often feature walk in pantries. It is just a way of life outside cities. In rural areas we expect to have roads closed and electricity off for many days even during average winters.

The town I live in has a high number of recent "urban refugees" that don't have a lot of rural living experience. They made a run on the only grocery store (a Von's store) in town before the January 4-5 storm that the National Weather Service issued warnings for. The item that ran out first was bread. That section of the store was barren 24-36 hours before the arrival of the storm. Now the joke around the county is "a big snowstorm is coming, quick, let's go to Von's and buy bread!"

A good way to be prepared is to buy a backpacking stove, preferably one that uses pressurized canisters, and stock up on freeze dried backpacking food. It is light and compact and doesn't require the use of plates or putting the ingredients in a pan. You pour boiling water into the food container and eat out of it too. This is important as cleaning plates and pans requires more water, which is very important to conserve during survival periods. Backpacking food is pretty tasty and has come a long way since I started backpacking in 1963. The menu choices are plentiful, with desserts and snacks available also. The pressurized stoves work better inside a house as white gas backpacking stoves can sometimes flare up and doing so inside a house can be uncomfortable. A large Coleman camping stove, the old reliable two burner, works quite well inside a home as long as some ventilation of outside air is available.

You can buy fairly inexpensive packs to keep your backpacking food and stove in. That helps you be prepared for being evacuated from your home during times when outside help for shelters is not available. It should have enough food and water to sustain you for 72 hours. This pack is often referred to as a "grab and go kit."

Military and wildland fire type meals called Meals, Ready to Eat, or MRE's are available to civilians through emergency preparedness stores and websites. A Google search using the words "Emergency Preparedness Supplies" will net many. MRE's have the advantage of not needing a stove as heat packs are supplied in them. They don't taste as good as backpacking food, but have the advantages of being small and self-contained.

Another item being sold by these suppliers is water contained in pouches. These are quite easy to pack as they can fill up small spaces in a pack that are usually wasted. I have a grab and go that has enough water to supply two people with food and water for three days following the guideline of a gallon of water per day for each person. I could not even come close to being able to do that without pouch water. It has a shelf life of 5 years, far better than the 6-12 months for tap water stored in various hypes of containers. .

People with camping gear and experience find it easier to be prepared, especially those with a fair amount of backpacking experience. Many of the folks in New Orleans must not have this type of experience.

A Google search using "emergency preparedness" will yield a great deal of good information. After all my years of backpacking, patrolling remote country, and being on wildland fires I found that some of the literature I located doing such a search suggested many preparedness items I would not have thought about having in my kits. I recommend spending some time reading the available material.

One last thought - make sure you have a good handheld scanner and lots of batteries. We all know how valuable they can be during disasters and large incidents that are affecting us.

 

[Eng74]

I think here in Califorinia we are all a little more ready for a disaster than most places. Everyone has been told about the big one that is coming for years so they have stuff already. Then you would have the peolpe that think that is only for earthquakes not for anything that might happen. It was funny how people think that the government should have had a big place with enough stuff for everyone in New Orleans and it should have been in the city right after it hit. Like I told people, where should it have been stored at in the city? It we bee under water then too. It took about three days before most of the help really started to get there. I guess that what we get for being in earthquake country and not on the gulf.

 

[trooperdude]

I think here in Califorinia we are all a little more ready for a disaster than most places.

You would think so, but that assumption would be incorrect.

Last OES survey was that > 85% of California residents don't even have a basic 72 hour kit or a working flashlight.

If "the big one" hits, you're not getting any type of help for at least a week, and most likely a lot longer.

If you're talking a pandemic there won't BE any mutual aid.