Does this mean no one will come to help you in the event of an earthquake, wildfire, power-gutting snowstorm, or flood? Not exactly. But it does mean rescuers may not be able to mobilize goods and services fast enough to reach you quickly in the event of a major disaster. People need to prepare for certain types of emergencies well in advance.

Furthermore, as became evident in New Orleans during Katrina, emergency personnel are in the same disaster situation as everyone else. They think about their own families...in addition to helping distressed members of the public.

This article, fourth in a Tahoetopia series, is part of a wake up call to Lake Tahoe - Truckee residents. The advice of all rescuers in the region--from police and fire departments to public utilities and the Red Cross--is simple: "Have a household emergency plan to be on your own for a minimum of three days and, more preferably, for two weeks."

Small Towns: Big Limitations
"Tahoe's small towns provide limited resources and available manpower," says Fire Chief Jim Linardos of the North Lake Tahoe Fire District. "This department in Incline Village is staffed with 13 firefighters each day." Add a full-scale disaster to just Incline's off-season population of 9,952 and rescue work becomes exceedingly complicated. "Life Safety is the first priority of the Fire Department; we triage--treat in order of seriousness."

Further complicating matters, Fire Chief Guy Lefever of the Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District, explains: "In the event of a large-scale disaster, because of our geographic location, Lake Tahoe and its surrounding areas can become isolated in minutes."

All Tahoe region emergency entities, both state and local, have disaster plans that include elaborate communications and protocols. The staffs are well trained and ready to do their jobs. The missing link, however, seems to be that Tahoe - Truckee Region residents are generally not ready to do their parts in saving themselves.

Fire Chief Lefever urges, "If we could just get people to act, to do the simple things."

Doing the Simple Things
What can you do?
--Have supplies on hand.Drinking water is the number one, most vital item to have stored for use. It was mentioned by all emergency teams.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) describes two primary options for dealing with most disasters: "In-place sheltering," and "Evacuation." In both cases, it is important to collect necessary items in advance and store them appropriately. For evacuating a "grab and go bag" should be pre-assembled and ready to go.

--Know how to communicate with the people important to you. Devise a plan so each such person calls one central, designated person who will coordinate plans and whereabouts. The called person should be at least 100 miles away so he or she is not involved directly in the emergency.

Your important people should know of a planned, place to meet. If it is not at an agreed upon, in-place shelter--like home--then it should be at an optional meeting place, e.g., a school gym or the library. Officials also recommend that residents consider having different meeting places for different kinds of emergencies.

--Know where nearby pay phones are located. They are usually the first means of public communication restored in an emergency situation.

--Listen to emergency broadcast systems--radio and television. Authorities will patch into (take over) lines of communication, including phones. Some officials urge you to consider a portable, battery-operated radio for your home. You can also use your car radio to obtain information.

--Make a plan for your pets. If you are going to be away from home for an extended period, arrange with someone close by to take in your pet and/or pick it up and evacuate it.

--People who use special, life-sustaining equipment or have other unique needs, should notify their local fire and police departments...now! Let them know where you live and about your condition. Officials also suggest that such individuals should still aim to be as self-sufficient as possible.

--Follow instructions provided by emergency personnel, including where to shelter or on which road to evacuate.

What are the Risks Here?
Most are obvious here at 6,000 feet in altitude, living in forests beside a very large lake. Big snowstorms and wildfires are historically common; flooding happened a few years ago; mudslides, avalanches, earthquakes, and even (lake) tsunamis and seiche (reverberation/oscillation-type ) waves could occur almost any time.

Why "any time?" Here is one small example. Lake Tahoe has six earthquake faults in its bed. They were identified in a 1999 Seismological Study conducted by University of Nevada. These faults happen to be grouped together; they all could rupture at once--at any time.

The good news is that local emergency responders foresee even more training, drills, and programs in the future. In the meantime the sheriff's offices, police departments, Red Cross, local community colleges, and FEMA offer residents a variety of literature as well as training for indoor and outdoor survival. You can prepare to help yourself and those around you.

"When 9/11 hit there were people with a burning plane over their heads sitting at their desks, waiting to be told what to do," says Gregg Lubbe, the Station Commander of the Washoe County Sheriff's Office in Incline Village. For those people it was too late to know a route to follow and evacuate or how to react to the fire and smoke.   --By Jules Witek