April is Earthquake Preparedness Month;

Red Cross Says Plan Ahead! Be Ready!  

NW REGION RED CROSS (April 2010) — The American Red Cross reminds Western Washington residents that April is Earthquake Preparedness month and a good time to plan for disasters. 

“Washington is not only known for its beautiful landscape, but for its earthquakes which can create widespread damage and extended power outages,” says Chuck Morrison, NW Region operations director. “This year we have seen catastrophic earthquakes in Haiti and Chile that will affect those countries for years.  We are really encouraging our community to take steps now to ready their families should a strong earthquake strike the Pacific Northwest. 

Steps To Prepare: 

1. Become aware of fire evacuation and earthquake plans for all of the buildings you occupy regularly.
2. Pick safe places in each room of your home, workplace and/or school. A safe place could be under a piece of furniture or against an interior wall away from windows, bookcases or tall furniture that could fall on you.
3. Practice drop, cover and hold on in each safe place. If you do not have sturdy furniture to hold on to, sit on the floor next to an interior wall and cover your head and neck with your arms.
4. Keep a flashlight and sturdy shoes by each person’s bed.
5. Bolt and brace water heaters and gas appliances to wall studs.
6. Bolt bookcases, china cabinets and other tall furniture to wall studs.
7. Hang heavy items, such as pictures and mirrors, away from beds, couches and anywhere people sleep or sit.
8. Install strong latches or bolts on cabinets. Large or heavy items should be closest to the floor.
9. Learn how to shut off the gas valves in your home and keep a wrench handy for that purpose.
10. Keep and maintain an emergency supplies kit in an easy ­to­ access location.
11. Have an out of state contact because local lines can be difficult to access during a disaster.  During a disaster, family members can call the contact person from out of state to report on their own status and check on others. A SMS text messages from a wireless communication device will often work if even if a cellular signal is not strong enough to make a voice call.  

For more information or to set up a disaster preparedness presentation for a community group, contact your local Red Cross Chapter.

 All American Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by voluntary gifts of time and money from the American people.  The Red Cross is not a government agency.  To help the victims of these and other disasters, you can contribute to the Disaster Relief Fund by sending a check to your local Snohomish County Chapter at 2530 Lombard Avenue, Everett, WA  98201, Islands County Chapter at 1150 SE Dock St. Oak Harbor, 360-675-2912 and 2900 T Avenue Anacortes, (360) 293-2911 or the Mt Baker Chapter at 2111 King St., Bellingham or Burlington Chapter Office, 160 Cascade Place #208, Burlington, (360)733-3290 X1017.