Earthquake Preparedness

The Chino Hills quake this past summer reminded us that earthquakes are a part of life in Southern California. More may be on the way: The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that a 7.8-magnitude earthquake—5,000 times larger than the Chino Hills event—is plausible in our region during our lifetimes. The good news is that you can limit injuries and damages from future quakes by taking precautions now.

Participating in The Great Southern California ShakeOut on Nov. 13 is one way that your family can prepare. Organized by the Earthquake Country Alliance, this region-wide earthquake preparedness drill will be the largest event of its kind in U.S. history, with millions of families and businesses planning to “drop, cover and hold on” at 10 a.m. that day.

“Practicing what to do when the shaking starts builds a parent's confidence,” says Debbie Graves, Director of Health and Safety for the Orange County Chapter of the American Red Cross. “If adults take the lead and show an example of calm, this will instill confidence in children.”

The following seven steps to earthquake safety from The Earthquake Country Alliance can help you focus on what you need to do:

1. Identify and secure hazards in your home. Secure anything heavy enough to hurt you if it falls or is expensive enough to cause major loss if damaged.

2. Create a disaster-preparedness plan. Determine where to evacuate and how to reunite in an emergency. Learn how to use a fire extinguisher and shut off utilities. List the location of your disaster supplies. Create a wallet card for each family member with important contact information.

3. Prepare personal and household disaster supply kits. Load three backpacks with personal supplies and leave one at your home, one in your car and one at work. Items may include medications, a first aid kit, spare eyeglasses, water, snack foods, a whistle, a flashlight and batteries, emergency cash, road maps and copies of personal identification.

Essential services may be unavailable for days after a large quake. Pack an emergency household supplies kit with a three-day to two-week supply of food and drinking water (one gallon per person, per day). Consider including an outdoor grill; warm clothing; sleeping bags; a portable radio and batteries; heavy duty plastic bags; work gloves and goggles; flashlights and light sticks; pet food; and copies of financial and insurance policies.

4. Identify and fix your home's structural weaknesses. Check for inadequate foundations, unreinforced walls and masonry and vulnerable pipes.

5. Protect yourself when the shaking begins. Drop to the ground, take cover under a table or desk and hold on. Identify safe spots in every room. Practice with your family and talk to your children about what to expect during and after the next earthquake.

6. Check for injuries and damage afterwards. Administer first aid. Identify damaged utility lines and check for structural damage. Children experience extreme stress following a major quake, so stay close and offer extra reassurance.

7. Communicate and recover. Listen for safety information on your portable radio. Contact your insurance company to begin the claims process if your home is damaged.

Graves recommends involving your children as much as possible in these steps. Shopping together for disaster kit supplies or practicing drop, cover and hold on drills at home are teaching opportunities for parents to talk to kids about earthquakes and how to handle them.
Visit oc-redcross.org and shakeout.org for complete lists of disaster supplies and plans and other tips on earthquake preparedness. —Janet Otsuki

Halloween Safety Tips

As witches, goblins and superheroes descend on neighborhoods, it is important to prepare children for a safe and enjoyable trick-or-treat holiday. When considering safety on Halloween, look at the type of costume your trick-or-treater is wearing, the neighborhoods they have access to and the treats they will be receiving.

When helping your child choose a costume, make sure it is easily noticeable at night. Have him carry a flash light or glow stick at all times. If your child’s costume is a darker color, use reflective tape. Fire retardant costumes are always a good idea.

“Use face painting rather than a mask, as sometimes masks get in the way,” says Lynnette Round, Community Relations and Education Supervisor at the Orange County Fire Authority.
Make sure the costumes fit properly. Try to avoid costumes that drag around the feet as children can trip. Also, watch for costumes that hang loosely around the arms and can get caught on things. Keep the costumes above the ankles and at the wrists.

Before your little goblins go out, plan a route. They should go to neighborhoods they are familiar with. Have them stick to areas that are well lit.

“We recommend children under the age of 12 to be accompanied by an adult,” says Margery La Rue, Assistant Director with the Health and Safety Department at the Orange County Red Cross. “Older children should go out with groups of 3 or more.”

