Don't wait until the power goes out again - the Curry Pilot

http://www.currypilot.com/20100120114569/Opinion/Editorials/Dont-wait-until-the-power-goes-out-again

January 20, 2010 01:09 pm
Imagine a time when there was no such thing as Internet, e-mail, ATM and credit cards, cell phones or 911 service. Now think back further to a time when they was no electricity – no TV, refrigerators, electric heaters or water pumps.
How did people survive without such amenities?

Many Curry County residents found out Sunday as power went out from Port Orford to the California border for eight to 12 hours.

All it took was high winds – which are forecast to continue through Friday.
While Brookings-Harbor and the surrounding area escaped the brunt of the storm physically, individuals and businesses throughout the region found themselves unable to connect to the Internet, use e-mail, cell phones and fax machines. Shoppers had to use cash and write checks because ATM and credit card machines were inoperable.

Here at the Curry Coastal Pilot we couldn’t e-mail news alerts or post important information on our Web site for our readers. It was frustrating, to say the least.
We were also alarmed to hear that, during Sunday’s power outage, many motorists were not stopping at unlit intersections, placing other motorists in mortal danger. Oregon state law states that all interections where traffic lights are inoperable are to be treated as four-way stops.

This week’s series of storms is showing just how vulnerable we and our technology are to Mother Nature’s malevolence. It’s important that we have the means to survive, for days if necessary, without power, Internet, cell phones and our credit cards.
This means having enough food, water, first aid kits, candles, batteries, flashlights, blankets, gas in the car and cash. If you don’t have these things, get them now before the power goes out again.

This wasn’t the first major storm of winter. It won’t be the last.

From snowflakes to earthquakesOregon City News

I used to espouse preparing for the worst-case scenario, a Cascadia Magnitude 9 earthquake for the western side of Oregon and a devastating tsunami along ...
http://www.oregoncitynewsonline.com/opinion/story.php?story_id=126393044494027400

Article by Jay Wilson, former Geological Hazards Specialist for Oregon Emergency Managment

Northwest becoming more quake-ready

Northwest becoming more quake-ready

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FEMA Encourages Volunteerism Through Citizen Corps

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- On January 18, Americans will volunteer in a Day of Service to honor Martin Luther King, Jr., transforming the federal holiday into a national day of volunteerism where people of all ages and backgrounds can come together to strengthen their community.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) encourages volunteerism and civic engagement for all-hazards emergency preparedness and resilience through its Citizen Corps program. This year, Citizen Corps Councils across the country have organized Day of Service volunteer preparedness activities such as assembling emergency preparedness kits to be delivered to the homebound, replenishing supplies at local food pantries, conducting health fairs with influenza prevention outreach and hosting emergency preparedness education classes.

FEMA’s Citizen Corps is the grassroots community preparedness and resilience movement that asks everyone in America to be an active participant in making themselves and their communities safer, stronger and better prepared to handle any emergency situation. Over 2,400 local communities nationwide have created Citizen Corps Councils to strengthen collaboration between government and civic leaders and to educate, train and involve the public in all-hazards emergency preparedness.

For more information about FEMA and Citizen Corps, visit http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&enid=bWFpbGluZ2lkPTY5MjUwMCZtZXNzYWdlaWQ9UFJELUJVTC02OTI1MDAmZGF0YWJhc2VpZD0xMDAxJnNlcmlhbD0xMjE1NjUzOTE2JmVtYWlsaWQ9amJhaWxleUBvZW0uc3RhdGUub3IudXMmdXNlcmlkPWpiYWlsZXlAb2VtLnN0YXRlLm9yLnVzJmV4dHJhPSYmJg==&&&100&&&http://www.fema.gov/ and http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&enid=bWFpbGluZ2lkPTY5MjUwMCZtZXNzYWdlaWQ9UFJELUJVTC02OTI1MDAmZGF0YWJhc2VpZD0xMDAxJnNlcmlhbD0xMjE1NjUzOTE2JmVtYWlsaWQ9amJhaWxleUBvZW0uc3RhdGUub3IudXMmdXNlcmlkPWpiYWlsZXlAb2VtLnN0YXRlLm9yLnVzJmV4dHJhPSYmJg==&&&101&&&http://www.citizencorps.gov/.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Storm System to Hit North California and South Oregon

A series of winter storms are expected to batter California starting Sunday, and local forecasters say there likely will be significant amounts of rain and gusty winds in Southern Oregon and the Siskiyou Mountains, too.

National Weather Service forecasters in Medford said the weather system is expected to bring inches of rain and feet of snow to much of California, and it's large enough to reach at least as far north as the Siskiyous. Snow levels should be low enough to bring generous amounts of new snow to Mount Ashland and especially Mount Shasta.

A weather service advisory issued Friday in Sacramento spoke of "virtually a storm a day" from Sunday through next Friday, which could bring as much as 10 feet of snow in higher elevations of the Sierras by the end of next week.

The wet weather is expected to persist in the Siskiyous at least through Thursday, meteorologist Brett Lutz said.

You can read the whole article at http://m.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100116/NEWS/1160307&template=wapart

South, Northwest face storms

Friday, January 15, 2010

Storm clouds were expected to gather in the northern Gulf of Mexico today as low pressure began to develop off the coast of Texas.Low pressue was forecast to strengthen throughout the day, producing rain along the coast from Texas to the Florida Panhandle. Gusty winds could develop in the same region. The storm was forecast to move eastward overnight and begin a trek up the East Coast. It was expected to move into the ocean over the weekend.

A second storm was forecast today in the Northwest. A Pacific low pressue system was expected to move into the region near the Olympic Peninsula and bring heavy rain as it moved inland. The storm is anticipated to affect coastal Washington and bring heavy snowfall to the coastal mountain ranges. Rain was expected to spread into Oregon by midday.

Elsewhere, precipitation chances were relatively small. High pressure centered over the Great Basin was forecast to keep skies generally clear through the Rockies. While the western High Plains were expected to see partially overcast skies, no rain or snow was expected.Some cloud cover was expected in the Northeast, especially near the Great Lakes. With the exception of a few mountain snow flurries in New England, precipitation wasn't expected.

On Thursday, temperatures in the Lower 48 states ranged from a low of negative 13 degrees at Berlin, N.H., to a high of 78 degrees at Lake Forest, Calif.