Sonoma Valley High School Emergency Procedures
Be prepared for natural disastersNo
one can ever be totally prepared for a natural disaster, but knowing
what to do before, during and after can make a crucial difference.
Critical steps to take include creating an emergency plan for your
family, conducting emergency drills, being aware of the location of
emergency exits and fire extinguishers in your home, and maintaining an
emergency preparedness kit to sustain your family for up to a week.
Two
of the most common natural disasters in California are earthquakes and
fires. Below are some tips to help your family prepare a disaster plan,
so that you can prepare for these events as much as possible.
Create a disaster plan
Here are some steps you should take when creating your family’s disaster plan.
- First, meet with your family to discuss what you need to prepare
for earthquakes and fires; explain the dangers of earthquakes and fires
to your children, and plan to share responsibilities and work together
as a team.
- Locate two “safe spots” inside each room per type of disaster
- Pick two places to meet. One should be outside of your home in
case of fire; the other should be outside of your neighborhood, in case
you can’t return home. Every family member should know the address and
phone numbers of your meeting places.
- Designate an out-of-state friend to be a “family contact”.
After a disaster, long distance phone service is usually restored
before local service, so family members should call the “family
contact” to check in with their location.
- Talk with your family about what to do in an evacuation.
Locate two exit routes out of each room; practice evaluating, and plan
on how to take care of your pets.
- Show each family member how to shut off the gas, water, and
electricity valves in your house—keep tools near the gas and water
shutoff valves. Remember: only turn your utilities off if you suspect
lines have been damaged or you have been instructed to by your utility
company.
- Install fire extinguishers (approved for use in both regular
and electrical fires) in your home and teach every family how to use
them.
- Inspect your home for potential hazards; secure items that may break, fall, or obstruct an exit during an emergency.
- Print and fill out an emergency plan and have everyone in the family read and understand it.