When an emergency strikes, the San José Office of Emergency Management (OEM) provides leadership and coordinates the City’s response. But what about your response? How can you prepare for an emergency like an earthquake or fire? OEM provides materials and training to help residents like you prepare for the next emergency. Today, we learn about those resources and the steps you can take right now to protect your family and your property from the unexpected.
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JS: Alvin, welcome and thank you for joining us.
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AG: Awesome. Thank you so much, Jeff. Thank you all for inviting me. I really appreciate this invitation to be part of this podcast. My name is Alvin Galang, and I am an assistant to the city manager here in the city manager's office, specifically in the Office of Emergency Management. I have been with the city of San Jose for over 15 years now. I actually started my city career in the office of Emergency Management back when it was called the Office of Emergency Services. And I am especially thrilled to be part of an organization that is really geared at making sure that the residents of San Jose are prepared for disasters and emergencies. So thank you for having me.
00;01;16;29 - 00;01;21;21
JS: Alvin, can you tell us what the mission of OEM, the Office of Emergency Management, is?
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AG: The mission of OEM, the Office of Emergency Management is to provide leadership of the City of San Jose's emergency management responsibilities through planning and coordination of programs, functions, and supporting activities to prepare for, respond to and recover from all emergencies and disasters. And our vision is a resilient city of San Jose. And so it doesn't matter what type of disaster or what type of emergency happens. We want to make sure that our city bounces back from that disaster or from that emergency.
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JS: And so when you talk about emergencies or disasters, we are talking about both manmade and natural, right? So this could be an earthquake, but it also could be a fire. Is that correct?
00;02;15;18 - 00;02;17;14
AG: That is correct, yes.
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JS: So in real time as emergencies are unfolding, what is OEM doing? How are you affecting the situation and trying to work the situation?
00;02;27;02 - 00;03;10;18
AG: What we are doing is we are coordinating that response with the different city organizations or different city departments. And so when a disaster happens or when an emergency happens, a lot of times we'll maybe hear about it from, you know, something that an email will get a text message. We'll hear about it in the news, on the radio, what have you. We're making sure that those key players, those folks that are all on board, are all aware of what's going on. And we're all ready to do whatever we need to do to make sure that we do our best to protect all life, property and the environment here in San Jose.
00;03;10;26 - 00;03;38;13
JS: And so if we focus on housing, for example, oftentimes in an emergency, people may be displaced, maybe their house is uninhabitable or their apartment building becomes uninhabitable for either a short period of time or maybe a very long period of time. How do OEM and the organizations that you work with, how do you step in to try to assist the people who have been displaced from their homes?
00;03;38;15 - 00;04;47;23
AG: What we do or what we suggest for folks definitely is to really make sure that they check the language on their lease or rental agreements, that those lines of communication remain open between the landlord and the tenants, and also, ideally, that they are prepared for the unknown. And again, these unknowns being a disaster in an emergency, whether it's a flood, whether it's a fire, whether it's an earthquake. But those are the things that OEM, you know, looks to coordinate that preparedness aspect. And one of the ways that we can help with that is by providing these preparedness classes to folks. And we provide these these classes, these trainings, these presentations to individuals, to families, to apartment complexes, to neighborhood associations. That's kind of that first step in making sure that they have the bare bones basics on what they can do to be prepared for a disaster or for an emergency.
00;04;48;00 - 00;05;19;23
JS: So we have the atmospheric river storms, some pretty severe storms back in January, late December, then into January. And so a number of people were displaced. We also had some homeless residents who were living near waterways and they were in harm's way and they had to be moved. Can you give our audience kind of a sense of what agencies were brought to bear to help people who were displaced? And how did OEM help manage and coordinate the efforts of those agencies as they were trying to help people who were displaced by those storms a few months ago?
00;05;20;05 - 00;07;01;10
AG: So during those atmospheric river events, OEM, you know, we activated the emergency operations center, we activated our EOC, and we brought folks representatives from the different departments, including fire, including Department of Transportation, including Public Works and coordinate aid effort in making sure that we addressed those folks that were displaced. And so some of the things that we did, you know, was to mobilize folks from our housing department to, you know, get the word out, let folks know, especially those folks that were living near those waterways, that the water levels are about to rise. So Parks and Recreation and the American Red Cross worked together to set up these emergency shelters at these community centers as well. We also coordinated with our police department where they had folks or they had their officers go out with LRADS, also called long range acoustical devices to give those messages in different languages, including Spanish and Vietnamese, to let folks know again that there was danger, that the waters were anticipated to rise and that they should definitely seek shelter. And also, of course, again, in working with our partners with Valley Water to make sure that those lines of communication were kept open and that communication in that coordination with Valley Water was was key to making sure that, again, we protected life, property and the environment.
