HomeDisasterPlan

When I was a child, born in San Francisco, then moving with my parents and little sister to Oakland, California when I was six years-old, life was much different than it is today.  I can only recall one “Supermarket,” that being QFI, located in Stonestown in the City.  I would guess Stonestown was the first grouping of retail stores which was the forefront to the shopping malls we now frequent. In Oakland, my parents rented a home my grandparents purchased for $17,000.00.  Our home was located in the Redwood Heights neighborhood on Monterey Boulevard, near 35th Avenue.  At the time, 35th Avenue was like many other major streets in Oakland, serving their neighborhoods.  Before Supermarkets anchored Shopping Centers, neighborhoods had small, independently owned markets and other small businesses which provided to the needs of those who lived nearby. At the corner of Monterey Boulevard and 35th Avenue we had a

You’re on vacation at Disneyland with your nine-year-old daughter, in the blink of an eye, your daughter goes missing, what would you do?   Take a moment and ask yourself what you would really do? Over the years, I have given many seminars ranging from the use of cellular telephones, to vehicle safety, to workplace safety, without a doubt missing children invokes the most emotional response.   Many parents are reluctant to think of their child as missing, perhaps not wanting to “Jinx” their child by addressing this issue. Others shy away from any confrontation because the subject is too offensive to them. Still others dismiss the idea of a missing child because they have taken some type of action to responding to a missing child.   A couple of years ago, I began a seminar in Brentwood, California, by asking the above question. I was somewhat surprised when a

Weapon Safety** Four Basic Safety Rules Guns are always loaded Never allow muzzle to cover anything you are not willing to destroy Keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot Be sure of your target and background Protection of Home** California Penal Code 198.5PC Presumption of reasonable fear of imminent peril of Death or Great Bodily Injury Against another person not a member of the household Unlawfully and forcefully enters Reasonably believed unlawful and forceful entry occurred Reasonable Force** Graham v. Conner All determinations of unreasonable force must embody allowance for the fact that police officers often forced to make split-second judgements In circumstances that are tense, uncertain, and rapidly evolving About the amount of force that is necessary in a particular situation Justifiable Homicide, Any Person** California Penal Code 197PC When resisting any attempt to murder any person, or to commit a felony, or to do Great

A few years ago, when I was gathering information for my website, www.heavenforbid.org, I was introduced through an acquaintance, to a woman who earlier in her life had lived through a parent’s worst nightmare, the kidnaping of her child.  Mary Johnson (Fictitious name) and her 18 month-old daughter lived in a region northeast of the San Francisco Bay, known more for it’s vast vineyards, then violent crime. For almost three hours, Mary was gracious enough to share her horror, talk about police involvement, and what she and a friend personally did to secure the release of her daughter and send the perpetrator to prison. According to the Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), approximately 800,000 to 900,000 children are reported missing annually.  These figures may be somewhat misleading, most people do not call back when there child returns, or perhaps, even more sadly,

Once again, Mother Nature has unleashed her wrath of destruction on the seemingly peaceful and unassuming.  As whirlwind tornadoes touch down indiscriminately throughout our nation, the devastation is nothing short of deadening all in their paths.  With no rhyme or reason, office buildings that were once vibrant, homes that overflowed with love for family and friends, and the saddest, the loss or displacement of lives caught in the deadly swarm of “Twisters” may never recover. Across our country, peaceful rivers and streams crest, thus flooding those in nearby communities and cites.  Hurricanes viciously attack our Southern States, earthquakes shake, rattle, and roll throughout our Western States, and forests simply turn into infernos, almost at will.  It is a known fact, we as a nation, will feel the impact directly or indirectly of the disabling destruction attributed to Acts of Nature. Yet armed with this knowledge, we as a people, refuse