Disaster

Listen to the radio or other media for information on where to go and what to do. Having a battery-powered radio is a must in case the power goes out. Design a family emergency plan. Pick two places to meet in case of an emergency: one outside your house and another outside your neighborhood. Designate an out-of-state friend or relative to be your family contact in case of emergency. Keep important papers in a safe place. Familiarize yourself with how to evacuate your home or office.

Some players hung their heads and the coach called the whole evening a total disaster. And that was the winning team. Indeed, Friday night's 21-17 nonleague triumph over a valiant Marina High squad at Westminster High was far from typical for Newport Harbor. Newport Harbor senior quarterback Tom Jackson, however, prevented even deeper gloom for the Sailors by triggering a dramatic game-winning drive in the final 1:01. It capped a strong performance by the 6-foot-1, 185-pound Jackson, who threw three touchdown passes and also tossed a two-point conversion.

The Huntington Beach Independent went to Harbour View School and asked fourth- and fifth-grade members of the student council: 'Why do you think it is important to help those impacted by the tsunami disaster?' "I think because the families that are in need really need our help, and if we were in need, they would help us." JUSTIN MOULDS, 10 Huntington Beach "I think even the slightest bit of money can help ... even four or five dollars can buy water or something over there."

Huntington Beach may not be anywhere near New Jersey, but it shares one potential danger — the coast. After witnessing the devastating effects of Hurricane Sandy, Robinwood Church in Huntington Beach wants residents prepared for an earthquake or other disaster. Robinwood is hosting an earthquake and disaster presentation from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Jan. 12 at the church. The American Red Cross, the Orange County Fire Authority and Huntington Beach Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)

The 500-page "Basic Emergency Plan" is the city's bible in disasters. "Disaster preparedness guidelines are for the residents, but the emergency plan is for the staff," City Manager Ken Frank said. The plan spells out what is expected of each city department in the event of a man-made or natural disaster, right down to who will handle public information and the press. Police Capt. Danell Adams was the face and voice of emergency operations for displaced families and the media after the June 1 landslide.

Many human beings have a propensity to fall prey to certain fallacies of thinking. One is the misconception lurking in the back of everyone's mind when watching a horror such as last December's tsunami that it can't happen here. Another tendency is to lull ourselves into thinking that help is always at hand. The tragedies of this past month along the Gulf Coast are proof that such thinking belongs to fools living in some paradise. Add to these another common trait that is demonstrated every time there is a rainstorm and one discovers that, once again, new wiper blades were not bought for the car. This is clearly a blueprint for piling disaster on top of disaster.

Now that the nation's attention is gripped by a disaster of epic proportions in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast -- devastated by a monster hurricane that may have killed hundreds -- Laguna's June 1 landslide may look like small potatoes. But the Federal Emergency Management Agency's decision last week to reject disaster assistance based on the 100-year rains of last winter is still a colossal mistake. State and federal geologists made their findings clear shortly after the slide: Rainfall that soaked the area in the first part of the year -- for which two official disaster declarations were made -- had seeped far down into the ground, collected there, and caused a 100-foot-deep earth movement that made the hillside collapse some four months later.

A Huntington Beach man accused of pretending to be a firefighter at major disasters around the country has pleaded guilty to all charges and will serve a 120-day sentence at home. But his lawyer still called him an “American hero.” James Charles Campbell, 45, pleaded guilty Monday to two counts of possessing a firearm as a felon and one count of fraudulently impersonating fire personnel. Despite the objections of prosecutors, he was allowed by a judge to serve his sentence by going under house arrest except for work hours.

Jose Paul Corona As America celebrates its Independence Day while at war, for the first time in 30 years, it remains a beacon of hope to millions. That is one of the messages Rear Admiral Casey W. Coane will share with crowds at today's 98th annual Huntington Beach Fourth of July Parade. Coane, who works out of the Pentagon as the Reserve Deputy for Space Information Warfare, Command and Control and Director of the Naval Reserve Space and Network Warfare Program, flew in Tuesday from Washington D.C. for the festivities.

