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Community Corner

Quake Activity Spurs New Interest in Safety

New disaster preparedness classes have filled up fast.

In August of 1989, Ron LaPedis developed an extensive earthquake safety plan for a large Silicon Valley firm. Pleased enough with the action plan, but having no sense of urgency, executives consigned it to a place on the shelf.

Three months later, the Loma Prieta quake ruptured the ground, collapsing the Cypress Freeway, spurring landslides, crumbling building, snapping the upper Bay Bridge, shredding a Santa Cruz mall, ending the lives of 57 people and injuring nearly 4,000.

LaPedis’ plan was fully funded.

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Today, the forward-thinking LaPedis, who heads up his own private safety and security firm for industrial clients,  chairs the San Bruno community preparedness committee.

If tales of the Loma Prieta quake didn’t do it, the staggering film coverage of Japan’s catastrophic earthquake and tsunami have shredded complacency for many living in the shadow of the San Andreas Fault: When LaPedis launched the city’s first earthquake response training, residents came running. A course from April 7 to May 12 promptly filled to capacity. Among other things, students will learn how to establish and participate in a chain of command.

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“It’s meant for people who are not police officers, who are not firefighters, who are not first responders,” LaPedis said. It will "absolutely" be repeated, he said.

“One of the sessions teaches you how to build teams,” he said. “You have to work as a team and know when to back off. Professionals don’t just show up in a disaster and say ‘I’m in charge.’ You call your chief and you say, ‘I’m available.’

That builds on the natural inclination of people to reach out to others, said Melanie Finke, spokeswoman for the Red Cross Bay Area.

“One of the most important experiences we have after a disaster is that of neighbors helping neighbors,” she said.

The recent “ended up being a jolt,” Finke said.

“Over the last month we’ve seen people taking steps,” she said. “The 105th anniversary of the San Francisco Earthquake helped.”

Finke has had plenty of opportunities in recent weeks to reiterate the Red Cross’ steps to prepare for a quake, beginning with the first rumble (Drop to the ground, get under a heavy piece of furniture to protect from fragments of window glass, dislodged objects and debris).

The Red Cross advises everyone to line up some method of getting information — either a hand-cranked or battery-operated radio.

And the organization urges everyone to take a class in first aid and CPR.

But the most important step is to make a plan, she said. That should include how to connect with family members, identify meeting points, and designate an out-of-town contact for family.

Like many other people in the Bay Area, Finke lives in an apartment. There’s no two-car garage or basement in which to stockpile gallon jugs of water, boxes of food, plus clothing and other emergency supplies.

But supplies don’t need to take up much space, she said. Finke has a backpack in which she keeps a flashlight, a hand-cranked radio, some cans of tuna and some Luna bars; rugged clothes, a pair of old hiking shoes. Even if space is tight, keep a gallon of water per person per day, Finke recommends. And keep some cash in small bills: When the big one hits, electrical blowouts will knock out power to ATMS.

The city’s emergency preparedness teams recommends residents sign up for SMCAlert, a notification system that will contact you with useful information in an emergency: www.smcalert.info.

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