Monday, July 25, 2011

The Policies of Earthquake Preparedness

The Sunday, July 24, 2011 Los Angeles Times (Op-Ed, page A26) had an excellent and quite thought provoking article on the relationship between a disaster’s outcome and a country’s public policies. Claire Berlinski, the article’s author, stated that while there is a popular belief that a country’s preparedness is inextricably linked to a country’s economic wealth there is much more to that story.

The images from Haiti were startling and heart-breaking. Everyone could see the shoddy construction of the homes, schools, hospitals and businesses led to massive death and destruction by the 7.0 magntitude earthquake last January (2010). Over 200,000 people died and forced a million and a half to live in camps.

Speed over to Concepcion, Chile, that endured an 8.8 shaker that moved the entire city to the west 10 feet. Sadly, 521 people died in this city, but this quake shook an urban population 180 times HARDER than Haiti, yet look at the difference. The city of over 200,000 citizens and another 700,000 in the surrounding area had much less damage. Let’s be clear, though -- buildings collapsed, bridges fell, homes were destroyed. Concepcion experienced an extraordinarily hard shake, but you can’t help but note the difference between the two areas.

Why? Building codes and diligence. As Ms. Berlinski so pointedly states, Chile has “some of the strictest and most advanced building codes in the world, and because the codes do not merely exist on paper – they are enforced.” And look at Japan. Granted this country was hit hard by the nuclear power plant disaster and an unbelievable tsunami, but the earthquake itself did very little damage. And why? They changed the way they built buildings. They worked on shoring up those that needed it. They designed and invented ways to make buildings more earthquake resistent. Building codes and diligence.

And the link to a country’s economics? This may be a little more complex to sort out, particularly in countries like Haiti where corruption has its own political party, but look at Chile. The salary of an average Chilean worker is one-third that of the United States worker, yet their public policy has invested in itself and, in this case, most definitely saved lives.

So, what about your workplace or your school? Honestly, this may be difficult – albeit not impossible – information to get, but what about your house? Is it up to code? Is it bolted to the foundation? Is your masonry held together with rebar, or a kiss and a prayer? (My mother’s favorite saying).

Can you, individual person, make a difference? Sure you can. Start now. Find out about your city’s building codes with regard to earthquake proofing. Find out about your own house or apartment to see what it has or needs. You can do things yourself, such as bolting things inside, too, such as high bookshelves, heavy TV’s and cabinets. Talk to your city council and your state legislators and get your local codes to be strict AND enforced.

Don’t wait until things start falling down to remind you that a well-enforced building policy can go a long way to keep you and your house standing.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Mid-Summer Night's Dream

Yes, I know. More dreaming. But, it's summer. And, it is hot out, so this is a good time to sit down with a cool beverage and sort out the stuff in your emergency kits. I will try to make it easy for you:

For Home, Car and Work or School...
___Check the integrity of your bin. Cracked? Water tight? Need a new liner?
___ If anything is bulging, rusted or beyond its expiration date, toss it.
___Check an adhesive bandage. Is it still sticky? If one is bad, they probably all are. The hotter the climate, the more likely they will go bad in a year or two.
____Is your phone, contact and insurance information still current?
____Give your wind up flashlight/radio a good cranking.
____If anyone has "grown" since the last check, replace the clothes.
____Replace the water in your large bins or drums. Your lawn needs the water anyway.
____Use the helpful checklist for emergency supplies at http://emergencypreparedness.fullerton.edu/TwelveSteps.htm for more kit ideas.

Don’t stress that you can’t do it all at once. In fact, do a little every day or two for a week and get the whole family involved. You will be up to date in no time.

Enjoy your summer and sweet dreams.

Monday, July 11, 2011

Bollywood Dreams

It’s official. My mind is completely warped. As I was walking into the Hollywood Bowl last night (to watch an incredible performance by A.R. Rahman along with the L.A. Philharmonic Orchestra, and my friend Shelly, by the way), I found myself wondering what they would do in a major emergency. The Bowl holds almost 18,000 people and my informal scanning of the masses calculated that we were probably something close to that number. That is a lot of people in a relatively small space. And getting out of there – HA! The Bowl uses “stacked parking” strategies to get everyone in there (except for those geniuses like my family who took the bus from the zoo!), which means that NO ONE gets out easily or quickly.

As I was making remarks to this effect to my husband, his mouth dropped open. “Really? Are you going to do this every where you go now? Worry about the disaster plan?” Um, well, maybe. OK, yes. I can’t help it, though. When you concern yourself everyday with this stuff, it’s rather hard to stop.

One really should not become obsessed over this topic and “forget to smell the roses” when out for a drive or a concern or vacation. I am sure that worrying over some disaster to befall you everywhere you go is not only unhealthy, but a real downer for anyone who is with you. Hence my husband’s comment, I presume.

To be fair, I really wasn’t worried or paranoid, but I was curious. How, on earth, do you move that many people anywhere, if you needed to? Thankfully, that is not my job, but whoever does have this job really just be a person of extraordinary talent and/or resources. In any case, I trusted that somewhere there was a plan and that it was a good one.

And before I worried if anyone thought that of me, I just sat back in a sea of appreciative people and enjoyed the intoxicating sounds of Indian music, written and performed by the “Slumdog Millionaire” music composer, with Bollywood, and clearly not Hollywood disasters, on my mind.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

The rockets red flare, bombs bursting in air...

The Fourth of July is such a pleasant holiday. Typically in nice (hot) weather, this day is a day to be proud that you are an American and BBQ-ing in the backyard. All is great until the sun goes down, however, then KABOOM, all bets are off.

Before anyone thinks that I don’t like fireworks, I have to say that I do like seeing those bright lights and colors exploding overhead. That, however, is not the problem. It’s the “non-professional” fireworks that cause me worry. Last year, nearly 9000 people required medical treatment for injuries sustained while setting off their own snap, crackle, pop. Nearly 40% of those injured were under the age of 15. A third of firework injuries involved the hand and by and large, that hand was male. Most people think of firework injuries the result of firecrackers, which certain do pack a wallop, but more than half of the injuries are from burns – and half of those burns are from Sparklers.

Sparklers? Really? Jeesh, Sparklers are those things you give little kids to play with, right? Yes, and that is the problem. What you may not know is that Sparklers burn exceedingly hot. Depending on the chemical used, they can burn at 1200 degrees Fahrenheit or more. (For reference, glass melts at a balmy 900 degrees.) So, now think of any other circumstance in which you would give a little kid something hotter than molten glass...

Fireworks also caused more than 18,000 fires in 2009, 700 of which were homes and 400 were vehicles. Additionally, many pets run away over this holiday and some injure themselves trying to escape the loud noise.

So, my new category – prepare for the Fourth of July! Along with getting out the BBQ, husking some corn and baking an apple pie, make sure that your pets are locked indoors and safe. Some soothing music would help, too. Make sure that your lawn has been watered thoroughly and no piles of leaves or dried debris are lying around. Keep an eye on the “celebrators” in your neighborhood and discourage any fireworks displays in front of your house (which could range from asking them politely to calling the police).

Don’t become a statistic during this holiday. Relax, enjoy your good cooking and be glad you’re an American. Just without the red glare.