Get Ready Santa Barbara!
Send a Message in 2010,
Be Prepared…
Daylight Savings Time Started Sunday March 14th! Did you remember to change the batteries in your smoke detectors?
Working smoke detectors can decrease the risk of fatalities by nearly 50%, by providing an early warning and critical extra seconds to escape in the case of fire. Though 82% of homes in the U.S. have smoke detectors, nearly one-third of those do not work because of worn or missing batteries.
Other Semi-Annual Reminders:
Ÿ Check and replace the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) detectors.
Ÿ Check the AGE of your detectors! Replace any smoke alarms older than ten years. Replace any CO alarms older than five years.
Ÿ Prepare a disaster supply kit for your house (water, food, flashlights, batteries, blankets).
Ÿ Once you've created your home disaster kit, use the semi-annual time change to check its contents. Replace expired food/water, test and replace flashlight batteries, and check and properly discard expired medications. Click here for medical disposal brochure.
Ÿ It's a good idea to carry a car-emergency kit in your car year-round, but be sure to add cold-weather gear to your general car-emergency kit each fall. (Having a separate duffle/gear bag clearly marked "Cold Gear" specifically for your cold weather emergency gear makes it easy to add or take out of the car, seasonally.)
Ÿ Check home and outbuilding storage areas for hazardous materials. Discard (properly, please) any which are outdated, no longer used, or in poor condition. Move any which are within reach of kids or pets.
March Newsletter Features
- Secure It Now! – Make Your Property Safer
- Local Disaster History – 1998 California Floods
- Disaster Focus – Tsunami: Threat to Santa Barbara, Tsunami Response Steps, and What Santa Barbara’s Doing to Be Tsunami Ready
- Disaster Update - January 2010 Haiti Earthquake
BULLETINS:
· Click here for current rainfall.
· Sand Bag Information
For information on City of Santa Barbara Sand Bags please click on:
City of Santa Barbara Sand Bag Policy/Póliza de Sacos de Arena
County of Santa Barbara Sand Bag Information
County Flood Control Homeowners Guide for Flood Prevention and Response
· Click Here For Winter Extreme Cold Weather Tips
· Click Here for Information on Carbon Monoxide (CO) Poisoning and How to Protect You and Your Family
More Flood Preparedness Information
· City TV-18 Flood Preparedness Information Meeting Online Broadcast
· Neighborhood flood hazards and the Santa Barbara City 100 Year Flood Map:
Arroyo Burro/San Roque Upper
San Roque Area
Mission – Stanwood Area
Mission – Westside Area
Upper Sycamore Area
Lower Sycamore Area
Santa Barbara City 100-Year Flood Map
Santa Barbara County Flood Zone Look Up - Online Map Resource
· Flood Terms and Definitions by NOAA and USGS
Flood/Flash Flood Watch: Expected rainfall could cause creeks, streams and/or rivers to overflow. Conditions create a threat of flooding but the occurrence in not certain or imminent.
Flood Warning: Main rivers or important creeks are expected to reach or exceed flood stage. Flooding is imminent and there could be a serious threat to life or property near major creeks.
Flash Flood Warning: Flooding caused by heavy or excessive rainfall in a short period of time is occurring or imminent. Flash flood warnings can be issued as a result of torrential rains, a dam failure, or ice jam.
Debris Flow: A form of rapid mass movement in which a combination of loose soil, rock, organic matter, air, and water mobilize as a slurry that flows downslope.
Earthquakes in California
Check the latest earthquake activity in California and Nevada. USGS Map of Recent Earthquakes
Prepare your home before an earthquake!
· Bolt and secure your water heater, refrigerator, furnace, and gas appliances.
· Anchor overhead light fixtures and fasten shelves, mirrors, and large frames to the wall.
· With your family, locate earthquake safe spots in each room of your home, underneath a sturdy table or against an inside wall. Remind your family what to do during an earthquake – Drop, Cover, and Hold On!
H1NI Influenza Information
**Click here for new H1N1 Clinic Schedules for February and March
**Click here for Spanish
Please visit the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department’s H1N1 Influenza website www.sbcfluinfo.org. Download and review the County Public Health H1N1 flu information brochure with information on:
· Symptoms of H1N1 Flu/Sintomas de la Gripe H1N1
· Emergency Warning Signs/Senales de Advertencia
· What to Do if You Get the Flu/Que Hacer si Usted se Enferma con la Gripe
· Steps to Protect Yourself and Others/Medidas para Protegerse y Proteger a los Demas
Click on the link for the brochure in English or Español.