Brian's Blog
The Great California ShakeOut
The devastation caused by two major hurricanes in the southeastern U.S. reminds us of the need to plan and prepare to deal natural disasters. Of course, in our part of the country we are not too concerned about hurricanes. Our big risks are from earthquakes.
Our hearts and prayers go out to those who are dealing with terrible loss and devastation due to hurricanes. And we pray that we might never experience natural disasters on that scale. Yet wisdom dictates that we must be prepared! At Prince of Peace, we have quietly begun doing something about that.
Several months ago, we established a Disaster Preparedness committee (Bert Rosario, Ann Lowe, Kevin Fountain and me). We have been collaborating with several other parishes in a program of Disaster Resilience Planning. The program is helping us to understand the risks facing our community – whether from earthquakes, extreme heat, flooding or wildfires – and then to create a disaster-resilience plan.
We have begun doing some things to increase our resilience and the safety of our congregation. For example, the new windows recently installed in Taylor Hall are shatterproof. And we have submitted a grant application to treat the windows in the church building to make them safer in the event of earthquake.
The grant application also asks for heavy-duty, two-way radios so we can communicate quickly and safely between, for example, the church and the Sunday School team. First-aid kits have been inventoried and placed in designated locations. And there is more to do, including training for ushers.
As part of this ongoing Disaster Resilience effort, we at Prince of Peace are going to join with communities throughout the state to participate in an earthquake awareness event called The Great California ShakeOut.
So on Sunday, October 20th, we will have a brief information session during each service to acquaint ourselves with the “Seven Steps to Earthquake Safety.” Then on Sunday, October 27th, we will have a short earthquake drill in the sanctuary immediately after each service.
All of this reminds me that I also need to look at my family’s earthquake plan. It would be a good idea for all of us. Let’s get ready to ShakeOut!
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