Earthquake Safety

https://youtu.be/YXxPTAhMGLI Another animated reminder from Ready.gov about staying safe when the earth moves.

A Hot Time

No question that we've had a few hot days on the east side of the Oakland hills. As temperatures reach 100º we run for the cool stores and turn the air conditioning on high in our cars, houses and offices. People who are older, young, sick or overweight may be more strongly affected by extreme heat....

Fire Season Safety

https://youtu.be/tWhTdfHQWqs An animated reminder from Ready.gov, who want to help you be prepared. If there's smoke, keep your head low and get out fast!

Rolling to Safety

Wednesday, July 26th is the 27th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. In support of this, we encourage you to evaluate and practice your emergency plan, especially if it includes any special considerations for access and functional needs. Here's the large-print brochure from Ready.gov for preparedness of the variably-abled. Do you have a personal...

New Study: Earthquake Losses

Did you feel the swarm of nine 2.5 to 4.0 quakes in Truckee two days ago? FEMA just released their study, FEMA P-366, Hazus Estimated Annualized Earthquake Losses for the United States (PDF version). Of interest to us in California: The new Hazus study indicates the following key findings: The Annualized Earthquake Loss (AEL) to...

Emergencies of the Strangest Kinds

We all use technology as if it were stable and predictable. How often do most of us change our email address? Making sure our friends have the new address, trying to update mailing lists, remembering to change all of our online accounts... it can be a big pain. If you have an AT&T account that...

Pet Safety and Heat

Two quick reminders to help you keep your pets safe during these warm months. Too Hot to Trot Asphalt temperature and outdoor air temperature are two very different things. When the outside air temperature is 77°, the asphalt in the sun is 125°. A dog's foodpads aren't any thicker than our feet, and they are...

Temperature: 90° and Climbing

Weather reports are predicting near 100° temperatures in Northern California later this week. Extreme heat and storms can affect the power in your neighborhood. How do you prepare for this? Lots of practical suggestions about power outages and extreme heat are at Ready.gov, The following tips came from the power outages link. Prepare: If you...

CERT and Ham Radio Emergency Practice at Urban Shield 2017

This year Urban Shield has designed in a set of exercises for CERT (or NERT, CORE, etc.) teams and CERT-trained ham radio operators to participate. The event will be held on Saturday, September 9, 2017 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Here's the official Urban Shield 2017 CERT/NERT Team Invitation (PDF) with more detail. Interested...