00;07;01;21 - 00;07;27;15
JS: So let's say there was a fire in San Jose, perhaps a large fire, and there was a building that was damaged there, an apartment building. So in that situation, if there's an apartment building and maybe it was multiple apartment buildings in this hypothetical scenario, how do residents who are displaced, how do they know when it's safe to go back inside that building? And if they're not sure if it's safe or not, what should they do?
00;07;27;24 - 00;08;24;10
AG: After any emergency response from the fire department? Folks are suggested to follow the direction of that responder, whether again, whether it's fire, whether it's police or what have you, and find out whether it's safe to enter. Many times there will be signs that will be posted on that building. If a resident is interested to find out whether their home, their apartment is safe and maybe there aren't any signs posted, what they can do is request an inspection from the planning building and Code Enforcement department, where they will send folks to make sure that their building is safe and that they can go back in there. And so really, it's like I said, it's it's really connecting with our PBCE, planning, building code enforcement folks because they do provide that service for folks who are interested.
00;08;24;10 - 00;08;37;19
JS: Do you know who's responsible for repairing damage if it's a rental situation like an apartment building, does that fall on the building owner? Does that fall on the tenant, do you know?
00;08;37;21 - 00;09;10;28
AG: So that's a good question. And I think that also goes back to my point where the tenants should definitely check the language in their lease and rental agreement because many times it will be included in that agreement as far as responsibility. Generally, it does fall on the landlord's responsibility. Again, that's generally because damage caused by a natural event like an earthquake is typically handled by the property owner.
00;09;11;00 - 00;09;28;21
JS: And certainly most property owners, residential, commercial, multifamily, most property owners will have insurance to cover their property. But what about tenants? Do you does the city have a position on renters insurance and whether it makes sense for tenants to try to protect their property with insurance?
00;09;28;25 - 00;10;23;14
AG: The city doesn't necessarily get involved in those types of decisions. When we talk about insurance, whether it's rental insurance or auto insurance or life insurance or what have you. Insurance is a personal decision. And so this the city, again, can't really make the recommendation whether to or whether or not to purchase rental insurance. But we can let those renters know is that they should consider what is best for them and what is best for them and their situation. Right. Getting insurance might assist in in getting the resident back to normal in a short amount of time, but there's no guarantees there. But that may happen. And so, you know, if the residents decide to get renters insurance again, it's really important to be sure to read that agreement carefully and see if there's also any exclusions like natural disasters.
00;10;23;24 - 00;10;35;11
JS: Do you have any tips or advice as someone whose career is in emergency management of things that that families and individuals can do to prepare themselves for the unexpected?