Children should not approach a house that does not have a porch light on. It is important for children to know not to enter a stranger’s home even if they are invited to do so. Discuss this with them if they are trick-or-treating with friends. Have your children stay on sidewalks and only cross the street at a crosswalk or corner.

“The most common emergency calls on Halloween are when a child has been hit by a car,” according to La Rue.

Feed your child dinner. It will be less likely that he will eat his candy (or too much of it) before coming home. This will allow you to check the candy before letting your child eat it.

In case of an emergency, make sure you have a name, address, and phone number pinned to the inside of your child’s costume. When you go with them, keep your cell phone with you. If they go with friends have them carry one.

“If you can get to a land line it would be best since cell phone calls to 911 go to local law enforcement, so it takes a little longer,” says Round. “Land lines are always the best option because they hook right up and they show where you’re calling from.”

In cases where your child does not have a cell phone, they should go to a group that has an adult with them and inform that adult.

Consider safety when it comes to children coming to your home. Make sure all pathways are clear. Keep the area well lit and if you have stairs, have lighting on them or mark them with florescent tape. Have someone home if you are going to have candy for the trick-or-treaters. The candy should be packages so that you cannot be accused of tainting it. Also, consider who you are giving the candy to. If it is a small child, avoid giving them hard candy they could choke on.

For a list of these tips you can visit the Orange County Red Cross website at oc-redcross.org or the Orange County Fire Authority at ocfa.org. —Melissa Caster

Tougher Rules for Parent-Volunteers

Beyond getting kids back into the swing of school this fall, many Orange County parents may now have an additional chore: getting background checked and finger-printed.

Capistrano Unified School District, the second largest in Orange County with more than 50,000 students, is asking all parents who volunteer service to schools or interact with children to get tested for tuberculosis, have a background check and LiveScan done by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

“Superintendant Woodrow Carter recommended this policy and it was approved by the board,” says Julie Hatchel, Chief Communications Officer for the District. “They believe that as a district we should be prudent in the interest of safety.”

Making sure the children in Capistrano Unified Schools are safe is a priority for many parents who will be going to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department for their LiveScan fingerprinting.

“I think it is great,” says Valerie Zoretic, mother-of-two whose children attend schools in Laguna Niguel. “I don't think that there is such a thing as being too cautious when it comes to the safety of our children. That includes taking measures such as finger printing and background checking of any and ALL people that are going onto the campus to work with, or around our kids.”

While some parents are upset about paying the full cost of the checks ($44), the district believes all schools will be in compliance this year.

Among the larger school districts in Orange County, this is by far the most comprehensive policy. Many districts have policies in place that do a basic level of screening, such as running volunteer names through the Meghan’s Law website. In the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified and Saddleback Unified school districts, fingerprinting is required for any volunteer who will be left unsupervised with children, like coaching or tutoring. —Cindy Morgan

Vote 2008: Get Your Kids Involved

As the Presidential election is all over the news right now, it’s a great time to teach kids how our electoral process works. It’s also a wonderful opportunity to help our kids develop a love of — and an appreciation for — our country. Here are some tips for involving kids in the voting process, for making U.S. history come alive, for remembering our veterans and more.

Teach kids how elections work. Even children as young as early-elementary-school age can get involved in learning about elections if you keep things simple and fun. During the presidential election in 2000, when our son, Matt, was almost five, we explained—in VERY basic terms — how the Electoral College worked. (Confession: We had to research that a bit ourselves, first!) We printed colorful Electoral College maps from the Internet, as election day neared, to show which states were leaning toward which candidates. We watched the presidential debates together and huddled around the television on election night. It was a hoot to see Matt—who for weeks had been paying particular attention to NBC’s Tim Russert (who will be greatly missed) and his ever-present white board—getting excited and saying “It all comes down to Ohio, Ohio, Ohio!” For more kid-friendly election info, visit Kids Voting USA, an educational website for grades K through 12, at www.kidsvotingusa.org.

Take the kids to the polls. At our local polling place, they offer a children’s practice ballot, which is a big hit with kids from preschool on up. Matt has happily “voted” for Abraham Lincoln for president on more than one occasion.

