When disaster strikes (and it will)…are you ready?

Assume power is out. If so, no Internet, gas pumps are out, ATMs are out, banks are closed, most stores are closed, telephone land-lines may be out, and cell phone towers may be out. Small stores that are open will only take cash. No checks or credit cards accepted anywhere. Traditional first-responders will be busy at high population density locales, e.g., schools and malls, so they provide the greatest  good for the greatest number.

You are on your own.

Survival requires planning.

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

Click on the red + below to expand the segment

Plan a seven-day survival kit
Local officials tell us to plan that Four Seasons will not get help for a week after a major disaster.

  1. 5 gallons of water/person
  2. 7 days of nonperishable food/person
  3. First aid kit.
  4. Flashlight and batteries
  5. $500-$1000 cash (Stores & Motels will only take cash)
  6. Cell phone with extra charged power banks
  7. 7 days of prescription medicine
  8. OTC medicine (Ibuprofen, Acetaminophen, anti-diarrhea, antacid, etc.)
  9. Pet food for your pet
  10. Sleeping bag or blanket/person
  11. Complete change of clothing: long sleeves, long pants, sturdy closed-toe shoes.
  12. ½ tank of gas or more in the car.
  13. If you have electric dependent health equipment, e.g., oxygen concentrator, or nebulizer, you must have a generator and fuel to run it for seven days.
  14. Battery operated radio with batteries for seven days.
  15. Butane lighter
  16. Personal hygiene supplies
  17. Notebook and pen.
  18. Whistle
  19. N-95 dust mask
  20. Can opener, bottle opener
  21. Plastic/paper plates, forks, knives.
  22. Utility knife, duct tape, monkey wrench
  23. Local maps
Plan to store your important documents and photos electronically.
Use technology so you needn’t try to gather up those photos, insurance policies, medicare card, insurance ID,  and other documents when disaster strikes.  If you have a computer, all-in-one printer, or scanner,  scan your photos and documents and copy them either to a USB Flash Drive that you can take with you, or upload them to one of the many free cloud storage facilities such as Google Drive, One Drive, or Dropbox. You should compress and encrypt the files with a free program like 7-ZIP (for Windows) or I-Zip (for Mac).

If you don’t have scanning abilities, buy some pastries, and bribe a neighbor to let you use their device.

While having a copy of some documents is great, you should ALSO have your original drivers license, passport, and credit cards.

Plan an evacuation plan
If your home or the area in or around Four Seasons becomes uninhabitable, make a plan of where to go. If you have friends or relatives outside the disaster area that will host you, make those agreements now. Tell members of your family where you’re likely to go in the event of a disaster. If you need to meet up with household members who were not at home when disaster struck, agree on a meet-up place. If you have a smart phone, download maps of Hemet and surrounding areas so you can use them offline. Have a friend or relative out-of-state act as  a phone message center where family members can call to determine the status and location of other family members. Think. Plan. Survive.
Plan to inform Street Captain of residents with disabilities or special needs
Your street captain is part of a team that co-ordinates light search and rescue, first-aid, and other activities in your neighborhood until fire department and other first-responders arrive. The more information she/he has the more effective the response will be.

The street captain assigned to your home should be informed if a household member has disabilities that affect  mobility, e.g., wheel-chair bound, walker needed, etc.  If someone is oxygen dependent, how long  without resupply or electricity can they go.  If there are other special needs, inform your street captain. If you have a generator, please inform your street captain.

Information  provided to the Street Captain will be held confidential, and only released during a emergency to appropriate emergency responders.

 

Plan for personal medical emergencies.
If you have a medical emergency such as heart attack, stroke, injury from falling, or difficulty breathing, DO NOT DRIVE TO THE HOSPITAL…CALL 911.  Paramedics can sometimes provide medications help you. They can notify the hospital so the hospital has a team ready for you when you arrive.

Fill out the medical form you find on this site with all your medications (include OTC) and allergies, place in a zip-lock bag on top of your refrigerator.  Notify the paramedics/EMTs of  the location. They will relay this to the hospital.

City and County Emergency Notification Sign-up

Both the City of Hemet and Riverside County provide free emergency notification services via email, text, and voice. Know of the nature of the emergency, what-to-do, where-to-go, and more. Sign up now.

 

 

Get FEMA Emergency Notification App

Get Red Help Needed Sign

This is the red Help Needed sign for your window that can be seen by passing vehicle. Post this if you need help.

Get Green OK Sign

This is the green OK sign for your window that can be seen by passing vehicle. Post this if you DON’T need help.

The assigned street captain for your home is:

No Entries Found...If you skipped the form to enter your information, we don't know where you live, so this information in unavailable. If you return and fill out the form, we may provide more information.

Vial of Life Medical Information Form

Here you can download and print a Medical Information Form. You should fill out a form for each member of your household and place them in a ziplock bag on top of your refrigerator. Why do you want to do this? EMTs and Paramedics are trained to look on the refrigerator for medical information. Otherwise they spend time looking throughout the house and questioning the participants so the information can pass on to the hospital. If they waste time gathering information it delays getting the person in need of help to the hospital.