00;10;35;13 - 00;19;56;03
AG: Yes, I definitely do have some tips on how folks can be prepared for disaster before an emergency. And so when we do these trainings out in the community, we cover very broadly five essential steps to preparedness. And these are what individuals can do now to prepare for an emergency or for a disaster, because truth of the matter is, is that we don't know when the next earthquake is going to happen. We don't know when the next flood or when the next fire or even when the next pandemic is going to happen. Right. It's definitely hard to predict, but it's easy to prepare. The first step is getting alerts and knowing what to do, and that involves signing up for alert SCC. So the easiest way to sign up for SCC is to send a text message with your zip code to 888777 and you will automatically sign up for alert SCC. So that is one way to get alerts right. Another way that you can, you know, really for additional information go on the different websites whether it's the CalOES.CA.Gov website which provides guides, alerts, resources. Ready.gov is another website where it has information to prepare for emergencies and disasters really just start to become familiar with potentially what can happen in the event of an emergency and disaster. Step two would be to make a plan. And so this step really is creating a plan to protect your people, whether it's your family, whether it's your neighbors. Get a list of those emergency contacts. Right. Who are the folks that you're going to let know that, hey, there was an earthquake? We're fine. A consideration for that would be someone that doesn't live in the immediate area. So folks that don't necessarily live close to you because, again, they are probably going through the same thing, whether it was an earthquake, they probably experienced that earthquake. Also, it would be good to let other folks know out of the area, put them in your emergency contacts list to let them know that you're okay and vice versa. Right. So you want to include information, you know, your home, your work school. Share the copies with everyone on your emergency contact list. It's really important to make sure when possible that the communication goes out to to those folks, because really, the information, as much information as you can share to let them know that you're okay. That just really helps kind of calm the situation a little bit. The unknown is something that everyone has just recently serious with the earthquake or what have you. And so giving that information out to folks in your contact lists is definitely important. So make a planning or make a plan for doing so. Another part of making a plan is determining an evacuation and meet up spot. And so you'll also need to think about where your family would evacuate and where you would meet up if that emergency demanded. Right. And so remember that you might not know when a disaster will be, when it's going to happen, how it's going to happen. But if you have an evacuation in a meet up plan, then you know that safer example, the the the event happened during working hours and you were at work and your kids are at home. And worst case scenario, it was an earthquake. You know, again, worst case scenario, it wouldn't be safe to stay at home, but you're at work. And so if you plan ahead and determined that, okay, should the need come up where we cannot be, where we cannot stay at home and we need to meet somewhere else, where should we meet? And whether it's at the school a couple of blocks down, whether it's at that park down the street, at least you'll know that, hey, this is where we're going to meet up in case we're separated or what have you. That's where we're going to meet. That would also be part of making that plan, making sure that you have that evacuation and meet up spot. The third part of being prepared involves packing your go bag if that emergency or if that disaster required you to leave. What are those important things that you will be packing where you could just grab it and go. And so some of these things, you know, those everyday items like your wallet, your cell phone, your ID, phone chargers, first aid supplies, batteries. If you have pets, make sure that you pack for them, too. So pet food, if there's any medications that you or your family or even your pets have, take those medications with you. Those are just a few things that you will pack in your go bag again to make sure that you have these things ready in case of an emergency or case of a disaster. You need to pack up and go make sure those things in your go bag. Step four is not necessarily on the opposite side of that, but say you are required to stay put, right, whether it's shelter in place or what have you. And so you also want to make sure that you build a stay box. And so you include things in your stay box. You want to prepare for at least three days without water or electricity. And so some of the things that you want to include in your stay box, of course, ideally food that doesn't spoil so easily doesn't require any cooking. You will know best what you and your family like to eat. And so, again, you make those those decisions on what kind of foods that you're going to put in your stay box. Of course, you want to put water as well in your stay box. You want to save up to three gallons per person for drinking and washing. And then trash bags are also included in a stay box, set aside extra plastic bags. And then very similar to those go bags, you want to include those things like the flashlights, portable radios, batteries, so on and so forth that you also want to keep in your stay box. Step five is helping your friends and neighbors get ready, because in a disaster or in an emergency, many times, especially if it's a major disaster, an emergency, those first responders, police, fire, they're going to be busy attending to those those really serious events. Right. And so what you need to do is make sure that you're prepared to help your neighbors. Our community emergency response teams are certs. One of their sayings is neighbors helping neighbors. And in the event of a disaster and emergency, that's what needs to happen. And so how you can start is by sharing the information, sharing the knowledge, sharing their education, even just sharing even this podcast with folks to give them an idea, give them a sense of, hey, during a disaster, an emergency, what are the things that I need to know? Right? I had mentioned that we also provide trainings, personal emergency preparedness trainings for the community. And so whether it's getting the apartment complex together or whether it's getting the neighborhood association together, whether it's getting your family and friends together, you can request a presentation from the Office of Emergency Management and we will come out and do a presentation for your group. And if folks are interested in taking that next step, what more can I do? What more, what other trainings can I take to make sure that I'm even more prepared? And that's where our community Emergency Response team or our CERT trainings come into play. If folks want to learn more about disaster medical operations, if they want to learn about cribbing, if they want to learn more about light search and rescue or putting out small fires, the City of San Jose, Office of Emergency Management. We offer these trainings for folks. They are 20 hour trainings and we do offer them as a mix of Zoom trainings and in-person trainings. And we definitely try and make the most out of those trainings and try to meet people where they are. And again, we totally get that. It is hard to dedicate 20 hours of your time or your schedule to a disaster preparedness training, but I can tell you it's definitely worth it. Folks that graduate from the CERT program are definitely more prepared, and so that would be the next step in getting trained in disaster preparedness and getting trained to respond to an emergency. That's the time when we'll really rely on our neighbors helping neighbors.
