The Katrina media-blitz that I mentioned in Our Petaluma #15 blog has been underway for a week and it will continue for at least a few more. As the 2006 hurricane season continues, each new storm will trigger media comments about, "what have we learned in the past year about disaster preparation?" and "Are we any more prepared to cope with an emergency situation than we were one year ago?"

Our local newspapers have carried several articles and opinion columns analyzing our readiness and comparing 2006 with 2005, as well as predicting that another 1906 magnitude earthquake is only a matter of when, not if. Since September has been designated as National Preparedness Month by the Dept. of Homeland Security, many disaster readiness events will be sponsored at the national, state, county, and local municipal level in the form of workshops, conferences, forums, workshops, and training classes. The City of Santa Rosa has already conducted a public information meeting and Sacramento and Petaluma will be hosting similar events later in September.

A local Neighborhood Watch cluster will discuss next steps for its NERT (Neighborhood Emergency Response Team) at a block meeting, tonight. Recruiting for a 3^rd. city-wide CERT course (Community Emergency Response Team) has been scheduled for Groverman hall (Petaluma Valley Hospital) on Thursday, September 7^th, from 7:00-8:30 p.m. While no one knows for sure if we are better prepare today, compared to one year ago, the important thing is households, schools, businesses, medical centers, and housing projects to be better prepared than they were last year.

There are many online sources for Emergency Preparedness or Disaster Preparation information. Just enter these terms in your search engine and in less than a second, you'll have more links to information than you can digest in one sitting. Stay tuned for updated information of getting ready for the big one.

Yesterday, I posted the following message on our local neighborhood electronic conference board. I believe it is worthy of sharing with the larger Petaluma community because - in the event of an extreme disaster -we will all be in this together.

"I hope you have all seen the front page of today's PD. Now that we are approaching the first anniversary of Katrina, there will be a media-blitz recalling this disaster and asking the question, "Are you prepared?"

The title of Guy Kovner's article (p.1) ... "We know the Big One's Coming, but ... Many Bay Area residents in denial, avoid quake preparations." It's worthy of your attention. The inside page (p.11) repeats the same themes that were highlighted last April during the 1906 S.F. Earthquake centennial. The end of the article also repeats all the steps we should take to be ready; however, most Americans are "no better prepared after Katrina than they were before."

Our local Westridge Knolls Neighborhood Watch group initiated a pilot project, following last year's events that was featured in the April 12th edition of the Argus-Courier. (Section B). As you know, our local Girl Scouts distributed Earthquake and Emergency Preparedness information to every household in our development. BUT ... to the best of my knowledge, none of our NW groups have followed up in any meaningful way with cluster meetings. (Note: the 400 Block Black Oak Drive cluster has scheduled a meeting for this Wednesday, August 30th.) The basic question still remains, "How many households are prepared to be on their own for 72 hours to a week or more, following a major disaster, such as an 7.0 quake along theRogers Creek Fault? (OR, are we - as one PD article stated - in denial and have avoided getting ready?)

BTW, our WK-NERT model has resulted in 10 other Petaluma area neighborhoods showing an interest in organizing a team. Two CERT classes have produced approximately 30 graduates, and a third CERT Orientation meeting has been scheduled for Thursday, September 7, from 7:00-8:30 p.m. at Groverman Hall (Petaluma Valley Hospital). If you are interested in attending, please give me a call at 762-6593."

P.S. For the third straight year, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will sponsor National Preparedness Month. The month of September is set aside to encourage Americans to prepare for emergencies in their homes, businesses, and schools. This year's goals are to increase public awareness about the importance of family emergency preparedness and to urge individuals to make themselves and their loved ones better prepared.

Stay tuned for additional information throughout September.

Remember way back, in Paleolithic times, when the skills necessary to live the good life were basic and simple to learn. The "teachers" of the Stone Age period were usually one's parents or tribal members. The "curriculum" (a word that didn't exist then) would have consisted of "learning those skills necessary to live, and then living what was learned." If one survived, that was an indicator that was "good enough" to signal success.

Of course, over time, what was necessary for one to learn changed dramatically. Eventually, it was required that you learned how to read, write, and calculate numbers in order to be considered "literate." Before the 20^th Century ended, if you didn't graduate from high school, you were told that you would have a hard time getting a "good" job and earn a "decent" wage. Today, you are also required to pass an "Exit Exam" as well as meet all the requirements for graduation in order to receive a diploma. At the close of the last academic year, I posted "Education #3- eSchool News," and it might be worth reading again, because it relates to the following blog thoughts.

"As society changes, the skills necessary to negotiate the complexities of life also change," are the beginning words of a "Digital-Age Literacy" statement from a 21^st Century Skills report by the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory. They believe that in addition to the 3 R's, "To achieve success in the 21^st Century, students also need to attain proficiency in science, technology, and culture, as well as gain a through understanding of information in all its forms." Digital-Age Literacy includes the following forms of literacy: Basic, Scientific, Economic, Technological, Visual, Information, and Multicultural. Check out their web site for additional details.

http://www.ncrel.org/engauge/skills/agelit.htm

I wonder what New-Fist-Hammer-Maker would have thought about these new survival skills. Stay tuned. The new school has just begun.

