Do the basics
Do the basics
Why?
Your home is your shelter. By making it more resilient in the face of all kinds of potential emergencies and disasters, you can help protect your life and your property.
Check smoke & CO2 alarms and fire extinguishers
Did you know that you may have as little as two minutes to escape if a fire starts in your home? In the event of a fire, smoke alarms can cut the risk of dying almost in half.
Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas created when fuels (such as gasoline, wood, coal, natural gas, propane, oil, and methane) burn incompletely. Heating and cooking equipment that burn fuel as well as vehicles or generators running in an attached garage can produce dangerous levels of carbon monoxide in your home. Yet another reason to get off fossil fuels!
Resources:
Assemble a shelter-in-place kit
Sometimes the best action is to stay put. For example, after a large earthquake (or during a pandemic!) it’s usually best to stay home. Have enough supplies to last at least seven days and preferably for two weeks.
Use the “Sheltering in Place” checklist in your Personal Emergency Plan [PDF]
Watch the video below from the County of Sonoma.
Here’s another fun group activity to try: taste testing emergency food
If nothing else, it will help you appreciate each other’s cooking! First, do a little research on different kinds of emergency food supplies and then purchase some samples to try. For fun, try rating them on a scale from one to five.
Try to avoid online shopping. Use up old supplies that need to be refreshed or check out the camping/emergency food supplies at our local outdoor stores.
REI Emergency Food - in Santa Rosa
DICK’s Sporting Goods - in Petaluma
Big 5 Sporting Goods - in Petaluma
Have 7 gallons of water per person
At a minimum, your shelter-in-place kit should have one gallon of water per person per day for at least seven days. Thus, the seven gallons per person estimate. And don't forget emergency water for your animals, too!
Prepare for power outages
PG&E may shut off the power anywhere in Sonoma County based on conditions such as Red Flag Warnings, wind, low humidity, or fuel loads. Power could be out for a number of days. Prepare in advance and know what to do when it happens.
Use the “Power Outages” pamphlet from the County of Sonoma in your “Evac Pac” or download it here [PDF].
See details and watch this video from the County of Sonoma.
Know when and how to shut off utilities
In an emergency, your gas can be turned off at the main gas service shutoff valve. If you shut off the gas, there may be a considerable delay before PG&E can turn your service back on. So only shut off the gas if one or more of the following is true. You:
Smell gas
Hear gas escaping
See a broken gas line
Suspect a gas leak
Know the location of your main electric panel. In an emergency, you can turn off your electric supply to your whole home or office through the main switch.
Electricity - use this safety guide from PG&E