Be Prepared Before the Next Earthquake

One fact of life about living in Alaska is that we have more earthquakes than any other region of the United States. While it is impossible to predict the timing or severity of the next seismic event, it’s a sure thing that major earthquakes will continue to happen here. Take the time now to prepare and protect yourself, your family, and your home. Your future self will thank you.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Just like the fire drills in elementary school, earthquake drills will help you and your family feel more prepared as well as improve your chances of survival. In most instances, you’ll have a better outcome if you practice Drop, Cover, and Hold On. This means that, the moment you feel a tremor, DROP to your hands and knees, COVER your head with your arm or crawl under a sturdy table or desk, and HOLD ON until the shaking ends. Prior to an earthquake, it’s important to identify safe spots in every room, like under desks or sturdy tables. Practice Drop, Cover, and Hold On in all of the rooms of your home, and make sure that your children’s school is holding drills as well. 

Build an Earthquake Kit

Actually, it’s best to build 2 or 3 - one for home, one for your vehicle, and one for your workplace. Your kit should include information on medications, first-aid supplies, a whistle to help rescuers find you, bottled water and snacks, a flashlight, ID cards, cash, a radio with extra batteries, medications, glasses or contact lenses, personal documents (medication list, passport, birth certificate, insurance information, and mortgage or lease information) and a list of family contact numbers. If you have small children, include a favorite toy or game, or other things to keep them occupied and calm during the emergency. 

After the Quake

As soon as the shaking stops, it’s critical to get away from large bodies of water and move to higher ground as soon as it’s safe to do so. Tsunamis can occur almost immediately after an earthquake, so residents will need to stay away from the coast for at least a few days. If you’re trapped underneath debris, use your whistle or cell phone to alert rescuers, or knock loudly every few minutes on something solid. If you are able, check to see if anyone is injured. Offer help or call 911 to report serious injuries immediately. 

Communicate 

If possible, let your family know that you’re safe by registering on the “Safe and Well” site. Text family members to let them know you’re ok, then stay off the phone so that the phone lines are available for first-responders. 

Bonanza Realty has been providing exceptional management services to homeowner associations and planned communities since 1978, the longest running association management company in Anchorage and surrounding areas. Contact us at 907-333-1244 or visit us online at https://www.bonanzarealty.net/

Alaskan Earthquakes: They’re Denali’s Fault

Did you know over 7 million earthquakes occur in the world each year? Many of these earthquakes are so small they go undetected. A few may knock over knickknacks or cause a picture to go crooked. According to USGS, only 152 of these 7 million earthquakes are considered “large” earthquakes. The Unites States has some of the strictest building standards and quickest emergency response times in the world. What you choose to do with the interior of your home is up to you. There are plenty of precautions that must be made to ensure a safe environment for your family. With 16 states in the earthquake danger zone, it is important to do this before a tragedy occurs.

Preparing your home for an earthquake is not something we always think of as homeowners. The biggest risk during an earthquake is being struck by a falling or broken object. This can be prevented with some simple precautions like

• Securing the water heater with an anchor kit
• Installing flexible pipe fitting so they will bend, not break
• Don’t skimp on latches! A good latch will keep your cabinets closed

Create an earthquake survival kit. These are items are in addition to the typical home safety kit:

• A shovel
• Fire extinguisher
• Rope
• A whistle
• Compass

The safest place to be during an earthquake? Outside! Unfortunately, earthquakes tend to happen with no warning. This means you may only have mere seconds to get to your established safe spot. Pick a place in your home without windows, glass, tall unsecured furniture, or overhead fixtures. Look for an area near interior walls with a nice sturdy table or desk to hide under. Being under this will keep you and your family safe from debris should the home crumble. If you feel the ground shake, get to your safety spot, drop, cover, and hold on!

What is the most earthquake prone state? Alaska. From all of us at Alaska Management Group, stay safe when you are in your home! Since 1978, we have strived to provide exceptional management services. It has always been our goal to ensure a safe and comfortable lifestyle in the community. To find out more, give us a call at (907) 333-1244 today.

