Resilient Los Altos

Power outages can be very disruptive, even dangerous, particularly for seniors and those with special needs. A power outage may disrupt your ability to contact caregivers or emergency services, receive vital news updates or prevent use of medical devices. Many of us don’t have the resources or the type of residence to install whole house power backup systems. This class will help you identify some practical, low-cost devices and methods to reduce your vulnerable areas during a power outage. The class includes a display of devices, their cost and where they are available.

An effective emergency plan considers the risks that you face, your ability to mitigate those risks, your ability to deal with the risk if it occurs and the ability to recover from the impact of the event. People deal with these tasks daily. You are probably careful when you pour yourself a cup of hot coffee. You know you might burn yourself so you pour carefully into a cup that will be cool enough to carry. You know where the dog is so you won’t trip and you know how to treat and heal from a burn. Have you done the mental work to be resilient when you need to deal with something more serious like an earthquake, fire or flood?

A disaster can strike suddenly and severely.

1. If you have 1 minute to evacuate your home, are you prepared with the essentials you need in a WUSH (Wake Up Something Happened) kit? Do you have a flash drive that has scans of your important documents on it: photos of house inventory, trust, medical directive, critical financial information, etc.?
2. If you have 30-60 minutes to evacuate, do you have a plan for what to add to your list to take with you?
3. If you need to stay in your home for several days (or a week) following a severe disaster, do you have a “stay plan” with the minimum supplies you will need?

This class will discuss what emergency preparedness experts recommend for each of these situations, as well as how to personalize the contents for your unique needs. The class includes a display of such kits and their cost.

After air and warmth, the next thing you need to survive is water. Serious dehydration can set in within 24 hours and serious organ damage and death in as little as three days. This class will take you through the ways that you can have water for an emergency situation either by storing it or planning to treat non-potable water to be able to safely use it. This class will focus on affordable but effective solutions.

Do you know how well prepared you are for an emergency such as a wildfire, severe storms or an earthquake? Take inventory of weak points in a small group setting with the help of a facilitator. Leave with action lists of the few most important steps to prepare. This is a FREE workshop that will leave you more confident about how to protect your family.