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MISSOURI DIVISION |
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PROCEEDINGS OF THE SEPTEMBER 2000 POST EARTHQUAKE HIGHWAY RESPONSE AND RECOVERY SEMINAR HELD IN ST. LOUIS MISSOURI
PERSONNEL MITIGATION BY PHIL KIRK
MR. WILKERSON: Our next speaker is Phil Kirk. Phil is the chief, community mitigation program branch division for FEMA Region 7 that is located in Kansas City, Missouri. He is responsible for overseeing several of the mitigation programs that include the national flood insurance program, hazard mitigation and ramp program and the earthquake and damage safety program. Phil is also responsible for overseeing the project impact that is a disaster resistant community issue that you've heard a little bit about over the last day. Phil's background in mitigation makes him ideally suited to talk this morning about the personal mitigation strategies that we should be thinking about. We tend to think more along the lines of large scale mitigation projects, schools, transportation structures, things like that, but there are things we can do with our families and our homes, our businesses that can help us be safer, too.
MR. KIRK: In FEMA, the buzzword is always FEMA flexible. And that's why I'm here today. It's hard to plan anything in FEMA or outside FEMA---So FEMA flexible. As Jim said, my official title is real hard to put on a business card. It is the Community Mitigation Programs Branch Chief with the Mitigation Division in FEMA Region 7 serving the states of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. I´m here to talk a little bit about what you as an individual can do in your home with your family.
As an employer you want your employees, if they are at work when an earthquake should happen, to have some degree of confidence that their families are as safe as possible in their homes. That they prepared their families for an earthquake and each family member knows where to go and what to do. If your employees are comfortable that their families are safe, they're going to be able to stay and do the work for you. My focus is on the common sense steps you can take to prepare yourself for the potential damages, losses, and hazards of an earthquake. I was pleased to hear Jan, not once, but three times in her presentation say the word "mitigate." It's kind of become a well-known word in the last few years. James Lee Witt came to FEMA and brought the word "mitigation" to the forefront. A lot of people didn't know what mitigation was.
In some focus groups that FEMA conducted, we brought people in and asked them questions. One of the exercises was to define "mitigation." Base on this, many people in the general public had no idea what "mitigation" was. James Lee Witt issued a mitigation directorate and this brought "mitigation" to the forefront. In fact, he has said that mitigation is the cornerstone of emergency management. FEMA defines mitigation as: "Any action of a long-term permanent nature that prevents or lessens the actual or potential risks of loss of life or property from a hazardous event."
With earthquakes, why should we mitigate? Earthquakes strike suddenly, violently and usually without warning. There is a benefit to identifying potential hazards ahead of time and some advance planning personally with your family can reduce the dangers of serious injury or loss of life. So what can we do?
There are some common sense things that you as individuals can do on a personal level to mitigate against potential earthquake damages. Most of these are nonstructural items you can do in your home. These mitigation measures can be accomplished either at no cost or very minimal cost.
First thing you can and should do is to check for hazards within your home. What are we talking about? You can make sure shelves are fastened securely to walls. Place large or heavy objects on the lower shelves and store breakable items such as bottle foods, glass, China, in a low closed cabinet with latches. You've seen pictures of earthquakes shaking buildings and shelves and everything on them resulting in falling objects and broken glass. Additionally, you can hang heavy items such as pictures and mirrors away from beds, couches, and anywhere people sit. How many of us have a large picture or some sort of art hanging above our bed or hanging above our sofa on the wall? Nearly everyone one of us has something. Yeah, it looks nice but in terms of earthquake mitigation, it´s not the smartest thing to do. So give that some thought. You can also brace overhead light fixtures and repair defective electrical lines and leaky gas connections, because, of course, these are fire hazards which might become more of a problem in the event there is an earthquake. Secure your water heater by strapping it to the wall studs and/or bolting it to the floor. Take a look at your house and try to identify any deep cracks in the ceilings or foundations. If you do find such things, you need to seek some expert advice. Have someone else look at those things to make sure there are no major structural defects in your house. And lastly, you need to store weed killers, pesticides and flammable products securely in closed cabinets, preferably on bottom shelves with cabinet doors that latch to keep everything inside.
Additionally, there are a couple what we call structural mitigation measures you can do in your home. These measures may or may not cost you a little more money, but again, how do you put a value on protecting your family or yourself? The most common structural issues in residential homes are foundations, houses not securely attached to the foundation, and falling chimneys. There are some low cost things you can do to securely attach your house to its foundation and to reinforce the chimney.
Next thing that you can and should do to mitigate against earthquake is to identify safe places in each room. When we say safe places, what are we talking about? Common sense places such as under a heavy desk, against an inside wall and away from where glass could shatter, around the windows, mirrors, pictures or where bookcases or other heavy furniture could fall. We're talking about putting heavy objects on the lower shelves if they are not strapped to the wall. If the shelf tips over, you're not going to be in danger of those items falling on you. You should stay away from those areas in the event there is an earthquake.
