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November 2011 PreparednessOREGONPreParedness Guide Helping you prepare for the unexpected November 2011 What Will the City do? The City of Lake Oswego will provide service at the highest levels possible during extreme winter weather events by: • Plowing main roads and the downtown transit core with all available equipment • Ensuring emergency calls are responded to • Responding to citizens in a timely manner • Keeping sidewalks and parking lots at open City buildings clear of snow and ice • Effectively communicating closures or changes in services • Posting closure information clearly on City buildings • Communicating regular updates by using the City website (www.ci.oswego.or.us) and facebook page, twitter, email distribution, list serves, and local media such as the Lake Oswego Review and the Oregonian • Identifying a warming center if needed Safety for the public and staff is important to all of us and we will be doing our part to provide the best service possible in any extreme condition. The current long range winter forecast for 2011-2012 is showing a particularly harsh winter for many parts of the U.S. including the Pacific Northwest, where forecasters expect the region to experience a very severe winter. Past severe winter storms have reminded us that a little preplanning can go a long way and that we all have a role in being prepared. While the ability to respond to emergencies is the City’s highest priority, inclement weather situations can delay fire, police and emergency medical services as well as increase demand. A few things that you can do to help us help you include: • Ensuring that your address is clearly visible and not covered with snow or ice • Clearing a path from your street to your front door • Having an emergency supply kit • Using flashlights instead of candles to help prevent fires • Being aware of carbon monoxide hazards from some outdoor heating devices used indoors • Be prepared - during some emergencies it can take more time for help to reach you helP us helP you emerGenCy PreParedness exPo - november 5 You are invited to a Lake Oswego Emergency Preparedness Expo 2011 on Saturday, November 5, from 1 to 5 p.m., at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 14903 Westlake Drive. Special Guest Speaker James Roddey, an award- winning educator formerly with the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries and current Director of Communications for the Oregon Chapters of the American Red Cross, will speak on The Big One! - A discussion about the inevitability of a major earthquake in the Pacific Northwest and how to prepare for it. Additional preparedness booths and presentations include: At this free event, learn how you can prepare today for the threats of tomorrow! Please contact Tom Horey at tomhorey@yahoo.com, for further information about this Expo. • 72 hr emergency kits • Neighborhood and family disaster planning • Financial planning • Power and heat in an emergency • Emergency communications (ham radios) • Pandemics • CPR • Child ID • Food and water storage • Canning and preserving • Gardening • Preplanning for final wishes • Wills/advanced directives • Cooking in the dark Know before you go... www.TripCheck.com The Lake OswegO Fire DeparTmenT wiLL cOme OuT TO any ciTizens hOme TO heLp insTaLL a smOke DeTecTOr, Or TO check On a smOke DeTecTOr ThaT has been chirping. it’s time to CheCk your smoke alarm! Smoke kills...Most fire deaths and injuries are caused by smoke, not flames. They occur at night while victims are asleep. Smoke alarms won’t prevent fires, but they will increase your chances of getting out and calling the fire department. Working smoke alarms more than double your chance of surviving a fire. Oregon’s Smoke Alarm Law requires all smoke alarms sold in the state to have a 10 year lithium battery with a hush feature. If your smoke alarms are ten years old or older you, should replace them with the new 10 year lithium battery smoke detector. If your smoke alarm is less than 10 years old, take time to press the test button and make sure it works. You should do this every month. Newer smoke alarms have long-life batteries that you don’t need to change every year. Single family dwellings are required to have smoke alarms, per the Building Code, at the time of construction. The minimum requirements are that smoke alarms must be installed outside each sleeping area, such as in a hallway. If the home has more than one level a smoke alarm must be installed on each level. The Lake Oswego Fire Department recommends adding smoke alarms to each bedroom for additional protection. In addition, the Lake Oswego Fire Department encourages families to make a home fire escape plan and practice it. Oregon’s beautiful scenery is a year-round source of enjoyment. Driving in Oregon’s winters, however, can be challenging. Arrive safely at your destination by following these recommendations: • Before you go, visit www.TripCheck.com or call 5-1-1 for the latest in road conditions, weather forecast, chain requirements, and incident information. • Let someone know your destination, your route, and when you expect to arrive. If your car gets stuck along the way, help can be sent along your predetermined route. Check in when you’ve reached your destination. • Don’t use cruise control in wet, icy or snowy weather. • Keep your car’s gas tank full for emergency use and to keep the fuel line from freezing. • Put together a separate disaster supplies kit for the trunk of each car used by members of your household. If you should become stranded during a winter storm, these items will make you more comfortable until the storm passes. travelinG this Winter? • Several blankets or sleeping bags • Rain gear and extra sets of dry clothing, mittens, socks, and a wool cap • Extra newspapers for insulation • Plastic bags for sanitation • Canned fruit, nuts, and high energy “munchies.” Non-electric can opener if necessary • Several bottles of water. Eating snow will lower your body temperature. If necessary, melt it first • Cans of broth or soup • A small shovel, a pocket knife, and small tools, such as pliers, a wrench, and screwdriver • A small sack of sand for generating traction under wheels, a set of tire chains or traction mats • Jumper cables • A first aid kit and neces- sary medications • A flashlight with extra batteries • A candle in a metal can or other fireproof container. While candles are generally not recommended in