Support Japan with a Cause that you Believe In

The aftermath of the earthquake and subsequent tsunamis has been ever present on the news.  We have seen the immense devastation and the vast need for resources and donations.  It is sometimes difficult in these times to know where to lend aid-multiple organizations are doing great work to help, and it can be hard to sift out the causes we feel might have the most impact.

If you are a volunteer that donates your time or a nonprofit that utilizes volunteers to run its services, you know how essential an extra pair of hands can be. Spontaneous volunteers (volunteers who do not have search & rescue skills) are lending their hands and hearts in Japan.  Our affiliate through the HandsOn Network, HandsOn Tokyo, needs our help in order to keep connecting these volunteers/donations with the organizations that need them most.  Please consider lending aid to HandsOn Tokyo as they work to support their community from the devastating earthquake and tsunami.

>>Donate to HandsOn Tokyo 

(This link will take you to HandsOn Tokyo's ebay page.  To learn more about HandsOn Tokyo please visit their English Language Website at http://www.handsontokyo.org/en/home)

Personal Preparedness is Key

A disaster strikes! What's the first thing you think about -- helping others? Try again! The best way to help others is to first take care of yourself, and to better be prepared for that eventuality, I will provide some resources on what you can do as an individual to be better prepared for a disaster so you can immediately assess your own safety and move on to helping others.

To start, check out ready.gov/ which gives a basic, yet thorough break-down for personal preparedness:

1. Get a Kit which should include some, if not all of the following:
* Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation
* Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
* Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both
* Flashlight and extra batteries
* First aid kit
* Whistle to signal for help
* Dust mask, to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
* Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
* Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
* Can opener for food (if kit contains canned food)
* Local maps
* Cell phone with chargers, inverter or solar charger

2. Make a Plan, which should include the following information:
* Identify an out-of town contact. It may be easier to make a long-distance phone call than to call across town, so an out-of-town contact may be in a better position to communicate among separated family members.
* Be sure every member of your family knows the phone number and has a cell phone, coins, or a prepaid phone card to call the emergency contact. If you have a cell phone, program that person(s) as "ICE" (In Case of Emergency) in your phone. If you are in an accident, emergency personnel will often check your ICE listings in order to get a hold of someone you know. Make sure to tell your family and friends that you’ve listed them as emergency contacts.
* Teach family members how to use text messaging (also knows as SMS or Short Message Service). Text messages can often get around network disruptions when a phone call might not be able to get through.
* Subscribe to alert services. Many communities now have systems that will send instant text alerts or e-mails to let you know about bad weather, road closings, local emergencies, etc. Sign up by visiting your local Office of Emergency Management web site.

3. Be Informed

Other helpful resources:
Disability Preparedness
FEMA - Are you ready?
72 Hours

Come Together

The events of this past week have made me realize that that when a community comes together to rally towards one cause, the outcome can be incredible.  Of course this week’s particular cause that initiated this thought happened to be the the miraculous (and long time coming) World Series win by our very own San Francisco Giants.

Nobody in San Francisco, or the greater Bay Area for that matter, could ignore the overwhelming feelings of happiness and pride that each defeat brought.  Ashkon’s version of “Don’t Stop Believing” had even the tone-def singing, and elicited the interest of Steve Perry himself.  Neighborhoods were filled with orange and black flags, pom-poms, stickers, and every other person was wearing some form of Giants paraphernalia.  People watched in awe as almost 1 million San Franciscans flooded city hall post-parade to congratulate the self-proclaimed “team of misfits”.  In the almost 10 years that I have been living here, I have never once experienced such a community-bonding and joyous time… it was, and still is, simply incredible how much this victory lifted the spirits of so many of us.  It still brings a tear to my eye just thinking about it.

While sporting events such as this are generally happier “come together” causes, unfortunately disasters tend to be the more frequent cause that brings a community together.  I think back to when the San Bruno explosion happened, citizens were so eager to help in any way they could that the American Red Cross had to close it’s doors because it was simply too overwhelmed.  Local volunteers were collecting donations of food, clothing, and housing supplies to help those families whose homes were destroyed.  Once again, we saw local neighborhoods and communities come together for a common good: to help their neighbors in need.  Though the fire was absolutely devastating, it was still incredibly inspiring to see exactly how selfless individuals can be.

Reflecting on these events, I wonder: why can we not come together more often?  Should it really take an local sports team to win big, or a devastating disaster to make us bond together as one and work towards a greater good?  There is too much work that needs to be done to better our own neighborhoods to simply wait for such events to force us to work with one another to achieve a common goal.  There is no better time than now to go out and gather your friends, neighbors, and family, and work together towards solving the problems that your own community has. 

An Earthquake Myth

CVNL is the Emergency Volunteer Center (EVC) for Marin County. If you're looking to volunteer or need volunteers before, during, or after a disaster, please contact the Center at (415) 479-5710. Please establish your own personal safety before attempting to help others.

