PALOS VERDES ESTATES • DISASTER PREPAREDNESS
evacuation / essentials / procedures
P
PLAN AND PREPARE
Have your emergency plan in place:
/ evacuation /
Knowing when to stay and when to leave your home is vital. If no mandatory evacuation orders have been given you may decide to stay. If you are ordered to evacuate, initiate your plan.
Evacuation Warning
(sometimes called “Voluntary Evacuation”). It’s time to prepare to leave your home. Gather your items and be ready to go.
Evacuation Order
(sometimes called “Mandatory Evacuation”). Imminent threat! Leave your home immediately if you haven’t done so already.
Evacuation Plan
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Essential items - have an emergency bag packed and ready to go
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Leaving the house - know what to do right before you go
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Evacuation routes - know different ways out of your neighborhood
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Leave early - avoid being trapped in hazardous conditions
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Know where to go - have destination options in different directions
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Set a meeting place - in case your family is separated
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Important alerts - know where to get emergency updates
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Emergency supplies - know where they are stored
Download
FEMA app for open shelter locations
/ essentials /
After an emergency, you may need to survive on your own for several days. Being prepared means having your own food, water and other supplies. Headed to the store? Download a printable version of these lists to take with you. Most of the items are inexpensive and easy to find. Consider the unique needs of your family such as supplies for pets, seniors or individuals with disabilities. Having essentials on hand could save your life.
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Essential items
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Important documents
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Prescriptions
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Extra eyeglasses
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Phone charger, portable power bank
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Important contact information
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Extra cash and credit cards
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Irreplaceable photos
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Pet supplies
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Backup flash/hard drive
Food
Store three days of food per person
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Canned food: fruit, vegetables, meats, pastas
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Granola bars, cereals, dried fruits, nuts
Remember: High sodium foods increase thirst. Keep food prep to a minimum by storing ready to eat items.
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Water
Store five days of water for each family member
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One gallon per person, per day
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Water for your pets
Remember: Your water heater stores 30-50 gallons of HOT drinkable water. Learn how to shut it off to use the water. Use spa or swimming pool water for sanitation only. Do not drink it.
To purify water, boil clear water for one minute, or add unscented liquid bleach with 5.25% sodium hypochlorite as its sole ingredient at 16 drops per gallon. Wait 30 minutes before drinking. If the water does not have a slight chlorine smell, repeat dosage and wait 15 more minutes.
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/ procedures /
Prevent potential hazards by knowing the basics:
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know what to do before leaving your home
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know how and when to shut off utilities
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beware of structural damage
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practice fire safety
Right before you leave your house
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Shut all windows and doors
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Leave lights on for vision in smokey conditions
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Leave a note with your name, phone# and expected destination
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Load your car and position it to go
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Shut off stove, furnace, air conditioner
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Move flammable items away from house
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Connect and turn off garden hoses
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Leave early to avoid getting trapped in hazardous conditions
Utility shutoffs
A major earthquake may break gas pipes, electrical lines and water lines, resulting in explosions, fires, contaminated water, and loss of critically needed water. Have the proper tools on hand and teach your family how to shut off utilities.
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Gas
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Locate your natural gas meter
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Find the shut-off valve
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Water
• Locate your water shutoff
• Ball valve - ​turn lever 90 degrees to the flow (pipe direction)
• Gate valve - turn wheel clockwise to shut off
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Electricity
On your circuit breaker panel shut off smaller circuits first, then the main. To turn back on, do the main first and then smaller circuits. On an older fuse box pull out the main block to shut off all circuits. Turn fuses counterclockwise to shut off individual circuits.
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Learn more about staying safe during outages sce.com/outage-center/preparing-for-outages?From=/mobileoutage
Sign up to receive alerts from Southern California Edison by texting keyword EDISON to (612) 225-9509
Download the app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store. For more information, visit sce.com/mobileoutage.
immediately following a disaster
Protect yourself and your family
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Check for injuries and give aid as needed from your emergency supplies kit.
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Retrieve and don gloves, sturdy shoes, adequate clothing for weather, eyeglasses, and flashlight to prepare for exploring your home and its surroundings.
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Check your utilities and home structure
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Check for fire. Use fire extinguisher and garden hose if water is available.
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Smell a gas leak? Turn off the main gas valve and open windows.
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If you smell hot insulation or an electrical odor, shut off the electricity at the panel.
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If you find leaking water, shut off the water at the main valve. Shut the main inlet and outlet valve to your water heater to preserve the water in the tank.
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Evacuate the home if walls are badly cracked/bowed/seriously altered, or if there is separation between walls and ceiling.
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Check on neighbors who are elderly, disabled, or with children
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Give priority to those who are most in need. Call out to neighbors from outside their house. Do not enter a home with major structural damage or smells of gas.
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Listen for news from the Emergency Alert System on your emergency radio.
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Go to a safe neighborhood gathering site if your home is structurally damaged
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Be prepared to volunteer your skills in first-aid, search/rescue, and child care.
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DDP and NART volunteers will set up on designated sites to gather information and provide emergency frequency communications.
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Post your “OK” or “HELP” sign in a visible location
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Print out the “OK” and “HELP” signs and have them on hand in an emergency. Post the relevant sign where it can be seen from the street.
/ prepare financially /
Americans at all income levels have experienced the challenges of rebuilding their lives after a disaster or other emergency. In these stressful times, having access to personal financial, insurance, medical and other records is crucial for starting the recovery process quickly and efficiently.
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Gather financial and critical personal, household and medical information in a Financial First Aid Kit.
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Consider saving money in an emergency savings account that could be used in any crisis. Keep a small amount of cash at home in a safe place. It is important to have small bills on hand because ATMs and credit cards may not work during a disaster when you need to purchase necessary supplies, fuel or food.
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Obtain property (homeowners or renters), health and life insurance if you do not have them. Not all insurance policies are the same. Review your policy to make sure the amount and types of coverage you have meets the requirements for all possible hazards. Homeowners insurance does not typically cover flooding or Earthquake, so you may need to purchase flood insurance from the National Flood Insurance Program and California Earthquake Insurance from California Earthquake Authority.
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For more helpful financial preparedness tips, download the Emergency Financial First Aid Kit (EFFAK) to get started planning today.
CAUTION: Be cautious about sharing personal financial information, such as your bank account number, social security number, or credit card number.
Do not click on links in texts or emails from people you don’t know. Scammers can create fake links to websites. Visit government websites directly in your internet browser.
additional emergency training
To best prepare for any emergency consider the following training:
American Red Cross First Aid/CPR & AED Training at
www.redcross.org/take-a-class/online-safety-classes/all-online-classes
Community Emergency Response Training (CERT) at
www.lafd.org/join/volunteer/CERT
Amateur Radio Classes at