Yuba County Office of Emergency Services MANGING OUR EMERGENCIES TOGETHER

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1 MANGING OUR EMERGENCIES TOGETHER PREPAREDNESS STARTS WITH YOU When a disaster strikes, will you and your family be ready? You could be at work, at school, in the car or in another state. Will you know how to find each other? Is your family safe? Has transportation been arranged for family members with access and functional needs? Disasters disrupt hundreds of thousands of lives every year. Each disaster has lasting effects, both to people, property and communities. If a disaster occurs, local emergency management personnel and disaster-relief organizations will respond, however you need to be prepared. Local first responders and emergency services may not be able to reach you immediately. You need to be self-sufficient for at least three days. This means providing for your own first-aid, food, heat, sanitation, shelter, and water. Prepare and practice a personal or family disaster plan. A 72 hour disaster preparedness kit should contain but is not limited to the following: Portable weather radio and extra batteries First aid kit One complete change of clothes Supply of prescription medications Credit card and cash Special need items 3-day supply of Non-Perishable foods Sanitation and hygiene items Sleeping bags and blankets Matches in a waterproof container Map of area and emergency contacts Flashlight and extra batteries Talk to your neighbors to discuss how the neighborhood can work together before, during and after a disaster. Know your neighbors skills such as medical or technical. Consider how you would help neighbors who have special needs such as elderly, the disabled or others who may need assistance. 1

2 FLOOD PREPAREDNESS High water events have been a common occurrence in the County of Yuba, dating back to the mid 1800 s, causing significant flooding on many occasions. With significant improvements to strengthen the levee system within the County, residents still need to be vigilant in being prepared for a flood or high water event, as these improvements to the system are not a guarantee against levee system failures. Floods are the most common and widespread of all natural hazards. Most floods develop over a period of days, but flash floods can result in rapid rising waters in just a few minutes. Be aware of flood hazards, especially if you live in low-lying areas or near waterways, which can rise rapidly. Preparing for Flood Season: - Review and practice your disaster plan. - Refresh your 72 hour disaster supply kit. - Know how to shut off electricity, gas and water at main switches and valves of your home. -Consider purchasing flood insurance. Home owners insurance does not cover damage from flood waters. Take the initiative to protect your home and or business by obtaining flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program. For further information visit: During heavy rains: Flash flooding can occur. If so, move immediately to higher ground. Do not wait for instructions to move. Be aware of streams, drainage channels, canyons, and other areas known to fill quickly. Flash floods can occur in these areas with or without typical warnings. Be prepared to evacuate: Listen to radio or television stations for local information KSTE 92.5 AM KMYC 1410 AM KFBK 1530 AM KUBA 1600 AM KGBY 92.5 FM KMJE 101.5FM KKCY 103.1FM Secure your home and move essential items to an upper floor if available and time permits. Turn off electricity, gas and water at the main switches or valves of your home. 2

3 Evacuation Order: You may be notified of the need to evacuate through the County telephone notification system, known as W.A.R.N., by door to door notification and/or through the emergency alert system, via television and radio. Stay calm and follow instructions. Activate your personal or family disaster plan and notify family members you are evacuating your home. Try to avoid all moving water, as depths can be deceiving and can easily wash a person away. Do not drive into flooded areas. If floodwaters rise around your car and you cannot leave, abandon the car and move to higher ground. Six inches of water may reach the bottom of some passenger cars causing loss of control and possible stalling. A foot of water may float some vehicles. Two feet of rushing water can carry away most vehicles including sport utility vehicles (SUV s) and pick-ups. WILD LAND FIRE PREPAREDNESS The threat of wildfires in the county is moderate to high, based on where you live. Dry conditions throughout the county from late Spring to late Fall increase the potential for wildfires. Using weed eaters, lawn mowers and other like tools in the early morning helps to reduce the likelihood of starting a fire. Protecting your home from wildfire is your responsibility. To reduce the risk, you'll need to consider the fire resistance of your home, the topography of your property and the nature of the vegetation close by. Preparing for Fire Season Create safety zones around structures. All vegetation is fuel for a wildfire, though some trees and shrubs are more flammable than others. To reduce the risk, you will need to modify or eliminate brush, trees and other vegetation near your home. The greater the distance is between your home and the vegetation, the greater the protection. Keep the volume of vegetation in this zone to a minimum. If you live on a hill, extend the zone on the downhill side. Fire spreads rapidly uphill. The steeper the slope, the more open space you will need to protect your home. Swimming pools and patios can be a safety zone and stone walls can act as heat shields and deflect flames. In this zone, you should also do the following: - Create LEAN, CLEAN and GREEN by removing all flammable vegetation within feet immediately surrounding your home. 3