You need to identify some safe places outside. Usually this is going to be where you can go immediately or your family can go immediately after the shaking stops. You need to look for places that are in the open, away from buildings, trees, telephone electrical lines, away from highways, overpasses, or expressways, for the obvious reasons.
Develop a family response plan to teach all of your family members at appropriate ages. Describe how and when to turn off the gas, the electricity, and water. Show them where the breakers and valves are so that they can take care of things if you´re not at home. Additionally, you should teach your children how and when to call the police or fire department and which radio or TV station to turn to for emergency information after an event.
If you are indoors, take cover under a heavy piece of furniture or against an inside wall, and stay inside. The most dangerous thing you can do during an event is trying to leave a building. There are lots of falling objects that could hit you within and outside of the building. So, if you´re inside, stay inside but take cover until the earthquake is over.
On the other hand, if you are outdoors, move to an open area away from buildings, streetlights, and utilities. Once you're in the open, stay there until the shaking stops.
If you're driving, stop and stay in the vehicle. As quick as you can move to a clear area away from buildings, trees and overpasses, and utility wires, do so. Once the shaking stops, you should proceed with caution to wherever you were going. Be careful of your surroundings, making sure you avoid bridges, ramps, or other infrastructures that could have been damaged. Watch out for falling utility wires.
Be prepared for aftershocks. Don't assume when it first hits that it's over. Be prepared, stay alert, and help the injured or trapped persons when appropriate. You shouldn't move people that you believe have neck or back injuries. And first and foremost, you should never jeopardize your own safety trying to help someone else. Again, listen to the radio or television for the latest emergency information.
Next, keep disaster supplies on hand. We recommend this for all types of events anywhere from preparing for flood or earthquake events. Have a disaster kit in the trunk of your vehicle during winter when you're driving. You can easily put one together at minimal cost. You should have a flashlight with extra batteries, portable battery operated radio with extra batteries, first aid kit and manual, emergency food, and water. Try to maintain at least a 72-hour or three days supply of food and water. If you have can goods in your emergency disaster kit, be sure you pack a can opener. An electric one may not work so get a non-electric can opener. In addition to that have enough medication for any member of your family who needs them. You may not be able to get to a pharmacy or if you are able to, they may not have what you need due to a shortage within the disaster area.
Of course, it's always good to have some cash and credit cards. If the ATM machines aren´t working, you at least have some cash. Sturdy shoes and other minimal protective clothing in your kit are important so you can take care of your business.
The next step is to develop an emergency communications plan. In the event that you are at work and your family is home or kids at school, you need to have a plan for reuniting the family safely after the event. You should ask an out-of-state relative or friend to be the family central point of contact. Of course, many people say that the phone lines are probably going to be down. Believe it or not, in most cases if the phones are working at all, the local lines may be jammed, but you may be able to make a long distance phone call depending on cell phones and all this other technology we have. Make sure everyone in the family knows who that family contact is, their address and telephone number. Be sure that family contact knows they may be getting a phone call from you or members of your family and what they have to do to help you get everyone back together.
In summary, there are things you can do to mitigate against earthquakes. Check for hazards in your home. Identify safe places in each room. Locate safe places outdoors. Make sure family members know how and when to respond after an earthquake and have disaster supplies on hand. Develop an emergency communications plan. Everything that I have presented to you today is on the FEMA web site. Also, there is a variety of information available through pamphlets, CUSEC, Institute for Business and Home Safety, and of course, the American Red Cross and other volunteer agencies have a variety of publications available to tell you how you can mitigate earthquake safety as well as other natural hazards.
And as Jim said, project impact is one of my duties. It's a community driven initiative that communities come up with ideas how they can make their community more disaster resistant. And part of that is the private sector. Share this information with your employees and having regular briefings with them. Of course, FEMA and other agencies have all kinds of contingency planning documents available for businesses. It's important to look at the too big picture because your employees are going to be worried about their family and their home. If their families are prepared, your employees will be more willing to stay to do their jobs. And it's all part of building that community with private and public sector resources to make our community more disaster resistant.
Thank you.
MR. WILKERSON: Thank you, Phil. How many of you have safety disaster kits in your car? Four people. How many of you have one in your home? A few more have them in the home. It's unfortunate and I hate to say, I'm probably one of those, too. We that are out here preaching preparedness often don't practice what we preach. I had a friend come over recently for a cookout on the patio. The first thing he noticed is this large brick chimney and he asked why I haven't done anything about that. And living in Memphis, you would think I would. We need to start thinking about our own personal issues and protecting our families from earthquakes. If we are impacted, we're not going to be able to get out and respond. I think Indiana DOT has begun stressing that in their planning efforts.
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