SJMN Special Section on the Loma Prieta Earthquake

Especially sobering is the pulitzer prize winning slideshow. One caption, from the disaster relief efforts in SF, said "volunteers outnumbered firefighters 10 to 1". It is great to know we have so many local citizens, potential volunteers (CERTs), who have had some training so that we can be safe while helping others.

Also, near the bottom, is a section about Los Gatos and mountains...there is an article about Jim Yoke (Saratoga CERT and Santa Clara County Fire) inspecting the mayor's house for earthquake readiness where Jim is quoted with THE major take-away message from all these anniversary remembrances:

"Loma Prieta was a big quake, but it wasn't the big quake," says Yoke, Santa Clara Fire Department's burly quake marshal, peeking behind one of the paintings attached to the living room wall with brackets. "I can't tell you how many times I've heard people say, 'I'll be all right. My house survived Loma Prieta just fine.' That's the top of the measuring stick in their minds."

Red Cross emergency specific readiness advice

Many sources indicate that we may be in for an El Nino, very wet, storm season. This page at the National Red Cross website offers specific preparedness advice, including landslides, severe thunderstorms, etc. Be sure to see the pdf documents...they offer much more information than the "fast facts" on the left side of the page.

Reverse 911 for Santa Cruz County

If you live in Santa Cruz County, go to this website to register your cell phone so you can get timely emergency information.

Reverse 911 for Santa Clara County residents

Go to this website now to register your phones, email, pda's etc. so you can be contacted with vital emergency information.

Living With Fire

Excellent, detailed document on living in wildfire-prone areas.

Cal Fire's 100 feet of Defensible Space Advice

Fliers, checklists, videos, loads of info on preparing your home for the possibility of wildland fire.

October 17, 2009 - 20th Anniversary of the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake

Santa Cruz County CERTs will be marking the 20th anniversary with a drill in Aptos. Many other events are scheduled throughout the area.

CDC advice to Colleges and Students as Flu season approaches

Parents and college students should read and be aware of issues and possible strategies for coping.

Flu Guidelines for the Workplace this Flu Season

Keeping sick kids home from school will also be a critical social distancing strategy that helps control the spread of this Flu.

How long to stay home with the flu?

H1N1 Swine Flu update from the CDC: This is important information for all citizens about how long to stay at home with a fever, diagnosed as swine flu or not, as we go into our flu season. Staying at home when sick will help prevent the spread of this pandemic flu (it is a novel/new virus, humans have no immunity to it, and it spreads easily).

The exclusion period: From the onset of flu-like illness, stay at home (and avoid close contact with others) for 24 hours AFTER your fever returns to normal, after you have stopped taking fever reducing medications.

"Sick individuals should stay at home until the end of the exclusion period, to the extent possible, except when necessary to seek required medical care. Sick individuals should avoid contact with others. Keeping people with a fever at home may reduce the number of people who get infected, since elevated temperature is associated with increased shedding of influenza virus. CDC recommends this exclusion period regardless of whether or not antiviral medications are used. People on antiviral treatment may shed influenza viruses that are resistant to antiviral medications."

Flu updates from the Center for Disease Control

The CDC will update this site daily. Look to the right for more links to Flu Preparedness and Home Care. Below that, you will find Updates and News from local County health departments and other agencies.