When 70 mile-an-hour winds knocked out power to nearly one million people in the greater Seattle area in December 2006, Gov. Chris Gregoire declared a state of emergency in Western Washington.
Hundreds of thousands of homes lost power for days, grocery and hardware store shelves were picked clean and long lines formed at the few gas stations that remained open. When all was said and done, the devastation exceeded that of the storm in January 1993 which left five people dead, at least 79 homes destroyed and about $130 million in damage.
With the ratio of emergency vehicles and personal paling in comparison to the population of a city as large as Bellevue, households were left to fend for themselves.
Having experienced the power outage of 2006, Bob Moloney and Bill Rambo of the Somerset neighborhood quickly learned there is strength in numbers. By pooling together skills and supplies, neighborhoods have a better chance of weathering the storm by being equipped and prepared for a future emergency or natural disaster.
Bellevue has developed the Strengthening Preparedness Among Neighbors (SPAN), a program that assist residents who want to organize their neighborhoods and obtain information and emergency training. A SPAN group consists of roughly 35 homes and designates a select group of captains, a Communication Team, Search and Rescue, First Aid, Damage Assessment, and Sheltering and Special Needs.
“When you hear about what happened in China and closer to home in California it raises major concern because we have faults that run right underneath us in Bellevue,” Moloney explained, a First Aid captain for his SPAN Group. “Forget the earthquake, just the snow storms and power outages alone are a concern.”
More than 40 neighbors gathered in early September for an Emergency Preparedness Block Party for Somerset Place & 135th Place/Avenue.
“Bill Rambo and his team have done a tremendous job of organizing their neighborhood,” said Dave Mickelson, Safety and Emergency Preparedness coordinator of the Somerset Community Association. “They truly exemplify the theme of Strengthening Preparedness Among Neighbors (SPAN).”
During the Block Party, the Emergency Preparedness Team captains led a disaster recovery role-play demonstration that highlighted the important steps to be taken following a disaster such as an earthquake.
“Once you’ve come to grips that there is a problem, we come together and form teams and account for everyone,” Rambo explained, a SPAN Response Site captain. “We also go through a to-do list and then report back to the city to let them know how the neighborhood has faired.”
Now in its fifth year, there are 16 SPAN Groups officially organized in Somerset with anywhere from 25 to 56 households each. The Somerset neighborhood also has five groups in formation stage. Four training classes are required to form a SPAN group as a neighborhood and then additional training at Red Cross is encouraged.
The SPAN program in the Somerset neighborhood was pioneered by Chuck Comstock and his wife, June, who first left the Somerset neighborhood in 1968 to relocate in California. In January of 1994, husband and wife awoke at 4:34 a.m to an earthquake in Woodland Hills, Calif.; the place the Comstocks called home. The quake measured 7.2 on the Richter scale, and caused widespread devastation.
Shaken by the experience but not defeated, Chuck and June moved back to the Somerset area in 2001 and Chuck began working to educate individuals about the importance of preparing before a disaster occurs. He initially started the ball rolling for emergency preparedness in Somerset. Working closely with Chuck, Frank Bosone organized the first SPAN group in 2004 with 42 households along Somerset Drive and 134th Place. Today there are 750 Somerset households out of 1,338 homes that participate in the SPAN program.
Newport High student Johnny Dance recently organized his neighborhood of 38 homes in Somerset as an Eagle Scout Project. He and his mother, Julienne Dance, have also become HAM radio certified to help out in a disaster.
The program not only helps a neighborhood become better equipped in case of an emergency, but also builds a sense of community.
“Through SPAN, I had the opportunity to really meet my neighbors,” Mickelson explained. “Bellevue is so spread out and everyone’s so busy, you don’t often get a chance to really know who your neighbors are. SPAN teaches you about emergency preparedness, how to take of yourself and your neighbor, but it also gets neighbors together and that’s the real joy of the whole thing.”
Public Education Coordinator for Emergency Preparedness, Vernon Owens and the city of Bellevue hold training classes for residents on a regular basis. The Emergency Preparedness Division offers classes in emergency preparedness and life safety for individuals and families. Additionally, they train neighborhoods, schools and businesses to pool resources during and after an emergency or disaster.
“Being organized makes people aware that they need to ensure the safety of their family first and then reach out to others,” Moloney said, adding, “If I hadn’t heard about this program, I probably wouldn’t have thought twice about preparing until it was to late. Every neighborhood should get involved with SPAN, because it’s not a question of if a disaster will happen- but when.”
For more information on SPAN visit www.ci.bellevue.wa.us/emergency_training_residents.htm or call Vernon Owens at 425-452-6033.
Lindsay Larin can be reached at llarin@reporternewspapers.com or at 425-453-4602.
SIDEBAR
Safety Tips:
1. Stock Supplies: Each household should have enough food, water, medicine and additional supplies (including pet food) to last five to seven days.
2. Reduce Hazards: In an earthquake, more people are injured by the way they decorate than by building collapse. If something in your home would readily fall or break and hurt someone in an earthquake, you should bolt, anchor or strap it down.
3. Learn Skills: Take a first-aid class. Learn how and when to turn off your utilities. Learn how to use a fire extinguisher. Learn more about organizing your neighborhood to take care of each other.
4. Develop a Family Plan: Mobile phone relays can break down or get overloaded, so don’t rely on them. Select a meeting place and a common person to call out of state in case local phone lines are down.
6. During the aftermath of a major natural disaster, remember plastic may not work and cash is king.