Beverly Findlay-Kaneko has used her memories of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan two years ago to start making a change in her new home of Huntington Beach. Findlay-Kaneko was in Japan when those natural disasters led to three nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant melting down in March 2011. Now she is using her experience to make an impact with students at Dwyer Middle School. She worked with members of the student council Monday to commemorate those who are affected by the aftermath of the tsunami.

Huntington Beach may not be anywhere near New Jersey, but it shares one potential danger — the coast. After witnessing the devastating effects of Hurricane Sandy, Robinwood Church in Huntington Beach wants residents prepared for an earthquake or other disaster. Robinwood is hosting an earthquake and disaster presentation from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Jan. 12 at the church. The American Red Cross, the Orange County Fire Authority and Huntington Beach Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)

As a community, we have all been shaken to our core with the Seal Beach mass murder incident. We all deal with stress, pressure, tension and friction on an everyday basis. We have all been in deeply chaotic situations in our life at one time or another, and somehow we seem to deal with such situations by suppressing the related feelings, using substances to numb our awareness of the inner chaos, etc., until one day the nervous system gives in, resulting in some kind of an outburst — in this case, unfortunately, the shooting of eight innocent victims.

Preparing for emergencies is so important that Vic and I are devoting another column to the topic. After sitting in on the city's disaster preparedness seminar two weeks ago, I am more ready for emergencies. Vic and I have put many of the things that I learned at the seminar into action, but there is still much more to do. For example, I bought a shut-off wrench for the gas line so we can shut off the natural gas in case of a leak. So far the wrench is still in its original packaging, but sooner or later I'll remove the packaging and use some string to attach the tool to the gas line outside.

Come for the pancakes and stay for the life-saving information Saturday at two events in Sunset Beach. The Sunset Beach Community Assn. is hosting its 47th annual Pancake Breakfast where an Emergency Preparedness Expo will also be going on. The expo will have information on earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding and other disasters that could strike Orange County. Emergency supplies will be on sale and firefighters will be on hand to teach residents how to use fire extinguishers and hoses.

The big one hit Huntington Beach. There is chaos everywhere, people are hurt and dying, and there isn’t enough emergency personnel to go around — help isn’t going to come for at least 72 hours How are you going to survive? Survival was the name of the game at the Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) Disaster First Aid class Saturday. More than 100 citizens came out for the second of four training classes CERT offers a year. The program is a Federal Emergency Management Agency-endorsed training series created in Huntington Beach in 1991 to teach community members how to take care of themselves, their families and their neighbors until the authorities can get to them in the event of a major disaster, said Judy Ann Morris, CERT board president.

Vic and I both are clutter hoarders in many areas of our lives, especially printed material such as books, magazines and EIRs. Seeds are one category in which I alone am guilty. Saving seeds can be a good thing. Many gardeners save seeds from their best vegetables to plant the next year. This type of selection over many millennia in different parts of the world is what gave us the huge genetic variety in seeds and allows us to produce so many different kinds of grains, fruits and vegetables.

A Huntington Beach man accused of pretending to be a firefighter at major disasters around the country has pleaded guilty to all charges and will serve a 120-day sentence at home. But his lawyer still called him an “American hero.” James Charles Campbell, 45, pleaded guilty Monday to two counts of possessing a firearm as a felon and one count of fraudulently impersonating fire personnel. Despite the objections of prosecutors, he was allowed by a judge to serve his sentence by going under house arrest except for work hours.

A Huntington Beach man was arrested at his home Friday morning, facing accusations he impersonated a paramedic at major disaster scenes across America, from the World Trade Center to Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Dean. His attorney disputes the claims, saying they are based on “misinformation.” Authorities said James Charles Campbell, 44, is a convicted felon who used stolen Los Angeles County Fire Department equipment to pretend to be a paramedic captain who flew helicopters for the department.