“I’ve always taken my kids with me to the polls,” says Shelby Preusse of Rancho Santa Margarita, the mother of four kids ages 13, 10, 7 and 1. “I want my kids to see how to vote at the polls and to understand how lucky we are to have this right. Those little ‘I voted’ stickers are also a hit with the kids.”

Follow local politics. Kids need to know that their mayor, city council and school board make decisions that affect their lives. For a community report in third grade, we took Matt to visit the local city-council chambers. He got to see the mayor’s office (and pick up the gavel — a big treat), sit where the council members sit during meetings and learn how decisions are made.

Visit America’s historic sites. “Washington D.C. is ‘our city,’ and we need to make sure our kids get there when they are at the right age to absorb the enormity of the greatness of our nation,” says Joy Hall of Lake Forest, the mother of a college-age daughter and a 15-year-old son. “I think the war memorials and the Smithsonian, Lincoln Memorial, Washington Memorial and the Capitol building are all really awe-inspiring to kids.”

Before her husband took their son to Washington D.C. four years ago, “we had our son do some reading so he was better prepared to absorb what he saw and so he could feel proud of what he knew,” she says.

Set an example. Kids watch what we do, and our actions tell them what we value, says Hall. “We display a flag, we turn on the T.V. for inaugural events and we watch State of the Union addresses and presidential funerals,” she adds. “We also write letters to enlisted men and women.” One of the most important things we can give our children is to pass on our own love for America, says Hall. “Nothing can replace the pride and tears they see in your eyes at certain times that are significant to our country.” —Kathy Sena

No Drugs Down the Drain

This month, OC residents will have the opportunity to “makeover” their medicine cabinets as a statewide “No Drugs Down the Drain” campaign takes place from Oct. 4 through 11. A collaborative effort between the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the California Association of Sanitation Agencies and the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, “No Drugs Down the Drain” hopes to promote the disposal of unwanted medication to help keep pharmaceuticals out of the sewer system and waterways. Household Hazardous Waste Collection events will be held in Irvine, Huntington Beach, Anaheim, Laguna Woods and San Juan Capistrano. Visit www.nodrugsdownthedrain.org for more information.
—Jennifer Cho Salaff

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Check out the following OC-area events:
American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life Saturday, Oct. 11. Peppertree Park, 230 W. First Street, Tustin. 10 a.m. www.relayforlife.org
Susan G. Komen for the Cure: Wacoal Fit for the Cure Friday, Oct. 24. Macy’s South Coast Plaza, 3333 Bristol Street, Costa Mesa. 714-556-0611. www.cms.komen.org.
Susan G. Komen for the Cure: Wacoal Fit for the Cure Friday, Oct 24. Macy’s The Shops at Mission Viejo, 27000 Crown Valley Parkway, Mission Viejo. 949-364-2800. www.cms.komen.org.
Susan G. Komen for the Cure: Wacoal Fit for the Cure Thursday, Oct. 23. Macy’s Fashion Island, 100 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach. 949-640-8333. www.cms.komen.org.

Win a Halloween DVD 3-Pack!

This month’s Parenting OC sweepstakes gets spooktacular with a 3-pack of great, ghoulish DVD titles! Enter to win It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, Scooby Doo and the Goblin King and Tweety and Sylvester Mysteries on DVD.

Email contests@parentingoc.com and in the subject line, type “Boo!” Include your name, address and phone number. The winners will be chosen in a drawing. The contest ends Oct 15 and the winners will be announced in our November issue. Go to www.parentingoc.com for details.

Congratulations to the winners of our September Sweepstakes Giveaway! Tanya Gebhard of Anaheim, Caryn Bailey of Aliso Viejo, Richard Tinoco of Brea and Reenah Lee of La Mirada won “George of the Jungle” on DVD. Tonya Wirgau of Fountain Valley won a family 4-pack of tickets to Magic Mountain. Sandra Bradley of San Clemente won a family 4-pack of tickets to see “James and the Giant Peach” at the La Mirada Theater for the Performing Arts.

Congrats to Maria Nishikawa of Corona del Mar who won the DadGear Courier Diaper Bag (from our June Father’s Day sweepstakes).