CERT April Newsletter for

Central County Fire

April

CERT NEWSLETTER

April 2021

"Doing the greatest good for the greatest number"

IN THIS ISSUE:

115 Years Later: The 1906 Great San Francisco Earthquake
Take 5 Easy Steps to be Better Prepared!
Earthquake Warning California
San Mateo County Local Hazard Mitigation Plan
Travel Guidance Update
Celebrate Earth Month
Avoid Telephone and Email Scams
CERT Training
Resource Links

115 Years Later: The 1906 Great

San Francisco Earthquake

Sunday April 18th marks the 115th anniversary of the Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake.

The anniversary of the Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake reminds us how important it is to have a plan for an emergency; build an emergency kit, and to get involved in our communities. Learn what to do and how to communicate with loved ones when the earth begins to shake!

You can take 5 simple steps today to PREPARE NOW!

5 Essential Steps to Preparedness

Get Alerts to know what to do
Make a Plan to protect your people
Pack a Go Bag with things you need
Build a Stay Box for when you can’t leave
Help Friends and Neighbors get ready

For more information visit:

www.ready.gov/earthquakes

https://usgs.libguides.com/1906/safety

Resources for People With Disabilities

www.earthquakecountry.org/disability/

Know your risk

California Geological Survey released updated tsunami hazard area maps on March 23. They can be seen at www.tsunami.ca.gov.

Earthquake Warning California

Earthquake Warning California is the country’s first publicly available, statewide warning system that could give California residents crucial seconds to take cover before you feel shaking. Managed by the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), Earthquake Warning California uses ground motion sensors from across the state to detect earthquakes before humans can feel them and can notify Californians to “Drop, Cover and Hold On” in advance of an earthquake.

To receive earthquake warnings, individuals and family members can download the MyShake App and ensure phone settings are adjusted to receive emergency alerts, including:

MyShake App: Free smartphone app that provides iPhone and Android users with audio and visual warnings [magnitude 4.5 or higher and Modified Mercalli Intensity III (weak) shaking]. Available at in the Apple App and Google Play stores;
Android Earthquake Alerts: Android phones with updated operating systems are automatically subscribed to Android Earthquake Alerts, which uses the same technology as the MyShake App; and
Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs): No-cost text messages for emergency situations [magnitude 5.0 or higher and Modified Mercalli Intensity IV (light) shaking].

If you live in or travel to areas that could be impacted by an earthquake, preparation is vital, as these events can strike suddenly, at any time, with little warning. Visit My Hazards to see if you live or work in an area prone to earthquakes.

San Mateo County Multijurisdictional

Local Hazard Mitigation Plan

San Mateo County's Office of Emergency Services (OES) launches Multijurisdictional Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP) to address natural hazards such as earthquake, flooding, coastal erosion. Public invited to participate via survey, virtual workshops.

For Phase 1 (April to May, 2021), the public is invited to participate in the hazard mitigation plan by filling out a survey about San Mateo County’s natural hazard risks.

What is a Local Hazard Mitigation Plan?

The LHMP is one opportunity for us to work together for a more resilient San Mateo County. The plan looks at how the County and its planning partners, like cities and special districts, can reduce the impact of natural hazards such as earthquakes, flooding, heat, landslides, storms, and wildfires.

Once approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the plan ensures the County of San Mateo and its partners remain eligible for pre- and post-disaster mitigation project grant funding through FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Assistance programs and other non-emergency disaster assistance like FEMA’s new Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program. The County of San Mateo’s current Multijurisdictional Local Hazard Mitigation Plan expires in September 2021 (the Plan is updated every five years), so the 2021 update will remain active until 2025.

For more information click here.

CDC Updated Travel Guidance

• All travelers arriving in or returning to California from other states or countries should follow CDC travel guidance.

• All travelers who test positive or develop symptoms of COVID-19 should isolate and follow public health recommendations.

• Fully vaccinated travelers are less likely to get and spread COVID-19, and can travel safely within the United States and California. They should follow CDC travel guidance, and are not required to test or quarantine before or after travel unless they have symptoms concerning for COVID-19 disease.

• Follow all state and local recommendations or requirements.

For more information visit:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html

http://www.flysfo.com/

Celebrate Earth Month 2021 with Rethink Waste

They are hosting multiple multiple events throughout the month of April to raise awareness and to celebrate our environment.

Avoid scams:

Be Aware of Telephone and Email Scams

PG&E Customers Report Fraudulent Calls

Telephone scams with PG&E caller ID

1-800-743-5000. Callers falsely claim to represent PG&E.

Some of the fraudulent calls have included:

Telling customers their bill is past due and that power will be shut off within the hour unless payment is made immediately.
Asking for payment to PG&E be made with a gift card, MoneyPak® Card or through a payment app such as Venmo or Zelle®.
Asking for your PG&E account number, login or Social Security number to understand your energy usage while attempting to sell you a service or provide an energy evaluation. Vendors do not need this information to get your usage data. PG&E offers the Share My Data program for vendors to get usage data only (not personal information), with your permission.

For more information visit:

PG&E Warns of Scam Emails, Calls

Note the IRS does not:

Demand that people use a specific payment method, such as a prepaid debit card, gift card or wire transfer. The IRS will not ask for debit or credit card numbers over the phone. For people who owe taxes, make payments to the U.S. Treasury or review IRS.gov/payments for IRS online options.

Demand immediate tax payment. Normal correspondence begins with a letter in the mail and taxpayers can appeal or question what they owe. All taxpayers are advised to know their rights as a taxpayer.

Threaten to bring in local police, immigration officers or other law enforcement agencies to arrest people for not paying. The IRS also cannot revoke a license or immigration status. Threats like these are common tactics scam artists use to trick victims into believing their schemes.

For more information visit:

https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/tax-scams-consumer-alerts

CERT Hybrid Training Online

Now you can complete most of the free CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) training in the comfort of your own home. This comprehensive course will teach you skills that enable you to help yourself, your family and others during large and small emergencies.

The Central County Fire Department invites you to sign up here for Online Hybrid CERT Training, which allows you to meet the lecture portion of the training requirements online. To get started, register online here . You will then be provided a link to the online course that you can begin anytime and complete at your own pace.

CCFD provides free emergency preparedness training for individuals, neighborhood groups and community‐based organizations in Burlingame, Hillsborough and Millbrae. The CCFD CERT Program teaches self‐reliance skills that enable neighborhoods to establish response teams that help during emergencies until professional help arrives.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TODAY! for San Mateo County Emergency AlertsWe can't reach you if you don't register!

SMC ALERT is an alert notification system used to immediately contact you during urgent or emergency situations. You can set alerts to send emergency and non-emergency text and voice messages to your:

email accounts
cell phones, smartphones, tablets
voice messages to landline phones (home & work)

SMC ALERT is free.

RESOURCE LINKS

American Red Cross

ASPCA Pets Disaster Preparedness

CalOES MyHazards Tool

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention

Federal Emergency Management Agency

SMCAlert

L istoscalifornia.org

COVID19.ca.gov

San Mateo County Health

US Geological Survey

National Weather Service

CA Dept of Public Health

Bay Area Air Quality Management District

https://myzone.zonehaven.com/

https://community.zonehaven.com/