disaster situations, having one in your car can be a source of heat and light if you are stranded • Matches • Cards, games, and puzzles • A brightly colored cloth to tie to the antenna The kiT shOuLD incLuDe: Make sure you know where the main shut-off valve for your plumbing is located and how to turn it off. If you need help locating your water shut-off valve or turning off your water at the meter, call Lake Oswego Public Works Operations at 503-635-0280. While winter doesn’t officially start until December 21, Lake Oswego has already experienced some cold nights. As temperatures dip below freezing, exposed or shallow buried pipes may be at risk of freezing and bursting, resulting in problems when warmer temperatures return. Property owners are responsible for maintaining plumbing from their meter to throughout their house. To help prevent frozen and bursting pipes, take a few preventative measures before the freezing temperatures arrive: • Drain your irrigation system or have it “blown out” using an air compressor. • Insulate valves/backflow equipment. • Cover hose bibs with Styrofoam covers and wrap free standing garden spigots in weatherproof insulation or pipe insulation to at least 8” below ground. • Close foundation vents to keep cold air from getting under the house and damaging exposed pipes. • Keep minimal heat on in a vacant house. Or, if you are leaving the house for an extended period of time, set your thermostat to between 50 and 60 degrees to maintain sufficient indoor temperature to protect appliances and indoor pipes in the kitchen, bathrooms, laundry room, or any other room with water or drain lines. • Wrap water heaters that are in unheated parts of the house to prevent freezing and to save energy. • Drain water features/ponds to avoid damage to liners and materials. If your water feature is used in the winter, make sure the water is continually flowing to prevent freezing. • During the worst freezing weather, let a thin stream of water run from the faucets located farthest from the street and open cabinet doors under the sinks. If a water pipe freezes: • Do not try to thaw pipes with an open flame of any kind. • Shut off the water at the main shut-off valve. • Open faucets. • Gradually warm the frozen pipe by one of the following methods: expose the area to inside heat; use a blow dryer; wrap the pipe with a heating pad; beam a heat lamp eight inches or more from the pipe; or wrap the pipe with rags and pour hot water on it. If a water pipe bursts • Turn off the water at the main shut-off valve. • Open all the faucets. • Place a bucket underneath the leak until the pipe can be repaired. • Call a plumber. insulate your PiPes ProjeCt alert & Codered The Adult Community Center (ACC), in partnership with the Police and Fire Departments, has developed a program for older adults living in Lake Oswego. Project Alert provides a daily call to participants during times of emergencies and provides assistance as needed. When the program is activated, ACC volunteers make daily calls to each registered participant. Special needs and concerns are relayed to ACC staff for follow- up. This program operates only during times of emergencies, such as prolonged heat, severe winter storms, and power outages. For more information or to register, visit www. ci.oswego.or.us/acc or call 503-635-3758. Project Alert is in addition to CodeRED the City’s emergency notification system which distributes emergency messages via telephone, text or email to registered participants in the community at a rate of 1,000 calls per minute. To be added to this emergency call list, register online at www.ci.oswego.or.us (click on the CodeRED sign up link) or call the Citizen Information Center at 503-635-0257. Registration is confidential, free, and easy. OREGON Emergency Information: 503-635-0257 www.ci.oswego.or.us/EmergencyManagement City of Lake Oswego - Citizen Information Center 503-635-0257, www.ci.oswego.or.us City facility closure information Lake Oswego Public Works Operations 503-635-0280 City Operations information including plowing plan, broken City water pipes, downed trees, storm drain blockage and sewer overflows Allied Waste of Lake Oswego 503-636-3011, www.lakeoswego.disposal.com Garbage and recycling information PGE - 503-228-6322 Electrical outages or downed power lines NW Natural Gas - 503-226-4211 Line locates or if you smell gas Police - 503-635-0238 (Non-Emergency)911 in case of emergency Fire - 503-635-0275 (Non-Emergency)911 in case of emergency TriMet - 503-238-7433 press “2”Bus routes, schedules and snow delay information Lake Oswego School District 503-534-2000, www.loswego.k12.or.us School closure information The City will use all available equipment to clear main roads for emergency responders, vehicles, and pedestrian safety. Once main roads are addressed, maintenance crews will focus on other streets, if possible. For questions or concerns, call Lake Oswego Public Works Operations at 503-635-0280. reCyClinG and GarbaGe To help ensure the safety of the public and its employees, if extreme weather conditions occur, Allied Waste may delay garbage and recycling collection services. Services will continue the following day if conditions improve. If conditions do not improve and your collection is missed, please store material on your property until your next regularly scheduled collection day. A double amount will be collected at no additional charge. For questions regarding service, visit Allied Waste at www.lakeoswego.disposal.com or call 503-636-3011. numbers you need to knoW PloWinG routes Often it is the simplest of things that prevent a minor problem from turning into a huge frustration or a crisis. In addition to a good supply of food (for humans and pets), water, good flashlights and plenty of batteries, having the following items easily accessible can help you weather the storm: • A shovel to keep your home accessible when there is snow, ice or piles from plowing on sidewalks, walkways and driveways • Traction aids for your car and feet - sand, gravel, or kitty litter as well as good snow/warm shoes or traction devices to clip on your shoes • Chains, snow tires or a 4 wheel/ all wheel drive car that has plenty of gas; or a plan to use TriMet • An alternative heat source or dry wood for the fireplace (with a clean fireplace and chimney) • Prescription medications and necessary over-the-counter items • Internet access to work, school/ work projects and key contacts PrePare to minimize your stress