00;19;57;10 - 00;20;13;11
JS: Do you see or have you seen during your career a common mistake, a frequent mistake that people make in the early stages of an emergency or disaster that might impact the eventual outcome for them? Things that people should try to avoid?
00;20;13;13 - 00;21;02;23
AG: Yes, there have been kind of those mistakes that that people make after a disaster or after an emergency. And I think one of the things to address that is to encourage folks not to immediately panic. I think it's important to pause and rather than react to that emergency or disaster, they can respond to it. And again, the difference is that in responding to it, you have developed a plan that you have thought it out. It's hard to predict, but it's easier to prepare. Right. And so I don't necessarily want to call that a mistake, but it's something that I think that most folks should kind of have in the back of their mind.
00;21;03;06 - 00;21;30;18
JS: And I guess I would also add this, as I was listening to you speak earlier in this conversation, you had mentioned the text alerts that people can can request or sign up for from the county, which I think are also valuable, not only for all the reasons you mentioned so eloquently, but it can also help people fact check and make sure that they are sourcing reliable information so that they don't fall victim or overreact to misinformation they see on social media.
00;21;30;20 - 00;22;45;03
AG: Yeah, Jeff, that's actually a great point. And, you know, as I mentioned, of keeping those lines of communication open. Right. Getting the information out there, you do bring up a good point and maybe I'll put an asterisk on it, but getting the accurate and timely information out there, because a lot of times what happens doesn't happen all the time, but it does happen quite frequently is that, you know, when a disaster happens or when an emergency happens, folks will get on their phone, they'll look at their posts on social media. And yeah, there are many times factual, actual accurate information on there. And then there are also times where that information is just completely wrong. And so it is important, again, like you said, to sign up for those text messages because you will get the accurate information directly from there rather than or instead of information from a social media post or what have you. So, yes, it's definitely a great tool for folks to, again, plan on getting that information in the event of a disaster or in the event of an emergency.
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JS: That's great. Well, we'll wrap it up on that point. And Alvin Galang, Thank you so much. It's Alvin from the Office of Emergency Management in the city of San Jose. Thank you so much for sharing your insights and your experience and your expertise. I know we have so many homeowners and tenants and landlords around the city who are concerned about the next disaster or the next emergency. And it's great to hear your wise words. So thank you very much.
00;23;12;15 - 00;24;22;21
AG: Great. Thank you so much. Again, it was a pleasure being here. I'm definitely open to addressing any sort of questions or anything that folks have. Again, I know that you had mentioned that we are going to provide links from this podcast, and I will provide those links to the resources. And as I mentioned, you know, kind of this last plug, I do want to make sure that folks are aware that the Office of Emergency Management does provide these trainings for folks. And so I will provide a link to our website, which will direct you to a request form for these trainings. And again, that's kind of just that first step when we provide these general trainings, hopefully it will get folks thinking about, okay, what more can I do, how much more can I get involved? And so that first step is attending these personal emergency preparedness trainings. Hopefully that next step will involve folks signing up for our CERT classes and then they'll take it from there and hopefully more folks in San Jose will be prepared for disasters and emergencies. So again, thank you all for having me. And it was great being here.
00;26;35;19 - 00;27;32;25
Jeff: Thanks so much Alvin, for joining me on today’s episode. Thanks for listening to Dwellings, the City of San José Housing Department podcast. Our theme music is “Speed City,” composed and performed by Etienne Charles. Thanks to San José Jazz for letting us use their music. If you like the show, please subscribe and share with your friends and family. If you're looking for more ways to get involved with housing and homelessness response, please check out the show notes. You can follow the Housing Department on social media. We're on Twitter and Facebook at S J city housing. If you have questions or comments about today's episode, please send them to housingcomms@sanJoséca.gov. Our artwork is by Chelsea Palacio. Dwellings is produced by me, Jeff Scott and Jose Chavez of the Housing Department.