Ward Against Winter Burglars

“Oh the weather outside is frightful…”  Winter weather can conjure up images of cozying up indoors with a hot bowl of soup, a mug of hot chocolate, and a warm blanket.  Braving the cold can be a daunting task.  While crime decreases overall during the winter months, certain factors such as increased utility costs and seasonal unemployment can engender a different kind of desperation. 

Time Your Lights: With darkness falling long before most people get home from work, set some of your home lights to a timer.  Keep your blinds closed so burglars can’t notice the ruse.

 

Close Your Blinds: This one is worth repeating.  With the increased darkness, open blinds when you are home is an advertisement to anyone passing by.  You can’t see out, but they can see in to your new plasma screen TV, expensive laptop, or pricey portable coffee maker.

 

Secure All Doors and Windows: While leaving a window open in sub-freezing temperatures isn’t a risk, forgetting to lock them is.  Lock your windows and doors, including the interior door from the garage to your home.  Reinforce the security of sliding doors by laying a wooden dowel or two-by-four in the groove.

 

Don’t Hide a Key: This is a golden ticket for burglars.  It’s a risky enough measure during the warmer months, but what about after snowfall?  If you need to dig around for the spare key even once, the conspicuous patterns in the snow is a give-away.

 

Secure Your Yard: Avoid giving burglars extra coverage.  If you notice overgrown shrubs and trees now, add it to your maintenance list for the warmer months.  Keep things well-lit during all seasons and consider installing a motion-sensitive floodlight.

 

Know Your Neighbors: Neighborhoods that are closer-knit are more likely to keep an eye out for one another and notice suspicious persons.  If you don’t know your neighbors yet, fight cabin fever by hosting an indoor block party!

 

Report Anything Suspicious: Odd footprints in the snow at your neighbor’s house?  Give them a call.  At your own home?  Let the police know.  Police are more likely to drive through neighborhoods with reported crimes, but alert them to suspicious actions  and they’d be happy to drive through the neighborhood to keep an eye on things.

 

From your friends at Alaska Management Group, stay warm and stay safe during this winter season!

Thanksgiving Home Safety Tips

This Thanksgiving, you plan to host friends, family, and their children for the annual feast. Your to-do list includes keeping your guests happy, staying on top of the mess, and cooking up a feast with all the fixings. You might feel overwhelmed and forget a few tasks that can put your guests in danger. Follow these tips to keep your family and home safe this Thanksgiving. 

Cooking a turkey is a science. This big bird can take up to 5 days to thaw so make sure you are prepared! Keep the turkey in the refrigerator until it is time to place in the oven. A turkey should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees to ensure the meal is safe from bacteria. Once dinner is over, make sure to put all leftovers in the refrigerator. All leftovers must be refrigerated within two hours of serving. 

The number of kitchen fires triples on Thanksgiving Day. Take some simple precautions to make sure your home doesn’t become part of this statistic. “Stand by your pan” encourages homeowners to never leave food, especially grease, cooking on the stove top unattended. Keep all pets and children away from hot stoves and pans. Make sure all handles are facing inwards so they are not knocked over by guests. If you have a grease fire, do NOT use water or a fire extinguisher to put it out. Turn off the heat source, cover the flames with a pot or pan if possible, and dump baking soda and/or salt on the flames. 

Clogged drains can be expensive, time consuming, and stinky for you and your guests! Once a drain is clogged, homeowners can either call a plumber or run to the store for a bottle of Drano. Proper drain maintenance can avoid clogs, here are a few easy steps! 

1.     Lift any pop-up stoppers in sinks, remove gunk that has collected around the stopper and place it in the trash. Rinse the stopper and place it back in the drain.

2.     Remove the shower drain and use a wire, a croquet hook, or a Zip-it to remove hair and other waste. Place the waste in the trash and rinse with hot water.

3.     Grind up a combination of ice and salt in your garbage disposal. This will help remove grease.  Once finished, rinse with cold water and grind up half a lemon or lime to leave it smelling fresh and clean.

Alaska Management Group provides management services and solutions as well as association-specific websites that can help companies share information and communicate effectively. Complete our management request form to find out how Alaska Management Group can assist you in maintaining the value and comfort of your home association.