What Can We Learn From #LAWind?

I spent the Friday afternoon following Wednesday's once in a life time windstorm inside on North Figueroa Street. Partly I was drawn there like a technologically dependent moth to a flowing electrical current. Also, though, I just wanted to be around some people. Spending the previous 30 hours in a dimly lit and unheated apartment breeds a desire for human interaction that no measure of TweetDeck can satisfy.

Millennials, such as myself, often mourn over the loss of community via social media's atomization and sterilization of interpersonal interaction. No less than two minutes at Antigua Bread basically proved to me that Millennials, such as myself, need to stop mourning over the loss of things.

I sat down next to Ian, who introduced me to Gloria, who was delighted to learn that she already knew me through Twitter. I introduced Ian to Karen, who runs Twinkle Toes Dance Co. on North Figueroa, and who was hoping the power would come back on soon, so she could host her weekend classes. Ian and I also met a young woman whose name I forget and who Ian seemed gradually less interested in knowing once he learned that she was meeting male friend for lunch. I don't think they were dating, though.

Each new introduction prompted an iteration of the conversation we'd all been having since Thursday morning. Had I seen the downed ficus trees on Avenue 57 and do you really think it will take another 24 hours to get our electricity flowing again?

And every conversation ended the same way. "We are just pathetically not ready for this." It's the same conclusion .

With the metaphorical "We really need to figure out how not to descend into chaos the next time there's a natural disaster" iron still hot, I reached out to CERT Team member and Arroyo Seco Neighborhood Council Public Safety Committee President and Mark Legassie--a man who spends more time than most thinking about emergency response. Here's our conversation.

Many of us learned we weren't really ready to cope with life without electricity for an extended period of time. Why do you think we were all so unprepared?

The main reason is timing.  Windstorms of this intensity happen so infrequently in L.A. (on the order of decades) that most of us were caught off guard.  I didn't expect the lights to go out at all, let alone for a week.  The same is true for earthquakes--the last big one (Northridge) occurred 18 years ago in 1994.  To put that in perspective,  the kids graduating from high school this year were too young to remember it!   Another reason we were unprepared is because a disaster is something we don't like thinking about.  Plus in these difficult economic times, who has extra money for emergency items that could just sit around and not be used for years?

What are some basic supplies we should all have in our homes should another event like this come along?

The basics everyone should have include extra water, non-perishable food that doesn't require heating, warm blankets and clothing, flashlight for each family member, battery-powered radio, and of course, extra batteries. Even though this windstorm didn't cut off our water supply, the next large earthquake probably will.   Therefore, make sure you have stored at least seven days worth of water--that's one gallon per person each day, and one gallon per pet each day.   One-half of each gallon is for drinking, and the other half for bathing and other things.   

Finally, I couldn't live without my gas-powered generator.  Not only does it provide me with lights, heat and a way to charge my cell phone, I can also watch TV and use my computer to pass the time.  By plugging in your refrigerator, you can also prevent food from spoiling, which both saves money and stretches how long you can be self-sufficient.   All of this can be done with a small 2000W generator.  A word of caution, however--you can't run the refrigerator and microwave at the same time unless you have at least at 3000W generator.  Make sure you have at 5-10 gallons of extra gas stored for your generator (and car if you haven't gotten in the habit of keeping the tank at least half full like I do).

What is the first thing each of us should have done after we woke up on Thursday morning and found that we didn't have power?

The first thing you SHOULDN'T do is light candles. This can invoke a fire and/or explosion hazard due to potential gas leaks.  Instead grab a flashlight if it's dark, check on your family and neighbors to ensure they're OK and then turn on your battery-powered radio to find out what's going on. After performing these basic things, I next moved the generator onto my balcony, ran an extension cord into the house, and plugged in my refrigerator.  Why?  I had just  stocked up on groceries (a good idea before any storm.  Another tip I recommend is to put a note on the refrigerator door reminding everyone to open sparingly to save energy. This action will help stretch gasoline supplies as long as possible.

A lot of my neighbors decided to buy generators on Friday afternoon after learning that the power wouldn't be coming back on any time soon. Is that a smart investment?

It's convenient to wait until the disaster happens, but it's then a gamble whether you'll find one.  Stores will quickly sell out of generators, and if not, lines will be long.  And forget about finding sales or special discount deals--emergency supplies will be selling for a premium. A little bit of preparation can mean the difference between peace of mind and misery you might find.