This oppressive Amazonian mist we've been enduring makes it hard to believe that the 4th of July is almost upon us. It looks like the weather will shape up for the long weekend though! With that in mind, let's take a minute to review the rules for not setting yourself, your loved ones, your home or anything else on fire, shall we?
• Be PREPARED before you light fireworks
---Use legal fireworks, available at licensed outlets, not "fireworks" that your teenage neighbor makes and promises will be "like crazy sick, dude”
---Store fireworks out of children’s reach
---Keep pets indoors if at all possible
---Always keep a water bucket and/or fire extinguisher handy
• Be SAFE when lighting fireworks
---Only adults should light fireworks
---Only use fireworks outdoors
---Do not throw fireworks or hold them in your hand
---Never re-light a dud
---Be considerate of your neighbors and pets, especially as the following day is a work day. (I mean a work day for people, not so much for pets. Those lazy free-loaders can sleep all day if they want) But if your pets are skittish, maybe lay off the loud fireworks. According to state law, fireworks may be discharged until midnight on the 4th, however, much like vinyl hotpants---just because you can doesn't mean you should.
• Be RESPONSIBLE after you finish lighting fireworks
---Soak used fireworks in water
---Clean up used fireworks
---Keep matches and lighters away from children.
Also, watch out for ashes and debris falling down from fireworks because they can fall in your eye and scratch your cornea. If that happens you'll have to consult with a 24-hour medical advice line who will advise you to wear an eye patch. Which you will do for two days and look like the world's most pathetic and irritated pirate. Ask me how I know this....I dare you.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Castle Rock Phone Service Restored
At 6:30 PM telephone company work crews finished repairs to the damaged fiber optic line just outside Castle Rock. The line had been damaged by a construction crew working alongside the road. Long distance and 9-1-1 calls to and from the area have returned to normal.
The disruption caused phone customers in the Castle Rock and Ryderwood communities to lose long distance and 9-1-1 service. Emergency 9-1-1 service was restored by routing 9-1-1 calls to the Castle Rock fire station and placing a dispatcher at the station to answer any calls that came in. Additional law enforcement and emergency crews were kept in the area to provide service if it was needed. Fortunately there were few emergency calls during the outage.
911 Phone Interruption
Updated Information/Talking Points:
Talking Points:
1. Fiber optic lines were cut in Southwest, WA, during construction operations today, June 28th at 11:30am.
2. 9-1-1 phone lines have been interrupted for all 274 prefixes.
3. Those individuals needing emergency services should call 9-1-1 and their phone calls will be rerouted to an emergency 9-1-1 operator OR they may call directly at 274-3151.
4. Individuals who get a continuous, fast-paced busy signal should continue calling 9-1-1 or call 274-3151
5. Should you have an emergency and encounter cell phone interruptions call call 274.3151.
6. Authorities are working diligently to repair services as soon as possible.
7. Partner agencies and County departments, please refrain from forwarding non-emergency phone calls to dispatch center until repairs have been made.
Jerusha Kasch, PIO
Joint Information Center Manager
Talking Points:
1. Fiber optic lines were cut in Southwest, WA, during construction operations today, June 28th at 11:30am.
2. 9-1-1 phone lines have been interrupted for all 274 prefixes.
3. Those individuals needing emergency services should call 9-1-1 and their phone calls will be rerouted to an emergency 9-1-1 operator OR they may call directly at 274-3151.
4. Individuals who get a continuous, fast-paced busy signal should continue calling 9-1-1 or call 274-3151
5. Should you have an emergency and encounter cell phone interruptions call call 274.3151.
6. Authorities are working diligently to repair services as soon as possible.
7. Partner agencies and County departments, please refrain from forwarding non-emergency phone calls to dispatch center until repairs have been made.