Did you see the Alma, docked in the Turning Basin, during the Jazz Festival this past weekend? Now it is part of the Maritime National Historic Park's fleet of historic vessels at the Hyde Street Pier in San Francisco. Back Then, it was one of approximately 400 "Scow Schooners" that were constructed around the Bay. But - what is the Alma's connection with Petaluma?

We must remember that between 1850 and the beginning of the 20^th Century, we didn't have Highway 101 for trucks and tractor-trailer rigs could deliver goods and ship products to and from our growing town. The waterways were the best highways of those days on which to transport people and supplies to S.F. Bay communities.

The following tidbits of information were extracted from the National Park Service web site for the S.F. Maritime Museum. http://www.nps.gov/safr/local/alma.html

* A German immagrant, Fred Steimer, started a shipyard in Hunter's Point and built two Scow Schooners. The second one, built in 1891, was named for his son-in-law's daughter, Alma.

* The Alma was used to haul a variety of goods during her career: hay, lumber, salt, and oyster shells. TheAlma, at one time, hauled 110-125 tons of shells per week to Petaluma where they were ground up and used for chicken feed.

* Eventually, motorized trucks and paved highways doomed these sailing scow schooners, but many continued to be used as barges and oyster shell dredges.

* The Alma operated until 1957, when it was no longer profitable to do so. She was purchased by the State, and restoration work began in 1964. The National Park Service took over in 1978 and in 1988, the Alma was designated a National Historic Landmark.

* The Alma has visited Petaluma almost on annually; usually in connection with events like the Jazz Festival and the former Petaluma River Festival.

* The statistics for the Alma are: overall length of 80 feet, a 22.6 feet beam, a 4 foot depth, and a foremast height of 67 feet. Her gross tonnage was 41.76.

On a personal note, when this blogger moved to S.F. in the 1960s, he contributed $25. to the restoration fund for the Alma. Little did he know at the time, that their paths would connect, over 40 years later, during the 21^st Century. Believe me, it was a thrill and a privilege to stand on the deck of this historic ship as it traveled up the Petaluma River, under the D Street Bridge last Friday night and into the Turning Basin.

Stay tuned for more Then & Now blogs as we approach our City's Sesquicentennial Celebration in 2008. Hopefully, the Alma will visit our town, once again, and remind us of our rich historic heritage as a "river town."

A recent survey - Bloggers: A portrait of the Internet's new storytellers - reported that:
"A national phone survey of bloggers finds that most are focused on describing their personal experiences to a relatively small audience of readers and that only a small proportion focus their coverage on politics, media, government, or technology. Blogs, the survey finds, are as individual as the people who keep them. However, most bloggers are primarily interested in creative, personal expression - documenting individual experiences, sharing practical knowledge, or just keeping in touch with friends and family." (7/19/2006)

A survey of the current Argus-Courier bloggers (non-staff), using reasons for blogging that were similar to those used in the national survey was conducted recently.. Eight (34.8%) responded, and a summary of their reasons for their blogging (using a three point scale: (1) = a major reason, (2) = a minor reason, and (3) = not a reason), are ranked as follows:

#1 - To influence the way other people think and To motivate other people to action (1.1)

#2 - To share practical knowledge or skills with others (1.3)

#3 - To express yourself creatively (1.4)#4 - To document your personal experiences and share them with others (1.6)

#5 - To network or to meet new people and To entertain people (1.8)

#6 - To store resources or information that are important to you (1.9)

#7 - To stay in touch with friends and family (2.6)

#8 - To make money (2.9)

Personally, I concur with the top three reasons. The Petaluma bloggers, who are volunteers, should be thanked for their contribution to the Argus-Courier. They certainly aren't doing it for $$$. Stay tuned for more of my "two cents."

The Pew Internet & American Life Project report may be found at: http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/186/report_display.asp

Although I'm talking the talk (i.e. blogging) less these days, I am walking the walk more. For example, this past Saturday, I participated in a CPR Class offered by Although I'm talking the talk (i.e. blogging) less these days, I am walking the walk more. For example, this the American Red Cross in order to be better prepared to handle emergency situations in my neighborhood. Most folks would say that CPR = cardiopulmonary resuscitation. I like to think that due to this course I am now a Citizen Prepared to Resuscitate anyone in need.

It just so happens that - tonight - our Petaluma NERT initiative (Neighborhood Emergency Response Team) will continue to take the next steps in helping local neighborhoods (e.g., Westridge, Victoria, Paula Lane, Westridge Knolls, and the Hagstrom area) organize the resources necessary to become better prepared to handle disaster situations like an earthquake.

This is not the first of my blogs that addresses Emergency Preparedness. Check out previous Our Cyberspace blogs #5, 6, 10, 15, 18, and 20. Hopefully, by the end of 2006, those neighborhoods that wish to step up to the plate and mobilize the volunteer talents in their areas will have taken the first steps toward becoming better prepared.

CPR training is but one piece of the larger Emergency Preparedness picture. Any reader who is interested in learning more about this volunteer effort in the Greater Petaluma Area, please contact this blogger for additional information at whammer@petalumanet.org

Stay tuned for comments and information pertaining to future Neighborhood Emergency Response Team training opportunities and events. It's not a matter of IF, but WHEN.

Will you be prepared to help your neighbors?