EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS GUIDE FOR RESIDENTS OF PLUMAS COUNTY PREPARED BY PLUMAS COUNTY OFFICE OF EMERGENCY SERVICES Gregory Hagwood, Director April 2019 Emergency Preparedness Guide for Page 1 Residents of Plumas County April 2019 TABLE OF CONTENTS IMPORTANT CONTACT INFORMATION pg 3 GENERAL EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS pg 4 General Rules of Thumb Getting Ready Emergency Preparedness at Work Prepare a Family Emergency Plan Pack a Family Emergency Kit Preserving Family Documents Special Needs and Vulnerable Populations Develop a Pet Plan and Emergency Kit How You Will Know When a Disaster Happens What Do the Various Emergency Terms Mean? Evacuation vs. Shelter-in-Place WILDLAND FIRES pg 13 FLOODS pg 15 EARTHQUAKES pg 16 AIR QUALITY pg 17 EXTREME HOT WEATHER pg 18 EXTREME COLD WEATHER pg 18 POWER OUTAGES pg 19 GET MORE INFORMATION pg 20 APPENDIX—Emergency planning worksheets pg 21 Family Emergency Plan Worksheets Detailed Family Information Sheet Wallet-size Contact Information Pet Information Worksheet Emergency Preparedness Guide for Page 2 Residents of Plumas County April 2019 IMPORTANT CONTACT INFORMATION EMERGENCY—Police—Fire—Ambulance: CALL 911 NAME PHONE WEBSITE PLUMAS COUNTY AGENCIES www.plumascounty.us • Office of Emergency Services 530-283-7438 • Public Health 530-283-6330 or 800-801-6330 • Environmental Health 530-283-6355 • Public Works 530-283-6268 • Building Department 530-283-7009 • Animal Control 530-283-3673 • Sheriff 530-283-6375 • California Highway Patrol 530-283-1100 www.chp.ca.gov MEDICAL • Plumas District Hospital 530-283-2121 www.pdh.org • Eastern Plumas Health Care 530-832-4277 www.ephc.org 1-800-571-3742 • Seneca Hospital 530-258-2151 www.senecahospital.org • California Poison Control 1-800-222-1222 www.calpoison.org HIGHWAY INFORMATION • Caltrans 1-800-427-7623 www.dot.ca.gov LOCAL WEATHER/ROAD CONDITIONS/NEWS UPDATES • Local internet weather info 530-221-5613 www.plumasnews.com www.lassennews.com LOCAL RADIO-also part of Emergency Alert System • 1240 AM – KSUE 530-257-2121 www.theradionetwork.com • 1370 AM – KRAC Quincy • 88.1 FM – KQNC Quincy www.capradio.com • 88.5 FM – KJCQ Westwood • 89.3 FM – KPJP Greenville • 91.9 FM – KQNY 530-283-5494 www.kqny919.org • 93.3 FM – KJDX 530-257-2121 www.theradionetwork.com • 93.3 FM – KLZN 530-257-6100 • 95.9 FM – KNLF 530-283-4144 www.knlfradio.com • 98.9 FM – KWLU Chester www.klove.com • 99.7 FM – KTOR 530-256-2400 • 100.7 FM – KGXX 530-251-2300 Emergency Preparedness Guide for Page 3 Residents of Plumas County April 2019 GENERAL EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS GENERAL RULES OF THUMB Here are a few general rules that will apply for most Plumas County emergencies: • Stay calm—Try not to panic; take time to understand what has happened and to think about what you can do to stay safe or to avoid worse injury. • Check the scene—Pay attention to your surroundings to see if you are safe where you are, and does anyone around you need help. If you think you are in danger, get to a safer place as soon as you can. • Give and get help—If you or others are hurt or still in danger, call 911. Explain what has happened, where you are, what injuries people have, and does the danger still exist. • Listen for official local announcements—Local radio stations will give updates and instructions and will be your best source of information. • Get prepared to evacuate if necessary—If told to leave your home or work, do so right away, follow exact evacuation routes and go to the specified shelter or safe area. If you can, bring your Emergency Kit with you, and get in touch with your family’s emergency contact person as soon as possible to let them know how and where you are. • Complete your family emergency preparedness plan—Read through this guide to complete your Emergency Plan, pack your Emergency Kit, complete family contact information and practice with your family before an emergency develops. GETTING READY An emergency can happen any time and without warning, leaving little time for you and your family to plan what to do next. That is why it is important to take the time now, before an emergency happens, to learn about what you can do to be ready. The two key things you can do are to make a Family Emergency Plan and put together a Family Emergency Kit. When making an Emergency Plan and putting together your Emergency Kit, also consider: • A plan for your pets. Animals may not be allowed inside emergency shelters due to health regulations. • Is someone in your household elderly or disabled? How would you prepare for their special needs? • What emergency plans are in place for my workplace, children’s school or daycare facility? Also, a large number of Plumas County residents will