Jerusha Kasch, PIO
Joint Information Center Manager
Phone Outage in Castle Rock, Lewis County
Long distance phone lines in Castle Rock and Ryderwood are not operating. Calls within these communities still work and 9-1-1 are being re-routed to the fire station until the problem is fixed.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Ring Ring....DOTT Calling
Here's DOTT with her corded phone. Your Do One Thing Today is to respect the power of the corded phone. I know, I know, phones with cords are not flashy, or cool, or convenient. However, during a power failure, your cordless phones will not work, but an old-fashioned corded phone will (unless the lines are down, then you're out of luck).You might be thinking that you can just use your cell phone if the power the goes out, and of course, you can do that...until it dies and needs to be charged....and then what? You might also be thinking that you can charge your cell phone using your car charger. Which is fine too, unless it only charges when the car is on, like mine. Then you have to waste gas idling in your driveway while your phone charges. You might also be thinking about Peanut Butter M&M's. Or maybe that's just me?
So, why not just think retro and pick yourself up a corded phone. If you have a hard time finding one in stores, you might want to peruse a thrift store or garage sale. If all else fails, try Amazon.com!
If you don't want to use the corded phone on a regular basis, you can store it with your other emergency supplies. When the power goes out, you'll be glad you did!
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Safest City, USA? Sure, it's located right near Shangri-La and Atlantis
Check out this thought-provoking article from msnbc.com
Disasters lead to search for 'Safest City, USA'
By Miguel Llanos
Reporter
During a spring of disasters — tornadoes, flooding, wildfires and drought across the U.S. (not to mention Japan's quake/tsunami) — you might have asked yourself: Is there any place that's safe?
"Maybe Montana or Idaho for a low tornado threat, no chance of a hurricane, low but not zero quake threat," proffers storm expert Greg Forbes of The Weather Channel.
Some have tried to map out the risk. The New York Times last April showed much of the South covered with red dots indicating "higher risk," while the West Coast was dotted a comfortable green. (A smaller, secondary map did note the West's earthquake risk.)
Others have come up with lists. After Hurricane Katrina, Forbes magazine produced one showing that Honolulu, Hawaii, was the safest U.S. city based on past records.
But many folks taking a long view on natural disasters, i.e. insurance experts and government scientists, have a different perspective: Every place has a risk.
"Safe is a relative term," says Julie Rochman, president of the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety. "What do you want to be safe from?"
Montana, Idaho? They're seeing flooding now and have plenty of experience with wildfires.
The West Coast? Besides the obvious earthquakes, there's danger of tsunamis, landslides and wildfires.
Honolulu? The Weather Channel recently named it the city "most overdue" for a major hurricane. On top of that, Rochman asks, do you want your disasters to be seasonal, e.g. hurricanes and tornadoes, or surprises, e.g. earthquakes and tsunamis.
When it comes to Mother Nature, "we are a very diverse country," she adds. "We are the tornado capital of the planet, and Clearwater, Florida, is the lightning capital. We have two coasts and a northern and southern latitude."
Much of the natural disaster data for the nation is compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey, yet even that agency doesn't want to put too much faith in the number and location of disasters.
"Unless you are in a fallout shelter in the middle of some weird desolate place, I'm not sure you can use a data set to say this is where you should live," says USGS spokesman Mark Newell.
"Every place has its own inherent risks," he adds. "If you put a place on a map I can tell you two to three consequences of living there."
So what to do? Adapt and mitigate.
Newell has lived in California (quakes), Texas (drought) and Washington D.C. (blizzard) and now resides in Missouri (tornadoes). "You understand the environment that you're in and adapt to it," he says. "I don't see Missouri as tornado alley," he adds. "You just have to understand that each area is going to bring a series of climate and natural disaster hazards." The insurance industry focus is on preparing.
"It's really more important to mitigate" than to uproot yourself, says Terese Rosenthal, the U.S. spokeswoman for MunichRE, one of the largest companies that reinsure the insurers. "That's why we push building codes," adds Rochman. "No one size fits all," she acknowledges, and "one of the challenges we have is that you can only talk to people about so many things that are scary or they get frozen in place."
Rochman feels that as long as insurance rates are not subsidized to protect people in risky areas, they can send a weighted risk message to residents. "If they are properly set," she says, "they are a good indication that you are doing, or not doing, something risky."
Just don't expect insurance rates — or historical data, for that matter — to define a "Safest City, USA." "I applaud the idea," says Newell, the USGS spokesman. But choose any place and "people living there will say, 'Yeah, but you forgot ...'"
