Shelter in Place and Self-Reliance
Shelter in Place and Self-Reliance are two catch phrases of emergency planning (EP). Shelter in Place, staying in our homes, is our first line of defense in an emergency event. Its effectiveness, however, is dependent on us being prepared in advance to be self-reliant. Self-reliance does not mean that we need to isolate ourselves entirely during an emergency. It suggests that we should normalize emergency preparedness by talking with our network of friends and neighbors now about how we can help each other. Sharing food and other resources, and socializing and providing support to others when it is safe to do so during an extended emergency will be important to our community’s overall welfare and resiliency.
Recommendations for Preparing for Emergency Situations
- Learn about the LWC Incident Command System (ICS) that is being currently being developed. It is a modified version of the FEMA ICS model designed to meet the needs of our community. The organizational flow chart illustrates the process by which the ICS team, the Incident Commander and the Communications, Logistics and Operations, and Medical Units, will coordinate services to our residents.
- Get to know your LWC Safety Captain –Safety Captain List and Safety Area Map – Our Safety Captains are committed to helping residents prepare in advance. Their first responsibility during an emergency, however, is to take care of the needs of their own household. They are not asked to leave their homes to assist others during an emergency unless they choose to do so.
- Buy a two-way radio so you can receive announcements from Incident Command System through our Community Radio Service (CRS) on Channel 15 without leaving your home.
- Build your household cache of emergency supplies that will help you survive during an emergency situation. Oregon’s Be 2 Weeks Ready program recommends that each household stockpile enough potable water, non-perishable food, shelter, first aid and medical supplies to last for 2-4 weeks.
- Assemble a Go Bag of items that will help you survive for 2-3 days if you need to evacuate your home. Go bags will also serve as “stay bags” if you are away from home when an emergency occurs and you are not able to return to your home.
- Get to know your neighbors – We are more likely to be helped by our neighbors in an emergency than we are by first responders who may not be able to access our community.
During an Event
- Shelter in Place – Being prepared to stay in your home means that you will not need to go outside during unsafe weather conditions, or other situations when it is not safe to leave your home.
- Listen to Channel 15 of the LWC Community Radio System (CRS) on your two-way radio at the top of the hour, or per instructions you will receive via the radio. Keep your radio fully charged, and have a way to charge it and/or extra batteries.
- Place your HELP/OK sign in a window that faces the street. Notify your Safety Captain now if you need a sign.
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A cautionary note to set reasonable expectations about our community’s ability to assist residents, and why it is so important that each household prepares to be self-reliant and to shelter in place:
- During the 52-hour power outage in January, 2024 volunteers opened a warming area in the Rec Center as a respite for some residents for a few hours each day. While it is likely that we could do this for future events, we will be dependent on the availability of volunteers and a limited amount of fuel for generators to run the heaters.
- LWC does not have any non-perishable food and only 2 days of water for its residents. What the LWC Safety Committee and our Safety Captains can provide are the educational resources and materials that can help us all become prepared to be self-reliant and able to shelter in place in emergency situations.
Please contact your Safety Captain or Safety Committee Chair Anne Bradley <abradley342@yahoo.com> to let us know how we can assist you.
Preparing for Your Medical Needs
- Talk with your doctor about stockpiling prescriptions overtime, and possible workarounds for medical devices requiring access to electricity, or have your own means of generating that power.
- Prepare for, and guard against, the increased risks of dehydration, hypothermia, and burns from using alternative sources of heating and food prep.
- Follow the CDC’s food safety guidelines for a power outage – If the doors of your refrigerator and freezer are kept closed, food will stay safe up to 4 hours in a refrigerator, 48hours in a full freezer, 24 hours in a half-full freezer.