Preparation is key

The recent disasters of hurricanes Katrina and Rita underscore the

importance of being prepared for a disaster.

Residents should not just know and understand the community’s

emergency plan but should also have their own plan and supplies,

officials say.

It’s particularly important for senior residents to be prepared

for an emergency because it may take longer for them to reach help

and because many have special needs, said Katie Freeman, disaster

preparedness coordinator for Newport Beach.

“They’re just a special population that we need to plan for,”

Freeman said.

In a presentation Wednesday at the Oasis Senior Center,

representatives from the Newport Beach Fire Department and the city

advised about 100 seniors how to make those plans.

“We recommend they have supplies for 72 hours to two weeks,”

Freeman said. “For seniors, we focus on medications and supplies that

might not be readily available in a disaster.”

She suggested that seniors, or anyone who needs medicine

regularly, keep an extra month’s supply on hand.

Jennifer Schulz, public information officer for the Newport Beach

Fire Department, outlined possible threats to the area, explained

what the city’s response would be and recommended 12 steps to

disaster preparedness.

“Even though the city has a plan, you need to have your own family

plan,” Schulz said.

Schulz highlighted what supplies are necessary to have on hand,

which first aid techniques to learn, and how to handle yourself

during an earthquake, which is the No. 1 hazard in Newport Beach and

Costa Mesa.

Ellyn May, 80, of Corona del Mar said she attended the

presentation to find out what supplies she should keep handy.

“I think they did an absolutely all-inclusive presentation,” she

said. “I think it’s absolutely essential.”

May added that she plans to take all the information from the

seminar back to her community and pass it on to her neighbors.

“We’ve got a wonderful fire department and a wonderful police

department,” said Len Edwards, 77, of Balboa Island. “All the basics

that they teach here are wonderful.”

Edwards, a retired Los Angeles firefighter, said he is more

concerned about what would happen in the event of extreme disaster,

such as the situation in New Orleans, where first responders cannot

access most of the population.

The cities of Newport Beach and Costa Mesa offer a Community

Emergency Response Team programs to improve community preparedness by

teaching basic skills important in a disaster. Residents who complete

the training will be able to help everybody in their community in

case rescue workers can’t get to them.

“It should be a neighborhood effort,” Schulz said. She also

encouraged seniors to get to know their neighbors and determine who

would be able to help them or who would need help.

“I really feel you need to take care of yourself,” said

67-year-old Rochelle Liss of Corona del Mar. She added that everybody

should attend a seminar like the one at Oasis. “I thought it was very

good.”

For more information on the Community Emergency Response Team

program in Newport Beach, call (949) 644-3112 or visit

o7www.nbcert.org.

f7For more information on the Community Emergency Response Team

program in Costa Mesa, call (714) 327-7406.

STEPS FOR DISASTER PREPAREDNESS

* Have a family plan for evacuation, foods, medicine, wheelchairs,

canes, walkers, strollers, etc.

* Have emergency supplies on hand; store them safely and in two

different places.

* Know first aid techniques and have supplies on hand.

* Know how to handle yourself in an earthquake -- duck, cover and

hold.

* Have emergency supply kits in your car and office.

* Keep emergency cash and copies of important documents.

* Have camping supplies readily accessible.

* Freshen up water and food supplies regularly.

* Prepare your children.

* Make sure smoke detectors have fresh batteries and replace them

regularly; have two fire extinguishers; have a fire evacuation plan;

and practice fire drills.

* Have emergency lighting (flashlights, light sticks, emergency

wall lighting units).

* For holidays this year, give emergency preparedness gifts to

those who need them.

* LINDSAY SANDHAM is the news assistant. She can be reached at

(714) 966-4625 or o7lindsay.sandham @latimes.comf7.