Maxwell Park Neighborhood News

by Sarah Hipolito

Hey, What's Shakin'?

I didn't feel the first of the December quakes because I was on the road. The second one caught me relaxing in the tub. I was jolted out of a daydream by the loud rattling in the dining room my heart raced and my imagination ran wild!

What if the china cabinet spilled its contents, leaving a layer of broken glass throughout the dining room? The dog and cat would cut their feet. If guests were eating dinner during the quake, it would have fallen on them, causing a broken bone or deep cut, or both! What if a child were standing next to the cabinet when it fell? What if it fell on me? How would I lift the heavy cabinet? How would I get help if I couldn't reach the phone? If I could call an ambulance, what would I do until it came? How quickly would it come if 20 china cabinets in Maxwell Park tipped over on 20 neighbors at the same time? What if every china cabinet in Oakland fell over at the same time? Needless to say, I had a little trouble getting to sleep that night.

I was on the phone the next morning when it happened again. I felt the third quake and thought: This is ridiculous! I have taken the Citizens of Oakland Respond to Emergencies (CORE) I, II, and III classes. I took the all-day CORE disaster first-aid class. Surely I could think of something to do to make my house safer.

Say, what about bolting that huge china cabinet to the wall? I searched in the basement and found some L brackets. My neighbor Susanne Perkins brought over her stud finder. Using this simple tool and a drill, I located the studs above the china cabinet, fastened the L brackets to the wall and then to the china cabinet. Ahhh, success! Now I will be a little bit safer the next time the fault decides to slip.

Did you do anything to improve your chances during the next quake? Will you know what to do afterwards to help your neighbors? The recent quakes were mild, so most of us took them in stride. But even a mild quake can do serious damage if you aren't prepared.

If you can't think of anything to do, here are some suggestions: Get educated in a CORE class. Help plan the April 28 citywide emergency response exercise. Participate with your family in the exercise. Join the Maxwell Park Emergency Response Team (MPERT), one of 50 active CORE groups.

To learn more about CORE, visit www.oaklandcore.org.

Guess how close to the Hayward fault the MPERT members in the photo above are standing. E-mail your guess to Nick Stoughton, MPERT chair, at nick\@msbit.com. The person with the closest guess will receive a prize.

Do you know how close you live to the fault? Are you prepared for the next quake?