Wildfires a Reminder to Be Prepared

Friday, September 4, 2009

Page 15

AT THE SIDEBAR (Column)

Wildfires a Reminder to Be Prepared

By J’AMY PACHECO

It was unnerving Monday, driving away from my child’s school with the passenger seat empty.

The rearview mirror was filled with an angry black sky, and wisps of ash wafted down, landing on my car after traveling more than 60 miles from the Station Fire near Los Angeles.

As I drove away, I couldn’t help noticing the brush-filled desert that surrounded the school, and wondering how a school could quickly and safely evacuate 1,000 students if suddenly confronted by a fast-moving brush fire.

Haunted by visions of middle schoolers running for their lives through a flaming desert, I kept my cell phone nearby. Volume on high, I awaited that emergency call telling me to collect my daughter. It never came, but I was relieved when school was cancelled the following day due to the choking smoke.

Longtime friends of mine evacuated their ranch in Acton and promised to e-mail with an update when they found out how their home fared. I haven’t heard from them since.

Discussing the fires raging in Southern California, an acquaintance recalled having survived the horrendous Oakland firestorm that occurred in 1991. They didn’t even know where the fire was until, concerned about the smoke, they called the fire department, provided their address, and were advised to, “GET OUT OF THERE!” They fled on foot, and lost their home and virtually everything else except their pets and their lives.

Californians are no strangers to disaster. Disastrous brush fires are a fairly regular event, and I doubt anybody can claim surprise when an earthquake strikes. We get flash floods, mud slides, avalanches, high surf, high winds and just about everything else Mother Nature has to throw at us. (I would have added “except volcanoes,” but I’d hate to be responsible for a sudden eruption in Mammoth, or even on Wilshire Boulevard.)

So, you’d think we’d be prepared. We’re constantly reminded to prepare ourselves; in April, when Earthquake Preparedness Month rolls around, and again when National Preparedness Month rolls around in the fall.

That’s now. Today.

September is National Preparedness Month, when everybody in the nation, not just Californians, is reminded to prepare for disaster.

I’ve written about this a number of times, so you’d think I’m prepared. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.

I do have moments of preparation-awareness, such as when I gave all my tablemates at a convention in July tiny flashlights to attach to their convention badges. I did this not for disaster preparedness, but because the hotel has occasionally experienced blackouts while we were there. I think it still counts.

We have flashlights all over our house; hanging from doorknobs, on counters, nightstands and even in the pantry. (There’s no official reason for having one in the pantry; we just had one left over and couldn’t think of any other place to put it.)

I haven’t checked the batteries in awhile, but it’s still comforting to know we have flashlights. Worst case, we can use them to bang on the walls for help.

We also have a hodgepodge of canned food in the pantry along with the flashlight. I did have the foresight to purchase a hand-cranked can opener.

Where we’re most lacking is in the water department. We used to have bottled water around all the time, but then we bought a new refrigerator with a water dispenser in the door. Unless we get prepared, we’re going to be the ones forced to drink from the toilet tank if The Big One hits.

I’m notorious for three big no-no’s: letting my gas tank get really low, walking around with zero cash and having no idea how to turn off the gas at my house. Since my husband works 100 miles away from home, with a fault-bearing mountain pass separating us, I think I’d really better learn how to do this.

Since disaster often takes with it electricity, things like gas pumps and cash machines are expected not to work. I don’t have a farm, so I wouldn’t be able to barter with live chickens or vegetables. We might be in big trouble.

If you haven’t yet heeded the warning to prepare your family for disaster, now would be a good time to do it. During September, preparedness events are scheduled in various communities. If you can’t find one, visit http://www.ready.gov to obtain information on how to prepare for disaster.

And then, please use it. I will, if you will.