Preparing for Disaster Sunday, March 16, 2007 at 1:00 PM

American Red Cross Disaster Preparedness Lecture

LONG BEACH EARTHQUAKE

March 10, 1933 at 5:55PM a magnitude 6.25 earthquake hit Long Beach. 120 people died and there was extensive damage to structures with many completely demolished. More recently, according to a Time Magazine article, “after Hurricane Katrina the secret was out that government alone would never be able to manage big disasters. First responders, like firefighters and police make up less than 1% of the population, so MOST rescues are done by regular people.”

You are invited to a lecture by The American Red Cross on Preparing for Disaster. The lecture will be Sunday, March 16th at 1:00PM in the auditorium of The River Church. The lecturer will be Chris Campbell-Jay, an expert on Disaster Preparedness with the Red Cross of Greater Long Beach. The lecture lasts about 45 minutes and then there will be a question and answer period.

American Red Cross Disaster Preparedness Lecture

Sunday, March 16, 2007 at 1:00 PM

The River Church

345 East Carson Street
Long Beach, CA 90807

Additional classes and training are planned in the near future. In the meantime, here are some things you can do to protect yourself, your friends and your family in case of a disaster.

* Store enough food and water for SEVEN days. At least seven gallons of water per person or animal and foods like peanut butter, energy bars, and canned, ready-to-eat soup. Don’t forget pet food.
* Have a battery or wind-up radio in your home. When disaster strikes tune to 88.1FM, KJAZZ, the official Long Beach emergency radio station. Keep extra batteries on hand. This is where to find out about shelters.
* Learn how to shut off the power and gas to your home. Keep tools handy.
* Make sure you keep extra medicine, especially PRESCRIPTIONs.
* Have a change of clothes; include gloves and sturdy shoes or boots.
* Plan an evacuation route from the area and have a pre-set place to meet and a back-up in case you can’t get to the first place. Many, if not most disasters occur when families are spread out at work and school.
* Carry a list of family phone numbers and email addresses, along with recent family photos. After an emergency, local phone lines may be overloaded, but calls out of the area can often get through.
* Keep a well stocked first aid kit that can tend to major injuries. Firefighter and Paramedic response WILL be delayed after a disaster.

So, you are getting prepared, what do you do after a disaster? Please see below for where to get additional training and tips on what to do after a disaster…

Unfortunately Long Beach is at risk for many types of disaster including floods, terrorism, chemical spills, and fire and, of course, number one on all our minds, earthquakes. The good news is that the city is very well prepared to deal with these when they occur, and it should not take longer than one week for you to receive help after a major disaster. But each of us will need to be ready to take care of ourselves for that time, and we should also be prepared to take care of neighbors who are injured or need extra assistance. Please contact the following agencies for additional information on the training they offer.

Long Beach Fire Department

Community Emergency Response Team or CERT

http://www.longbeach.gov/fire/cert/

Firefighter Will Nash is the coordinator for CERT, contact him at (562) 570-2516 to sign-up for great, fun training on Disaster Preparedness, Fire Safety, Disaster Medical, Light Search and Rescue, Incident Command, Disaster Psychology, and Terrorism. The class is fun and a great place to receive this training.

Neighborhood Watch

Contact Nicole Avalos, LBPD Neighborhood Watch Coordinator at 562-570-7229

Neighborhood Watch is one of the best ways to get acquainted with the people that share your neighborhood. And it’s easier than you think.

Red Cross of Greater Long Beach

3150 East 29th Street, Long Beach, CA 90806 (562) 595-6341

www.greaterlongbeachrc.org

The Red Cross has 21 classes on disaster preparedness, so you can use small amounts of time to learn big lessons.

Kingdom Causes

2107 Cherry Ave #B Signal Hill, CA 90755 (562) 961-1902

http://kingdomcauses.org/212242.ihtml

If you would like information about how your house of worship can take part in the Kingdom Causes Emergency Preparedness Task Force please contact Brad Fieldhouse, Executive Director and Long Beach Catalyst.

Links

Greater Long Beach Red Cross