Tehachapi News

Seniors shaken; Stirred to action

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The Tehachapi Senior Center joined millions across the state who participated in emergency drills on Nov. 13 as part of the Great Southern California ShakeOut. A scenario describing events during and after a magnitude 7.8 San Andreas Fault  earthquake was utilized state-wide  by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and various localized agencies to prevent a disaster from becoming a catastrophe.

DHS officials hope to achieve this by preparing individuals and communities to safely withstand a disaster — and to be self-sustaining during the event’s chaotic aftermath.

While most school children get excited about fire safety and other emergency drills, getting a building full of hungry seniors — first underneath, then back out from beneath— a row of crowded tables  and outside to safety in a calm, organized and timely manner can be a bit of a challenge.

“In ten years that I know of, there’s been no emergency drills at the center,” said Senior Center Manager Joanna Berman, who takes the safety of “her seniors” very seriously.

Aided by Dianne Koski-King, the center’s county nutrition program manager, and Rhonda McPhee, Berman’s unofficial assistant and the center’s janitor, Berman plans to implement regular evacuation drills in conjunction with a general emergency plan. The center will also  solicit community donations to help the seniors obtain and organize the supplies necessary to keep them all safe during an actual emergency.
Surprisingly, the historic 1952 Tehachapi quake didn’t surface as a topic of conversation among the seniors. But Member Barbara Moore recounted her experience during the “World Series” Bay Area quake that killed 63 and injured nearly 4,000 throughout the State of California.

“I was working in a factory in Lodi. We had to get out and we couldn’t get back in for hours,” she recalled. “It was horrible.”

Although none of her co-workers were seriously injured, she recalled that one man suffered a stress-related heart attack, emphasizing the need for extra care for seniors and other at-risk community members during an emergency.

The county rents space from the Tehachapi Senior Center where Koski-King manages the county’s senior nutrition program. She would be responsible for reporting the center’s status to the county. Just as important are those seniors who wouldn’t be at the center during an emergency. Koski-King would identify local Meals on Wheels recipients, or “shut-ins,” who might require special attention from emergency first responders — fire, police and sheriff and their designated representatives as well as local CERT, Civilian Emergency Response Team members.

“Well keep a list of those phone numbers and addresses with our emergency kits,” she said.

She also said the center will be  soliciting community donations to help fill rolling trash cans with emergency supplies, including food, water, blankets and other emergency items. The kits will be stored in a secure, but easily accessible area.

“It’s really important that people understand we are a totally self-sustaining center. We are not funded or operated by the city or county,” said Berman. “Our seniors deserve a safe place to go and be active, healthy members of the community. We need the community’s help to continue to provide that place.”

To donate time, goods or funds to the Tehachapi Senior Center, call manager Joanna Berman at (661)822-5412.


How do I prepare for an emergency?
For more information on emergency preparedness call local CERT representatives: In Bear Valley Springs contact Jim Nelson at 821-5205; in Stallion Springs call Sandy Young at 822-8900; in Alpine Forest call Ray Kloth at 822-7582.

Or visit the following web sites:
• www.tehachapicityhall.com   From the Tehachapi City Hall web site, use the keyword “emergency” to search for several links to local Emergency Operations Plans.
• www.kcprepared.com
Kern County Prepared offers a wealth of emergency prepared and community-based services.
• www.fema.gov/areyouready/
The Federal Government’s Emergency Management Agency offers information and training services.
•www.redcross.org/
The American Red Cross, the nations’ leading relief-responder to natural disasters will help you to become self-sustaining during the aftermath of a large-scale disaster.
• www.72hours.org/
The San Francisco-based 72 Hours.org provides a categorical breakdown for earthquake survival based on tested methods from experienced experts.