Our five-hour power outage on Dec 17 was an irritating reminder that winter has us in its grip, with rain, wind, floods, landslides, power outages, and road closures. Most of us can manage a short outage: dress warmly, don’t leave the refrigerator door open, and so on and so on.
However, some Shelter Bay residents have medical challenges, like needing continuous supplemental oxygen or a warm house. If you’re a caregiver, or have a neighbor in that situation, is there a plan for a protracted outage?
Puget Sound Energy has an Outage Information System, accessed by entering pse.com/en/outage, or calling 1-888-225-5773, which has been very good in the past at estimating when power will be restored. What are your options if PSE says the power will be out for 12 hours?
Shelter Bay is working on procedures for using the clubhouse as an emergency shelter. The plan is to have emergency power, warmth, and light refreshments available. That plan and procedures will be announced as soon as complete.
Many Shelter Bay households have auxiliary generators. Do any of your neighbors have generators?
If these resources are unavailable, then the next option would be to search online for Red Cross Shelters and plan on how you will get from your house to the shelter. That might be difficult. In winter, I never let the fuel in my car go below half a tank.
If your loved one needs medical help, call 911. However, fire districts may be experiencing high call volumes in these situations and other patients may be ahead of you, delaying transport.
Shelter Bay has a Disaster Assistance Center (DAC) which is based at a container in the Storage Lot. The DAC has emergency communications, tents, generators, and medical supplies. Our current challenge is that we’re woefully short of personnel to open and operate the DAC. If helping your neighbors is fulfilling for you, then go to the CERT page on the Shelter Bay website to discover how to help yourself and your neighbors.
I wish we had a system that would always be available to help everyone when needed. Because we don’t, I strongly suggest that you consider your situation and have your own emergency plan in place.
Ted Taylor, Safety Committee