On Talk of the Bay, October 20, 2020 Christine Barrington welcomes back Liz Anne Jensen from the Fire Safe Santa Cruz County Executive Committee. Fire Season is ongoing for our region, and Liz Anne is a fire preparedness expert personally informed by her many evacuations from the Bonny Doon area. She will be reflecting on what has been learned regionally in the wake of the CZU lightning complex fires, as well as offering detailed suggestions on how to evacuate effectively, and peacefully, in the case of any emergency.

Valuable resources provided by Fire Safe Santa Cruz County to help you prepare:

Wildfire Preparation and Emergency Evacuation Guide

Cabrillo College Home Hardening Class : A two-part Saturday series on Zoom
Nov. 14 and Nov. 21, 2020, from 10-11:30am

Here is Liz Annes’: Be Ready In A Flash – Create a Survival Flash Drive

http://www.slovick.com/BeReadyInAFlash.pdf.

(Here it is written out long form): If there were a fire, flood, or other disaster that destroyed your home, where would your important documents such as birth certificate, passport, deed, licenses, permits, etc be? Protect yourself by scanning all your important documents and storing them on a Survival Flash Drive.

 The Internet, Fire-Proof Safe, Safe-Deposit, your PC may not be available after a disaster. You can send an encrypted flash drive to a relative, keep one at work, keep one in your car. Only you can get to the data.

  1. Purchase a USB Flash Drive (also called memory sticks or thumb drives due to their small size)
  2. Use a permanent marker, sticker, or label to put the word “ICE” (In Case of Emergency) on it
  3. Scan your important documents using a scanner, and store the files on the Survival Flash Drive

 WHAT TO PUT ON YOUR FLASH DRIVE:

  • All Government Issued IDs, Licenses, Permits, and Certifications for Each Family Member
  • •Driver’s License / ID
  • •Passport
  • •Veteran/Discharge Papers
  • •Birth Certificate
  • •Marriage Certificate
  • •Work Permits / Licenses
  • •Social Security Card
  • •Immigration Papers
  • •Bank Accounts
  • •Credit Card Accounts
  • •Contracts
  • •Vaccination Records
  • •Wills
  • •Power of Attorney
  • •Divorce / Custody Papers
  • •Restraining Orders
  • •Medical Records
  • •Health Plan Information
  • •Insurance (Home/Auto)
  • •Advance Directives
  • •Real Estate / Mortgage
  • •Business Records
  • •Rental Agreement
  • •Current Photos of Each Family Member and Pet
  • •Important Family Pictures
  • •Emergency Contact List with Addresses + Phone Numbers

 

FUEL REDUCTION PROJECT IN THE ZERO ZONE: If you want to achieve the critical five-foot clearance between fuel and your home, here is Liz Anne’s inspiration from her own home project.  Below you can see how Liz Anne removed a dense planting of flowers and replaced it with hardscape, a sculpture, and low-growing plants.

Before                                             After