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Being Ready Living Ready

Thank you for coming!

• Carol Dunn– Emergency Preparedness Coordinator– Bellevue Office of Emergency Management

Most Important

• Risks from disasters can be radically reduced if not eliminated.

• It is “do-able”

• Our mind’s “default” is to ignore future risk: it is important to reset it.

Next hour

• Why we don’t prepare for future risk

• How to Identify & Reduce Risks

• How to Recognize & Increase Resources

Our brains and Our brains and Risk Risk

“Awareness” &“Subconscious”

There are hundreds of more pathways from the subconscious to the thinking part of our minds, than the other way around.

Danger/Opportunity? The subconscious part of our brain has first say in everything.

• Engage: Fight

• Avoid: Flight

• Tend/Defend

Our mind’s have needed to handle danger for different

circumstances

Our systems block out future risk

Photo by bitboy

“C’est la vie”

“What will be will be”

"You just take the good with the bad. You got to go somehow...So why not under six feet of mud?“*

“Have faith, Opi! God is good!”**

*Seattle Times: Orting Resident on risk from volcano**NY Times: “The Day of the Tsunami” 9/30/09

• Every risk that can be identified in advance, can be reduced or avoided when a decision is made to act.

• Every risk that is avoid, is one less thing that goes wrong.

Disasters are inevitable

We are so lucky to live in the Pacific Northwest

Beautiful mountains

Gorgeous trees

Fires

Severe Storms

Earthquakes

Identifying Risks? KC iMap

Cold Arctic Blasts

Hot Tropical Weather

Source: Environment Canada

University of Washington Neptune Project

Best thing about earthquakes:

We have a say about almost everything.

Except when it will happen.

Every problem has a solution

EarthquakesEarthquakes

• Subduction– 5 minutes: we will feel

shaking about 2 minutes

– Region wide damage– Highest buildings have

largest problems– Likely to generate

tsunami/seiche– Aftershocks likely

Earthquakes: Earthquakes: Deep/ Benioff ZoneDeep/ Benioff Zone

• 2001 Nisqually• Usually every 20-50

years• Lasts about 20-30

seconds• Effects most of Area• Moderate Shaking

Earthquakes: ShallowEarthquakes: Shallow

• Lasts about 20 seconds

• Very intense localized shaking

• 1,100 years ago: with Elliot Bay Tsunami, landslides

• Aftershocks likely

We can avoid We can avoid injuriesinjuries

• Heavy objects placed high become projectiles during earthquakes

Most fixes pretty easyMost fixes pretty easy

I’m in a ‘bad’ building!I’m in a ‘bad’ building!

• Retrofit– Anchor masonry to wood– Add Framing

• Still will be risks

• Rebuild– Create a new safer building

• Lose character and feeling of history

• Relocate– Currently located in one of the most dangerous

parts of the city• Lose character and history

Best: low, wood --Bolted to FoundationBest: low, wood --Bolted to Foundation

Worst for earthquakesWorst for earthquakes

Worst: Un-reinforced brick (recognized by levels of brick ends)

Not very good: reinforced bricks (recognized when all bricks show their sides)

Not very good: Retrofitted masonry (recognized by the added bolts)5 out of 6 were damaged during the 2001 Nisqually Quake

Unreinforced MasonryUnreinforced Masonry

Bad for Quakes: Soft StructuresBad for Quakes: Soft Structures

Disasters = disruption

Disruption happensDisruption happens

• That we may not have access to stores, medicine, etc. on short notice & for a long time

• Emergency information broadcast on:– radio.

– 2-1-1 (multiple languages)

– Internet: www.RPIN.ORG

Disaster Supplies

How to start?

Where to put them?

Having Back ups of Critical Supplies and information helps

Always Squirrel a Bit Away

• Life

• Liberty

• Pursuit of Happiness

Life: Stay Healthy

Boil water for at least 1 minute to kill bacteria

Save at least 3 gallons of water per person:

1 gallon of water per person per day for at least 3 days

Ready for Disruption: Water

Back up food

Best:Non Perishable

No need for heatingLimited water

No need to: heat, refrigerateor add water

Stay healthy

Stay Healthy

Control Germs

Safe ways to keep warm

Liberty: Freedom of movement

Get through debris

Communication

Out of Area Contact• Use this contact to relay

information with people in the affected area.

Texting – texting can be a great way to communicate in times of disaster.

Email/Internet sometimes works when phones don’t

211—Language Support

•Meeting Places•Pre-agreed plans with members of the community to check up and help each other

Realize, sometimes technology will totally fail

Local radio & TVwww.RPIN.ORG www.bellevuwa.gov www.facebook.com/BellevueOEM

Information Sources

Calling CardCalling Card

Happiness: Have a Back Up Care Plan

Reaching Out Now

The challenges of care givers are often the greatest when disaster strikes.

Increase you Resources

Work now to reach out.

Close your eyes• Visualize the steps you are going to take

today:– Write a pledge to build preparedness– Pull together the supplies you have– Write down contact & back up caregivers– Reach out to a neighbor – Act

Let me help you!

• Carol Dunn• cdunn@bellevuewa.gov• @caroldn• 425-452-7923

• Useful websites:– Ready.gov– http://3days3ways.org