By Lois Requist

The recent fires in Santa Rosa, Napa, and other nearby communities, as well as a question from one of our members, made us think about preparation for a disaster of any kind—an earthquake, an industrial accident, or any crisis here in town. While we aren’t nestled up against hills, and so have less danger of a fire storm of the magnitude these other communities experienced, we certainly aren’t immune from disaster. The question is, are we prepared? A large percentage of the people who died in those fires were seniors, who possibly had trouble responding and getting out of their homes.
I had a conversation with Acting Fire Chief Josh Chadwick about this matter. He said, “We don’t have a written evacuation plan for the city, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have one.” A plan is being written and should be finished in early 2018.
Although Carquinez Village doesn’t provide emergency services, we can provide our members and other seniors in town with information about how to be aware of the need and do some planning for the day we hope never comes.
The first thing we should all do is sign on to Benicia’s emergency alert system. Register at www.AlertBenicia.org. I did it this morning. It took just a few minutes to give the information, set up a password (yes, another one of those), and be registered with the city, to be notified either by email, text, or telephone of an emergency. I believe they send out other notifications also, not of an emergency nature, but helpful information to have.
The Valero incident in May of this year, resulted in our being advised to shelter In place. We were also told to stay indoors when the October fires made the air very hazardous. In those and other possible situations, having enough water, medicine, and food on hand could be important.
Particularly those who live alone, don’t drive, or need help getting around, should be the first to put a plan in place. What resources might you call on—your church, neighbors, friends, and family? Which of those are possibilities for you? Acting Fire Chief Chadwick mentioned that the plan may include an “immobile” list, where those who can’t leave on their own can be registered. I asked about the security of that list. Someone had already asked what might happen if that list ended up in the wrong hands. “It certainly isn’t made public. It would be at the fire house,” Chadwick said. We agreed that, these days, everyone must be aware of the issues with security of all kinds. In this case, one would have to decide whether or not enrolling was worth the slight risk.
Of course, not only seniors need to prepare. Everyone needs to think about a disaster plan. When I was at the firehouse, I picked up a pamphlet titled “Your Family Disaster Plan.” I suggest you pick one up. It’s about creating a plan, having a checklist, and more. Have you thought what you would need if you had to leave in a hurry?
So, there’s good news and bad here. Carquinez Village doesn’t have a direct and simple solution. But we’ll do what we can to make people aware. We’d like to team with other organizations in town like the Senior Center and the Community Action Council to provide information to the wider community. You can register with the city, develop a plan, and be prepared for what could happen.
Carquinez Village can help seniors in many ways, whether it’s a ride when they need it, or a friendly face when that is called for. Visit our website, carquinezvillage.org or call 707-297-2472 to learn more about us. We’re all about connecting, supporting, and inspiring seniors. We’d like to team up with you to make the rest of your life the best it can be!

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