Disasters lead to search for 'Safest City, USA'
By Miguel Llanos
Reporter
During a spring of disasters — tornadoes, flooding, wildfires and drought across the U.S. (not to mention Japan's quake/tsunami) — you might have asked yourself: Is there any place that's safe?
"Maybe Montana or Idaho for a low tornado threat, no chance of a hurricane, low but not zero quake threat," proffers storm expert Greg Forbes of The Weather Channel.
Some have tried to map out the risk. The New York Times last April showed much of the South covered with red dots indicating "higher risk," while the West Coast was dotted a comfortable green. (A smaller, secondary map did note the West's earthquake risk.)
Others have come up with lists. After Hurricane Katrina, Forbes magazine produced one showing that Honolulu, Hawaii, was the safest U.S. city based on past records.
But many folks taking a long view on natural disasters, i.e. insurance experts and government scientists, have a different perspective: Every place has a risk.
"Safe is a relative term," says Julie Rochman, president of the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety. "What do you want to be safe from?"
Montana, Idaho? They're seeing flooding now and have plenty of experience with wildfires.
The West Coast? Besides the obvious earthquakes, there's danger of tsunamis, landslides and wildfires.
Honolulu? The Weather Channel recently named it the city "most overdue" for a major hurricane. On top of that, Rochman asks, do you want your disasters to be seasonal, e.g. hurricanes and tornadoes, or surprises, e.g. earthquakes and tsunamis.
When it comes to Mother Nature, "we are a very diverse country," she adds. "We are the tornado capital of the planet, and Clearwater, Florida, is the lightning capital. We have two coasts and a northern and southern latitude."
Much of the natural disaster data for the nation is compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey, yet even that agency doesn't want to put too much faith in the number and location of disasters.
"Unless you are in a fallout shelter in the middle of some weird desolate place, I'm not sure you can use a data set to say this is where you should live," says USGS spokesman Mark Newell.
"Every place has its own inherent risks," he adds. "If you put a place on a map I can tell you two to three consequences of living there."
So what to do? Adapt and mitigate.
Newell has lived in California (quakes), Texas (drought) and Washington D.C. (blizzard) and now resides in Missouri (tornadoes). "You understand the environment that you're in and adapt to it," he says. "I don't see Missouri as tornado alley," he adds. "You just have to understand that each area is going to bring a series of climate and natural disaster hazards." The insurance industry focus is on preparing.
"It's really more important to mitigate" than to uproot yourself, says Terese Rosenthal, the U.S. spokeswoman for MunichRE, one of the largest companies that reinsure the insurers. "That's why we push building codes," adds Rochman. "No one size fits all," she acknowledges, and "one of the challenges we have is that you can only talk to people about so many things that are scary or they get frozen in place."
Rochman feels that as long as insurance rates are not subsidized to protect people in risky areas, they can send a weighted risk message to residents. "If they are properly set," she says, "they are a good indication that you are doing, or not doing, something risky."
Just don't expect insurance rates — or historical data, for that matter — to define a "Safest City, USA." "I applaud the idea," says Newell, the USGS spokesman. But choose any place and "people living there will say, 'Yeah, but you forgot ...'"
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
DOTT says....
DOTT the robot is a smart machine. Today she encourages you to find an old, but sturdy pair of shoes that you no longer wear and put them under your bed. Why? Don't question DOTT! One of the most common injuries following an earthquake are cuts from broken glass, especially cuts on the feet. Luckily, this is pretty easy to mitigate. Of course, I cannot guarantee that an earthquake will occur while you're sleeping in bed, but on the off chance that it did happen at that time, wouldn't it be nice to slip on shoes and not worry about filleting your feet while you're running around checking on family and pets? It would.
If you have no windows, glass cabinets or TV's in your bedroom, you may not have to worry about this at all. But if you have any or all, you might want to throw those ugly, ratty tennis shoes under your bed where they can no longer assault the eyes of passersby.
So, your Do One Thing Today, doesn't require money or much effort at all. Hooray for easy fixes!
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