Emergency Preparedness Tips - Be Ready for Planned and Unplanned Events

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Palos Verdes Estates has its own unique set of risks that require safety plans.  Use these resources as a starting place to make an informed plan.  
 
Emergency challenges PVE Residents should be planning for:  
  • Aging power lines and equipment with unplanned outages occur due to equipment failure or high winds and falling tree branches
  • PVE is a designated High-Risk Fire Zone and subject to fire concerns
  • Our City is slightly remote and there are limited exit points
  • PVE has lots of parkland and open space that contain wildlife, large trees and brush

Start or Enhance Your Emergency & Disaster Preparedness Today!
Any time of the year is a good time to do a quick check on your emergency preparedness for fire, earthquake and power outages. Remember to think of your home, property, family, pets and business when making your plan.

7 Quick Tips to Be Prepared for an Emergency 
 
Will you be prepared for planned or unplanned outages or emergencies? Will you have lights? Heat? Charged phones? Cooking capabilities? Food?  Use this simple checklist as a way to begin to put things in place to be able to survive even the shortest of emergencies.

  • Smoke & CO Detector Check:  Verify that your detectors are operational. Replace batteries, replace or install equipment, as needed. Cal Fire suggests testing smoke/CO detectors when we change our clocks.  
  • Keep Phones Charged:  Get in the habit of charging your devices overnight and throughout the day. A mobile device battery is inexpensive and provide extra support if extended power supply is needed. 
  • Plan Multiple Escape Routes Whether you need to evacuate from your home or the City, plan a few exit routes and practice them with your family.  Whether a true emergency or a tree has fallen on your main route, having alternatives is key.  
  • Create a “Bug Out Bag” for your family and pets. Assemble essentials for a quick evacuation from your home for 24 – 72 hours. Consider the families who had to evacuate with barely any notice for fires in their neighborhoods. What would you take? What would you need? Where would you go? Thinking ahead will allow you and your family to make quick decisions and create more calm and confidence for your family.  
  • Build Your Earthquake Kit:  We never know if water, power, gas or Internet will be out. Outages could be planned, unplanned, or a true emergency. What things would your family and pets need to survive at home for a few hours up to 3 days? 
  • Create Defensible Space from Fire:  Clear your brush within 100 feet of your property. If it is your property, a weed whacker can do this quickly. If it’s on City property, contact the City Hall or the Fire Department for assistance.  Fire moves more quickly uphill and with a breeze.  Take steps to ensure your home is protected.
  • Consider an Emergency Generator: This may be a longer-term solution, but something to think about.  There are various choices, pros and cons and maintenance required. This topic will be covered in more detail in a future article 
If you start working on these items and you’ll be in a better place for safety and preparedness. If you have children, make it fun for the whole family to learn and complete the tasks. 

Find more details in the reference links at the bottom of the page.  Local, County and National organizations have provided a number of videos, checklists and guides to help you and your family be prepared for disasters and emergencies of all types.  

* The tips and information on this page are provided as a service to PVE Residents as a way to help protect them from harm. We have done our best to get this information from reliable sources.  Residents should take steps to confirm if these are right for their situation.   

Make sure You are Ready for an Emergency or Disaster

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City Newsletter, Jan 2021:  

The City of Palos Verdes Estates has updated their Get Ready, Get Certified Preparedness Brochure with the Know The Drill Campaign.  The brochure has been mailed to homes and businesses in Palos Verdes Estates.

The brochure will walk you through the steps to prepare your family, and maybe even the neighbors, for an emergency. 

​If you can't wait to get started, go to www.KnowTheDrill.org today. Visit the site often for information on upcoming 2021 Zoom events with various instructors and guest presenters. If you need help to get started, give the the PVE City Hall a call at 310-750-9788.
For residents 65 or older, consider registering with PVE-CARES, the cities’ no-cost senior opt-in program. This was we can be aware of residents who may need additional help in an emergency.  

NOTE:  This program is sponsored by the City of PVE through grant funding.  Please contact the City for further infomation.  

Resources for Preparing Your Home, Property, Family AND Business

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​Use these resources listed below to prepare for planned and unplanned power outages, disasters and emergencies.  Many of these were mentioned at our recent Emergency Preparedness Forum held October 2020.


PVE City Emergency Preparedness Support Programs
Presented by Marcelle Herrera, PVE Emergency Services Coordinator & Community Relations Officer
pve_emergency_prep_presentation_10-21-20.pdf
File Size: 5424 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Water:  Your Family’s Most Important Emergency Supply
Presented by Steve Friedrich, former DDP Lead and Emergency Preparedness Advocate
water_for_emergencies_2020-10-21.pdf
File Size: 3891 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Is Obtaining a Portable Power Generator Right for You?  
Presented by Karen Logan, PVE Neighborhood Watch Area Coordinator, Valmonte
power_generator_information.pdf
File Size: 1933 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
HOME Podcasts on Emergency Preparation Information

Dean Sharp, local radio show host, builder and home designer, has podcasts on a number of safety topics.  These resources are provided for additional educational information and not as an endorsement.  Each of these episodes has been listened to and thought to be of value for PVE residents.  Many of these tips have been tested by PVE residents and found helpful in preparing for emergencies.  
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  • ​Emergency Power (Hours 1 and 2) provide helpful infomation on how to calculate what level of power you need, what type of power generators are available and hints on how to select one for your family. (1/2021)
  • ​How to Map and Label Your Electrical System provides easy instructions for being ready for a power outage or power upgrade. Its helpful to know and clearly label your circuit breaker box.  (4/2020)
  • Fire Season Prep 2020 provides ways that homeowners can "harden" their homes and landscaping to make them more resistant to fire.  Many are inexpensive and easy to implement.  (8/2020)
  • Staying Safe During a Fire provides additional fire safety information you can use on your home and landscape (9/2020)
  • ​I Always Feel Like Someone's Watching provides information about security systems, what attracts burglars and more. (7/2019) 
Emergency Preparation Resources* The tips and information on this page are provided as a service to PVE Residents as a way to help protect them from harm. We have done our best to get this information from reliable sources.  Residents should take steps to confirm if these are right for their situation.