Does Your Riverside Mobile Home Park Have an Emergency Preparedness Plan?

10/25/2021 (Permalink)

Do you live in one of the mobile home parks in Riverside, CA?  Imagine a fire evacuation, is there clear direction on how you are to evacuate? 

With the roads typically being narrow, some are cul-de-sacs how do you know.  Are you aware of other exits that may be open during an emergency and which exit is closest to your home? 

We will cover some of the things that can be discussed with your park manager if you are not aware of an Emergency Preparedness Plan.

The goal of the emergency plan is to maintain order, and reduce the risk to life, health, and safety of park residents and emergency services personnel in the event of an emergency. The Plan should identify essential evacuation routes that will be used in an emergency situation.

Residents must have access to information on evacuation routes as well as basic emergency preparedness information to enable them to take personal responsibility for themselves during an emergency. An important consideration in any emergency is the ability to coordinate with local responding agencies and personnel. It is imperative that

residents work in conjunction with and assist emergency response personnel as directed or instructed.

Evacuation of a Mobile Home Park

Once evacuation routes have been identified it is essential that park residents have access to this information. Evacuation information could be posted in the park clubhouse or other area within the park, and should be available to park residents before an emergency or disaster occurs. Having this knowledge will enable residents to take personal responsibility for themselves during an emergency.

There may be residents from the park who are willing to volunteer their time and to assist in the evacuation process. This will primarily be accomplished by using a current emergency phone contact list but in cases where phone service is not available or out-of-service, the information can be delivered door to door.

Evacuation considerations:

• Acquire and update emergency phone contact lists for next of kin notifications.
• Consider residents who may require assistance during an evacuation including but not limited to people with disabilities, or those who have access and/or functional needs.

− Residents can voluntarily provide specific limitations or health issues they may have which would require additional assistance during an evacuation.

• Inform other residents of the possibility of an evacuation or of an imminent evacuation during a natural or man-made disaster. Coordinate evacuation of other residents who are unable to transport out on their own.
• Inform/train other residents on procedures for securing their homes prior to evacuation such as gas shut off, water main shut off, electrical shut off, locking doors and windows, and leaving immediately to pre-determined locations.
• Organize and inform other residents of their evacuation route to take in leaving the park in a safe and orderly fashion.
  • Conduct training and practice evacuation sessions.

Planning

The following list of questions and statements is only a sampling of items that could be identified and described in the park’s Evacuation Plan. These suggestions are provided as a tool to assist in the development of each parks customized Evacuation Plan.

• How many entrances and exits are there in the ark?
• Is there two way traffic accessible throughout the park?
• Are there concentrations of households who need special assistance to evacuate congregated in certain sections of the park?
• Would any section of the park be easier and quicker to evacuate first?
• Are there any fixed obstacles in the park that would hinder a sections evacuation route?
• If an entrance or exit is blocked, do you have an alternate evacuation route planned?
• In the event that all evacuation routes are disabled, is there a backup plan for evacuation such as a site for air lifting residents from the park?
• Adding information to the park plan that would inform residents how to prepare for an air lift rescue from their roof.
• Identification of the major safe sites in your community that emergency agencies use for evacuation.
• Supplying park residents with maps of the major routes out of the area.
• Safety issues that park residents can address before a disaster to make their homes safer (example: tie downs for LPG tanks; installation of smoke detectors, securing hot water heaters).

At a minimum, the Plan should include the following information: Essential evacuation routes; elevation of the park property, type of disasters common to your area; public warning signals used in the community; local emergency broadcast station frequency location; phone numbers to the local Red Cross chapter or other emergency agencies’ phone numbers.

Evacuation List of Residents by Section

The order of evacuation is for Section I to evacuate first, then Section 2 evacuates second and continues sequentially by Section number until the entire park has been evacuated. If the park contains numerous recreational vehicles, it is recommended that they maintain mobility functions for quick evacuation.

Evacuation Sites

Predetermined buildings/sites to evacuate to in the case of a Natural Disaster:

• Local High School Gymnasium
• Local Park Community Center
• Red Cross designated safe place
• Local Fair Grounds
• Another city or county government agency designated safe place

In the event of a disaster, which does not require evacuation of the entire park, the

designated site of evacuation within the park could be the community room or club house,

if available.

SERVPRO of West Riverside City is here to assist when disasters strikes.  We're a phone call away at your time of need, night or day!

951-251-8033