What's your first thought when an earthquake strikes? Run to a doorway, right!? Think again. Unless you live in an unreinforced adobe home, the safest thing to do is drop, take cover under a table or similar object, and hold on.

The myth originates from when many houses were constructed primarily of adobe. Back then, the only part of the building left standing following an earthquake was the doorway! In most modern homes, the doorway is no stronger than any other part of the house and can often be more dangerous as the door swings wildly or people try to escape.

What to do in other situations:

In bed -- Stay there. Shield your head with a pillow unless you are under a heavy light fixture; in that case, move to the nearest point of shelter.

Outside -- Do not attempt to go inside. Get into an open space away from buildings, power lines, trees, or anything else that could potentially fall. Beware of entering structurally unsound buildings following an earthquake.

Driving -- Stop as quickly and as safely as possible. Avoid stopping under buildings, overpasses, or power lines. Following the earthquake, avoid driving on ramps, bridges, and unpassable roads.

Trapped under debris -- Do not light matches, move around, or kick up dust. Cover your mouth with cloth to avoid dust inhalation. Use a whistle if available to call for help, minimize yelling for help as it may cause dust inhalation, and tap on any nearby pipes to alert rescuers of your presence.

Sources:
State of CA - Dept. of Conservation
FEMA

Preparing to Help During Times of Disaster

San Bruno explosion highlights the benefits of Emergency Volunteer Centers in San Rafael

Written by JULIE BURK

Volunteer Services Director

Featured in the San Rafael Patch

September 19, 2010

Picture of Cory Bytof City of San Rafael Volunteer Manager, 

and Paul Chong City of San Rafael EVC volunteer.

For many of us at the Center for Volunteer and Nonprofit Leadership, the tragic explosion and fire in San Bruno has been a difficult reminder of our own need to be prepared for any such calamity.  One role that many volunteer centers around the state play is that of an Emergency Volunteer Center (EVC).  The Center plays this role when activated by the Marin County Office of Emergency Services, and we have been working diligently to prepare our team to activate at any given time. Our responsibilities as an EVC include interviewing, screening, and referring “spontaneous” volunteers to opportunities throughout the community during times of disaster. Fortunately, the City of San Rafael’s volunteer program, managed by Cory Bytof, also operates its own EVC to serve, train, rally and refer “spontaneous” volunteers to response teams or government agencies during times of disaster.  This is a great resource for the community of San Rafael, and if you live or work in San Rafael, you should know how to access it.

“Spontaneous” or unaffiliated volunteers are those people who want to help with disaster response and recovery but have no training or prior affiliation with a disaster response agency. Conversely, affiliated volunteers generally have previous disaster volunteer training and know where to report in the event of a disaster. To put this into historical context, after the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989, spontaneous volunteers came forward in droves; however, in many instances, they hindered the Red Cross operation in San Francisco because there was no plan to organize or utilize them. The EVC concept was developed shortly after the Loma Prieta earthquake in order to remedy this predicament.

The City of San Rafael operates an EVC to focus volunteering efforts within San Rafael.  If the need for spontaneous volunteers arises and the San Rafael EVC is activated, the volunteer should come in or call.  At the EVC volunteers can expect a staff member to explain the intake process including the latest disaster updates, swear the volunteer in as a disaster service worker, and provide the volunteer with intake forms to be completed.  The volunteer will then be interviewed to assess and determine the person’s skills, availability, and/or specialized experience.  After completing the interview, the volunteer will be advised of available openings and referred to an agency or relief operation.

So how can you be prepared to volunteer in the event of a disaster?  Sign up here and register to help: the City of San Rafael EVC (http://www.sanrafaelvolunteers.org/EVC/index.html)

Disaster Preparedness in Marin

Did you know there's an emergency volunteer center (EVC) in Marin County? There is! The Center for Volunteer and Nonprofit Leadership is the EVC for Marin in the event of a disaster. What this means for you is that when a disaster happens and you get the need to volunteer and help your community, contact CVNL by phone, email, fax, or even by walking in physically to find out how your skills can be best put to use in response to a disaster.

Anyone can volunteer during a disaster. Just because you have not been formally trained to respond to a disaster does not meet you don't have useful skills! Many organizations, especially human services agencies, will need the help of volunteers to meet the demand of their clients. This could range from helping as a receptionist to cooking meals to cleaning up fallen debris; there is something for everyone.

EVCs generally handle spontaneous volunteers, people who have not received formal disaster training, e.g. CERT, NERT, or Red Cross training. However, if you are a skilled volunteer and do not know who to get in touch with, whether it be your local fire department or the American Red Cross, we will point you in the right direction.

Find out more about our disaster preparedness program and the EVC by visiting the Center's disaster preparedness page where you will find resources for personal preparedness as well as information and updates about how you can help during a disaster.