Strap it down before the next earthquake!
By Heather
by Heather
As a mom of two little guys, I try to plan ahead. And while it helps to think ahead on the little things like bunny crackers and keeping enough diapers in the car, it can be all too easy to lose sight of the BIG PICTURE of disaster preparedness in our homes.
Some folks from California Volunteers came to my house to share tips and advice about family safety and disaster preparedness (more to come on that topic!) with me and some other friends.
In California, what we lack in thunderstorms, we make up for with earthquakes, mudslides and wildfires. Just in the room of three other mamas last week, I was the only one who hadn’t been part of a serious earthquake or fire evacuation (Wendy had only a voluntary evacuation during college but she could see the flames from her dorm. Yikes!).
Erica Arteseros is a training program coordinator and community outreach educator with the San Francisco Fire Department’s Neighborhood Emergency Response Team.
She walked us through my house room-by-room pointing out the potential hazards so I could clean them up (and strap them down) to be better prepared in case of an emergency.
Erica’s quick and specific action list to prepare my house:
- strap down my oven/stove and clothes dryer so the gas line doesn’t rupture in the case of a big quake or tornado (my water heater isn’t that kind, but for many folks that’s another biggie!)
- put child-proofing latches on my upper kitchen cabinets (even though the kids can’t reach them) to prevent glasses shattering to bits and flying through the kitchen
- move the glass jars or decorative items that are dangerously perched above the fridge or secure them with gel or putty
- secure wall art with special hooks and strappy things so it doesn’t fall on anyone’s head
- strap large book cases to the wall at a stud and attach the TV to its console (also good for child-proofing) to prevent scary tipping
If you walk around your home and think about what can be shaken loose and tipped over, you might be able to come up with your own list.
In most cases, following earthquake guidelines are not too different from babyproofing your home. It struck me as interesting that the “earthquake safety” recommendation for breakables was counter to the “baby safety” recommendation: put
3 Responses to “Strap it down before the next earthquake!”
Leave a Reply
Share
When I moved to SF from Chicago, I vowed not to have anything dangerous or heavy hanging over my bed. Erica thought that was all well and good but any wall art can fall on any passerby at any time during an earthquake… great!
The handyman came and went today. We strapped down the stove, strapped down the TV, ignored the rest of the kitchen, got some museum wax for the high-up delicate items, secured wall art, and strapped the book case to the wall. Now I can rest easy.
I found your blog because I wanted more information on bicycles. I run a bicycle blog and I am looking for good content to link to for future posts. I like you site so I am adding you to my google reader.