Lessons from Tornado Alley

The MAN CAVE

The last few weeks have been too hot for my taste.  Growing up in Chicago, I hated the hot, muggy summer months.  That’s the reason I live in California now and not Illinois.  During those months, there was almost always an impending tornado just waiting to swoop down on us.  We actually had a storm cellar and were all schooled on how to use it.  As soon as the sky blackened overhead (which was usually right in the middle of a backyard picnic) we headed down the stairs into the basement.  Yes, everyone had a basement in Chicago.  We would pool our refreshments into the cellar area and wait it out.  The cellar was different from the basement.  It was in the far southeast corner of the building supported by the foundation on two sides with heavy wooden doors that closed tight.  It was rank and musty and probably more dangerous than the tornado if you had asthma.  It did serve its purpose though.  One summer, we lost an entire block of houses just one block east of us.  Lake Michigan was east of our town (a little southwest suburb called Berwyn) and the storms would pool from over the lake and head out our way.  We’d hunker down in that cellar with a single light bulb hanging from a bare wire in the ceiling and wait it out.  They don’t build cellars out here in California but they do have something similar – in our house it’s called a “Man Cave.”   It’s the place my hubby heads out to hunker down when we have a tornado brewing.  Of course that’s usually just me having a hissy over something, not involving any atmospheric pressure or turbulence.  The cellar and the man cave serve the same purpose though.  Keeps everyone safe and cool and usually provides solace in a place that generally includes beverages of choice for the duration.  Muggy, hot weather in California also brings earthquakes, or so it seems.  I just refilled my emergency kit with all the necessities in case we have the big one.  Being a 

CERT Training in Redondo Beach

Certified Emergency Response Team member, I’m always worried about these things.  So, my sage advice this month is to stock your cellar (or man cave/storage shed) with emergency supplies just in case we have an “event.”  My husband likes to help me with the emergency supplies.  I just don’t know how Jack Daniels became “medically necessary” for the first aid kit but maybe I missed that in my CERT training.  Anyway, remember – if you live in “shake and bake” country or even in “tornado alley” you need to be ready for a big event.  Don’t chance it – you can always use the water supplies and eat the canned goods later as you rotate your stock.   Nothing goes to waste – especially the Jack Daniels …it’s a Man Cave

 

Thing!  You might want to check out CERT training in your area too.  It doesn't hurt to know how to function under pressure in an emergency and to protect your loved ones and fur people as well. 

Charlie Hoffmann/Team South Bay Realty

Did The Earth Move For You?

Monday, May 18, 2009

DID THE EARTH MOVE FOR YOU?

After dinner last night I was typing in my Face Book when something picked up my house and plopped it back down again...

I had a glass of wine on my desk and I watched my glass in amazement as it hopped up and righted itself without losing a drop! One of my dogs, however, was not as confident about the situation as my wine glass seemed to be. She threw open the patio screen and tried to fit all 125 pounds of her quivering fur self into my lap, pushing the other dogs and my keyboard and waste basket clean out of her way.

I've lived in Los Angeles for over 30 years (I believe that makes me a native, doesn't it?) I've survived the Northridge Quake, several Long Beach bursts and a host of assorted mini movers and shakers. Each time the drill is the same...quiet the dogs, carefully look around the house for broken glass and eventually venture outdoors to check for any broken pipes or evidence of foundation shifting, fallen trees or shaken neighbors. Here in the South Bay, we have been very blessed. We sit on a good deal of bedrock and have tested our homes' flexibility enough times to feel fairly safe. Of course, Redondo Beach is within Tsunami reach and Palos Verdes has the Long Beach fault running through it (as well as Lomita, Harbor City, San Pedro and Wilmington.) Needless to say, we still catch our breath when the rumbling starts.

I'm a certified CERT member (Community Emergency Response Team) and was trained in Redondo Beach by some of the best fire fighters in Los Angeles County! We completed some drills that would make Grey's Anatomy (the TV program on Thursday nights) look like Romper Room. We learned how to triage the neighborhood and toe tag the casualties. We learned how to shut off gas service to prevent fires and handle water shut offs before broken pipes turn houses into swimming pools. We learned how to store food and supplies and prepare to help others in assorted states of emergency. We learned how to comply with FEMA rules, give first aid, give CPR, use Cribbing, how to use Fire Extinguishers and to work on a hose line operation.

Of course, non of the above can prepare you emotionally for any actual event but it helps. Those first few crucial moments when your mind snaps into place and fear retreats, come a lot faster with this training. I sincerely suggest that everyone reading my blog consider checking with your local city or county to find a CERT program to prepare you to help yourself, your family, your neighbors and your community in a time of crisis. We know it's coming. We know we must prepare. We should also be conscious that this kind of training may save your life or the lives of your loved ones and all it takes is one night a week for a few weeks. You won't be sorry - you'll be glad you did it.

By the way, they don't train how to catch a Great Pyrenees dog flying at you across a room in emotional distress. Call me and I'll give you some pointers!

Charlene "Charlie" Hoffmann
Team South Bay Realty
Charlie@YourSouthBayTeam.com
310-534-3940 (direct)
310-947-5453 (mobile)
www.TeamSouthBayRealty.com

We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly.
-- Aristotle, Greek philosopher (384-322 BC)