be involved in any given disaster as emergency responders, responding county employees and other volunteers. Knowing that your family is safe and provided for will enable you, as a responder, to focus on the larger emergency at hand. Emergency Preparedness Guide for Page 4 Residents of Plumas County April 2019 EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AT WORK EMPLOYEES SHOULD • Complete their Family Emergency Plan and Emergency Kit. • Learn and practice emergency plans • Know at least two exits (if possible) from each room and be able to escape in the dark. • Know the post-evacuation meeting location. • Know the location of fire extinguishers and how to use them. • Keep a copy of co-workers phone numbers at home. • Make a list of important personal numbers and keep it at your desk or phone. Do not rely on electronic lists, direct dial phones, etc that may not be working in an emergency. • Keep some personal emergency supplies in a desk drawer such as: a flashlight, walking shoes, dust mask, water bottle and some non-perishable food. • Report safety system damage or malfunctions • Never lock or block fire exits or doorways. However, keep fire doors closed to slow the spread of smoke and fire. • Make plans to help each other. EMPLOYERS SHOULD • Encourage employees to complete their Family Emergency Plan and Kit. • Ensure that an emergency plan is developed and practiced at least every six months. • Make specific plans for employees who are disabled or who may require assistance during an emergency. • Put together an office phone tree. • Keep a list of all key employees with you at all times. • If you have a voice mail system, designate one remote number on which you can record messages for employees and provide them the number. • Arrange for programmable call forwarding for your main business lines. • Leave keys and the alarm code with a trusted employee in case you cannot get to your facility. • Back up computer data frequently. • Purchase a NOAA Weather Radio with a tone alert system. Emergency Preparedness Guide for Page 5 Residents of Plumas County April 2019 PREPARE A FAMILY EMERGENCY PLAN Preparation of the Emergency Plan should include the entire family. Explain the dangers to children and work with them as a team to prepare your family to handle both large and small emergencies. A prepared family can then safely deal with a widespread emergency like a flood or something closer to home such as a house fire. • Discuss the types of disasters that are most likely to happen and what to do in each case. Some of the major types of disasters that could occur in Plumas County are discussed in more detail in these guidelines, but also have your family talk over what to do for power outages and personal injuries. • Post emergency telephone numbers near telephones. • Teach children how and when to dial 911 and how to make a long distance phone call. • Learn how to turn off the water, gas and electricity at your home. • Pick two places to meet in case family members become separated— Choose a safe place right outside your home in case of a sudden emergency, like a fire. Choose a second place outside of your neighborhood in case you can’t return home. • Choose a friend or relative as an ‘Out-of-Town’ contact person in the event of a disaster. It is often easier to make a long distance phone call rather than a local call from a disaster area. Make sure each family member has the ‘Out-of-Town’ contact name, address and phone number. If your family members get separated, they should call this person as soon as possible to tell them where they are. • Determine escape routes from your home and safe places within your home for different types of disasters. In a fire or other emergency, you will need to evacuate quickly. Complete a Family Home Escape Plan with two escape routes from each room. • Complete a family communications plan and include contact information for family members, work and school. • Make sure your child’s school or child care center has your current emergency contact numbers. • Complete the Family Emergency Plan included in the Appendix of this guide. PACK A FAMILY EMERGENCY KIT The best time to prepare an Emergency Kit is before you need it. Stocking up now on emergency supplies can add to your family’s safety and comfort during and after a disaster. Remember that depending upon the extent of the emergency and because of Plumas County’s remote location, any help beyond a local response may be delayed. Emergency Preparedness Guide for Page 6 Residents of Plumas County April 2019 Most of the items needed for the kit are already in your home, it is just a matter of assembling them before an emergency occurs. Keep enough supplies on hand to meet your needs for at least 3 days, preferably 7 days.