Prepared in Partnership between Desert Hot Springs Emergency Preparedness CERT Committee and the Palm Springs Unified School District
www.DHSEPCERT.org – Email: DHSCERT@gmail.com
When a disaster occurs it is important to get as much information as possible as soon as possible. Your television or radio must be turned on. Listen for information about the emergency. Never call 911 to for information about an emergency. Only call 911 if you are injured or need assistance. There are different types of sheltering, and different types are appropriate for different disasters. It is important to take the proper steps to prepare for loss of water, power, heat, shelter and communications, when disasters happen. Roads may be blocked or the air is contaminated or one on many other reasons to shelter.
Sheltering In Place
“Shelter-in-place” means to take immediate shelter where you are—at home, work, school, or in between. It may also mean “seal the room;” in other words, take steps to prevent outside air from coming in. This is because local authorities may instruct you to “shelter-in-place” if chemical or radiological contaminants are released into the environment. Taking appropriate shelter is critical in times of disaster. Sheltering outside the hazard area could include staying with friends and relatives, seeking commercial lodging or staying in a mass care facility operated by disaster relief groups.
To effectively shelter, you must first consider the hazard and then choose a place in your home or other building that is safe for that hazard. The safest locations to seek shelter vary by hazard. Be informed about the sheltering suggestions for each hazard. If you are told to shelter in place you should close all doors and windows and shut off fans and air conditioners. Move to a room with as few doors and windows as possible. Myth: I don’t need to worry about disasters where I live.
The length of time you will be required to shelter may be short or long. This depends on the nature of the disaster. It is important that you stay in shelter until local authorities say it is safe to leave. Additionally, you should take turns listening to radio broadcasts and maintain a 24-hour safety watch. During extended periods of sheltering, you will need to manage water and food supplies to ensure you and your family have the required supplies and quantities.
At home:
- Choose a room in advance for your shelter. The best room is one with as few windows and doors as possible. A large room, with a water supply, is desirable—something like a master bedroom that is connected to a bathroom.
- Contact your workplaces, your children’s schools, nursing homes where you may have family and your local town or city officials to find out what their plans are for “shelter-in-place.”
- Find out when warning systems will be tested. When tested in your area, determine whether you can hear or see sirens and/or warning lights from your home.
- Develop your own family emergency plan so that every family member knows what to do. Practice it regularly.
- Assemble a disaster supplies kit that includes emergency water and food supplies.
At work
- Help ensure that the emergency plan and checklist involves all employees. Volunteers or recruits will be assigned specific duties during an emergency. Alternates will be assigned to each duty.
- The shelter kit needs be checked on a regular basis. Duct tape and first aid supplies will disappear when all employees know where the shelter kit is stored. Batteries for the radio and flashlight must be replaced regularly.
In general
- Learn CPR, first aid and the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED). (Contact your local American Red Cross chapter for more information.)
Sealing a room is a way to protect yourself from contaminants in the air for a short period of time until the contaminants dissipate. You should identify an internal room in your home, at work, or other locations where you spend a great deal of time. If sheltering-in-place is needed, you will be in this room for only a few hours, but it is important that you be able to seal the room quickly. Storing items in the room is helpful. You should have snacks and water; a battery-operated radio, a flashlight, and pre-cut plastic sheeting and duct tape to seal off vents, door, and window openings.
Shelter for extended stay:
Meaning that you will stay where you are for several days or, in the case of a pandemic, you may be asked to limit your time outside the home for up to 2 weeks. It is important to store emergency supplies for these possibilities. When people are displaced for their homes, emergency shelters will be opened . In most areas emergency shelters are operated by the American Red Cross. The Red Cross will provide: a cot to sleep on, meals and bottled water, a nurse for basic medical care and information about the disaster for the public officials.
You may need to bring:
- Pillow and blanket
- Your own medication and medical supplies (or a list of what you are taking, dosage, and doctor’s name)
- Identification
- Change of clothes
- Cards or magazines
- Comfort items
- Weapons, alcohol and pet (except for service animals) are not allowed at shelters.
Authored by: David Nunn, Desert Hot Springs Emergency Preparedness CERT Committee
Contributing sources: Ready.gov – Riverside County – Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Basic Training Manual -Columbus Journal – March 27, 2017 Issue – CDC Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Note: www.Do1Thing.com The website offers a 12-step program, with one step to complete each month, in an effort to prepare individuals, businesses and communities for all hazards and to become disaster resilient.
