Disasters, Past and Future

The Featured Lecture — at 7 pm on Tuesday, October 13, 2020, ERIC DITTMER will present a lecture on RVM Channel 900:

Preparing for Disasters – Earthquakes, Lessons From Recent Fires

The lecture will be followed by a remote Q&A session, featuring both Eric Dittmer and Drew Gilliland, RVM Director of Facility Services

Eric Dittmer is a geologist and Professor Emeritus, Southern Oregon University.  He is an expert on the geology, hydrology and environment of the Rogue Valley.  His current focus is on earthquake awareness and preparedness, on which he frequently lectures and is interviewed.  He is extensively involved in community service; among the positions he has held are: Jackson County Health Advisory Board; State of Oregon – Ground Water Advisory Committee; Bear Creek Watershed Council; Oregon Stewardship Board Member, current chair; and Former Greenway Foundation Board Member.  In addition to teaching at SOU, he has been a Medford School Board member, a 4H leader, and a volunteer teacher at Griffin Creak School.  He was named Conservationist of the Year, 2013, by the City of Ashland.  On a slightly different note, his interests include bicycles and old motorcycles, and he held a land speed record at Bonneville Salt Flats (class J/GT) for 16 years.

The Great ShakeOut is a world-wide program of earthquake drills, aimed at building awareness and encouraging preparation.  To find out about local efforts, click here.  Many educational materials are available, as well as a chance to demonstrate solidarity with other prepared people by signing up as an Official Participant.

There is a lot of flexibility in your choice of participation, but the conventional approach is take the appropriate response at the designated earthquake simulation time — 10:15 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 15.  If you are indoors, the suggested response is Drop, Cover, and Hold on! — drop to the floor, get under something sturdy (table, desk, or bed), and hold on to it.  If there is nothing to get under, get next to something sturdy.  CAUTION:  some of us are in conditions such that dropping to the floor is not advisable.  If that is your situation, use visualization instead.  And, it is OK to plan in advance — that’s not cheating, it’s part of the point of the exercise.

General Disaster Preparation needs to be more than a one-and-done exercise.  Over time, memories fade and supplies may deteriorate, so the Residents Preparedness Group looks for review and reminder opportunities.  The Great ShakeOut is a good one, and not just because of its topic.  Fall is a good time to reflect on the onset of winter, which calls for some different emergency responses than might be appropriate in summer.  This year we suggest a look at power outages — which are likely to accompany earthquakes, storms, fires, or seemingly, to just happen.  If you have to go for a protracted period without electricity, what will you do for light? Or warmth?  Worthwhile things to think about before it gets dark and cold.  Oh, and if you may want to open your garage, click here.