Kirkland Highlands Real Estate Buzz

If there’s a disaster in Kirkland, will you know what to do?  I wrote about the city’s  website focus on disaster preparedness in The Kirkland Reporter about a month ago.  Here’s the information from the article about the new and improved disaster preparedness component of the city website.

The city showed it is currently preparing for “the big one” –or even a “small one” — by last summer hiring Stephanie Day, a long-time city employee, to fill the position of emergency preparedness coordinator. Stephanie has worn a number of hats at the city and brings years of experience to the table.

She and Robin Paster, community education and information specialist, recently rolled out the new and improved version of the emergency preparedness link on the Kirkland city site.  Day’s first order of business has been to update the emergency preparedness link on the city Web site. There’s a lot of disaster preparedness information scattered all over the internet and it can be a daunting and a time-consuming search.
In an attempt to consolidate this information, the site will have two components: one section for before a disaster, and a second for critical information during and after a disaster.  From the city’s home page at www.ci.kirkland.wa.us, find the “Disaster Preparedness Tips” button. The black button will lead you to a great “one-stop shop” for disaster preparedness and relief information. If you’re at a loss as to how to prepare for a disaster, here’s everything you’ve wanted to know. All sorts of information can be found here, such as recommendations for assembling or purchasing a disaster preparedness kit, sheltering in place during a disaster and pet preparedness. So kick back and pour yourself a cup of coffee. Spend some time on the Kirkland Web site and get ready for a disaster. It’s never too early to be prepared, but it can be too late.

The site also includes links to the Regional Public Information Network (RPIN), Federal Emergency Management Administration, local Ham radio operators, the National Weather Service and other pertinent sites.

During my meeting with Ms. Day, I asked if she had any interesting safety tips to pass along to Kirklanders. Here’s some of what she recommended:

Keep small bills in a safe place
in case of an emergency. Imagine
spending $20 for water if all
you had was $20 bills.

Keep a wrench in a plastic bag
(to prevent rust) next to your
gas shut-off so you’ll be ready
to turn off the gas if needed.

However, don’t shut your gas
off unless you hear or smell
something. You can’t turn the
gas back on without the utility
company’s assistance — and it
could be a long wait!

Keep at least half a tank of
gas in your car at all times.

Take that heavy family heirloom
off the top shelves.

Grandma’s vase could be a
missile during an earthquake.

Bolt or strap heavy furniture
to the wall to prevent it from
toppling.

Know where your water shutoff
is located.

Have at least one corded telephone
in your home. A cordless
phone or cell phone may
not work during a disaster.

The second part of the emergency preparedness site is the new red button labeled Emergency Bulletins. This will take you to the section of the Web site specifically dedicated to information regarding actual emergency events, such as the Dec. 2-3 flooding. All information relating to a specific disaster will be consolidated in this section. During an emergency, townspeople will be able to find out where to go for shelter or whom to contact about home damage.
Here’s a final thought many of us do not think about: In a disaster, the police and fire
departments will respond to the most serious and major disasters. They don’t have the resources to take care of everyone all at once. It will be up to you as an individual to take the first step and be prepared. If you are in your home or car, you may be on your own for a few days. In a major disaster, you may need to fend for yourself
for up to a week.
This link: www.govlink.org/3days3ways/business.html, is another site that can help you prepare. So head down to your favorite coffee bar and grab that grande latte with two shots and spend some time learning what you need to do to be prepared.
It’s up to you.