The “Get Ready; Stay Ready” campaign focus for the month of November is on conducting a home hazard hunt. There are a number of very simple and inexpensive tasks we can complete that can greatly decrease the likelihood of home emergencies and mitigate our risk of injuries resulting from natural hazards. For example, the greatest risks that earthquakes pose to us Californians are not structural in nature but rather the loose; unsecured objects within the home falling at us or on us. This is great news because the majority of us can afford a few dollars for T.V. straps, cupboard locks, museum putty and other earthquake securing products. However, paying a contractor to come out and bid on a seismic retrofitting of your home is rarely something most of us can absorb in our budget. The barriers that most people face are not financially-related at all but rather a lack of education and initiative.
Spend some time with your household members identifying hazards in and outside of your home. Keeping your house safe helps keep you and your loved ones safe. Minimize the impact of an emergency or disaster by safeguarding your home. Anything that can move, fall, break or cause a fire is a potential hazard. If you have young children, be creative and make it fun! Below is a checklist to get you started:
• Check batteries in smoke alarms every six months and make sure they are on each level of your home and outside every bedroom.
• Repair defective electrical wiring and leaky gas connections.
• Fasten shelves securely.
• Place heavy objects on lower shelves.
• Hang pictures and mirrors away from beds.
• Brace overhead light fixtures.
• Strap water heater to wall studs.
• Place oily polishing rags or waste in covered metal cans.
• Store weed killers, pesticides and flammable products away from heat sources.
• Clean and repair chimneys, flue pipes, vent connectors and gas vents.
• Unless local officials advise otherwise, or there is immediate threat to life or safety, leave natural gas on because you will need it for heating and cooking when you return home. If you turn your gas off, a licensed professional is required to turn it back on, and it may take weeks for a professional to respond.
• If high winds are expected, cover the outside of all windows of your home. Use shutters that are rated to provide significant protection from windblown debris or fit plywood coverings over all windows. Damage happens when wind gets inside a home through a broken window, door or damaged roof. Tape does not prevent windows from breaking and is not recommended.
• If flooding is expected, consider using sand bags to keep water away from your home. It takes two people about one hour to fill and place 100 sandbags, giving you a wall one foot high and 20 feet long. Make sure you have enough sand, burlap or plastic bags, shovels, strong helpers and time to place them properly.
Visit the following websites for more information about securing your home and products that can help you do so: www.earthquakecountry.org and www.quakehold.com
We encourage the community to partner with the UC Irvine Police Department to prevent or report crime by calling (949) 824-5223. If you wish to remain Anonymous, call “OC Crime Stoppers” by dialing 855-TIP-OCCS (855-847-6227), text "OCCS" plus your tip to CRIMES (274637), or use the website http://occrimestoppers.org/
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UC Irvine Police Department
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