4 - Stack woodpiles at least 30 feet from all structures and remove vegetation within 10 feet of woodpiles. - Prune branches and shrubs within 15 feet of chimneys and stove pipes. - Thin a 15-foot space between tree crowns. - Remove tree limbs at least 6 feet of the ground. - Remove dead leaves and needles from your roof, gutters or other dead vegetative growth. - Maintain any tree adjacent to or overhanging any building free of dead or dying wood. - Remove vines from the walls of the house. - Move shrubs and other landscaping away from the sides of the house. - Replace highly flammable vegetation such as pine, eucalyptus, junipers and fir trees with lower growing, less flammable species. Check with your local fire department or garden store for suggestions. - Keep the weed and vegetation in the non-landscaped areas around your home, such as open fields, short. - Replace vegetation that has living or dead branches from the ground-level up (these act as ladder fuels for the approaching fire). - Watch grass and other vegetation near the driveway, a source of ignition from automobile exhaust systems. Know where your gas and electric shut-off controls are and how they operate. DO NOT shut off the water, as it may be needed for fire suppression. Purchase and know how to use a fire extinguisher for smaller fires in your home. Review and practice your personal or family disaster plan, including several evacuation routes from your home. Refresh your 72 hr disaster preparedness kit. Review your homeowner s insurance policy with your insurance agent or company to make sure that, if you are the victim of a wild fire disaster, you have enough coverage to rebuild your home and life. DURING A WILDFIRE If you are aware that a wildfire is threatening your community, listen to the radio and watch television for reports and evacuation information. You may be notified of the need to evacuate by the W.A.R.N. System, door to door notification and or the emergency alert system via television and radio, however if threatened, DO NOT WAIT, evacuate. Stay calm and follow instructions of local officials, as wild land fire behavior is unpredictable and if ordered to evacuate, do so immediately. - Try to wear protective clothing sturdy shoes, cotton or woolen clothing, long pants, a longsleeved shirt, gloves and a handkerchief to protect your face. 4

5 - Remember your 72 hour disaster preparedness kit. - Lock your home when you evacuate. - Notify your relatives that you have left and where you can be reached. - Leave a note on the door if possible to notify first responders you have evacuated. - Follow the evacuation route that your local officials have identified. If no official route has been identified, choose a route away from fire hazards. Watch for changes in the speed and direction of the fire and smoke. TAKE ADDITIONAL STEPS TO PROTECT YOUR HOME,ONLY IF TIME PERMITS - Close windows, vents, doors, venetian blinds and heavy drapes. - Shut off gas at the meter. Turn off pilot lights. - Move flammable furniture into the center of the home away from windows and sliding glass doors. - Turn on a light in each room to increase the visibility in heavy smoke. - Seal attic and ground vents. - Turn off propane tanks. - Connect the garden hose to outsides taps. - Wet the roof and shrubs within 15 feet of the home. - Gather fire tools, including a rake, axe, hand/chainsaw, bucket and shovel in front of your home to be used by fire services if needed. AFTER A WILDFIRE STRIKES Listen to and follow the advice and recommendations of local officials, such as law enforcement and fire services.. They will coordinate with utility companies and let you know when it is safe to return to your home. When you return home, consider the following. Check for hazards, such as gas leaks and electrical shorts. Turn off any damaged utilities. Request assistance from the utility companies to turn you utilities back on when the area is secured, if needed. PEOPLE WITH DIABILITIES AND OTHER ACCESS AND FUNCTIONAL NEEDS You are in the best position to plan for your own safety as you know your functional abilities and possible needs during and after an emergency or disaster situation. You can help yourself by preparing in advance. - Create a personal support network that can assist you prepare before, during and after a disaster. 5

6 - Make a list of your personal daily living necessities and your resources for meeting them. - Contact your local emergency services or health department and ask about assistance programs. - Arrange for transportation if needed, from a friend, relative or neighbor. If you need transportation during an evacuation and you have no other means, contact your local law enforcement. - Develop a 72 hour disaster supply kit. - Prepare for an evacuation and have necessary special equipment, medications and supplies readily available. - Get connected with local organizations that assist and support those with access and functional needs, including the support of Service Animals. Working Together We have briefly covered preparedness and evacuation plans, for individuals and families alike in case of wild fires and high water or flood events as they are the most common significant events which have historically occurred in Yuba County. Taking ownership of being prepared with a personal or family safety and evacuation plan will aid you and your family in being prepared for other possible events which may occur. As we continue our on-going preparedness efforts in the County of Yuba, the Cities of Marysville and Wheatland, along with the Special Districts, private non-profits, volunteer and nongovernmental organizations, we need your help and ask that you take the time to prepare yourself and family, in the event of an emergency or disaster, so together we can be successful in managing our emergencies together as a community. Emergency Contact Information: Emergencies Call 911 Yuba County Sheriff s Department Maryville Police Department Wheatland Police Department Yuba County Office of Emergency Services main 6

7 Bi-County Ambulance Service Online Resources Department of Homeland Security California Emergency Management Ready America Federal Emergency Management Agency Online resources for People with Disabilities This brochure paper is also translated in Spanish and Hmong. Please visit this website: Para información en Español visite: Cov ntaub ntawm muaj nyob ua lus Hmoob thiab: 7