I am a native of Colorado. Born and bred on wildfires, flash floods and the occasional winter blizzard. Far different than the pesky hazards that plague the Bay Area. I've seen shelves empty from seven weeks of winter storms that delayed trucks hauling loads of groceries. I've seen avalanches from heavy, wet snows and landslides from nature-less burn scars. The first natural hazard I remember facing was a flash flood in my neighborhood. I remember once the waters had crested walking outside to see the river flowing, hell-bent, down the street.

Occasionally, staff members at San Francisco DEM have an opportunity to travel abroad. They frequently write back with their observations. The following is an observation from Assistant Deputy Director, Bijan Karimi, during his visit to Hanoi, Vietnam.

Dispatch 2 - Hai Phong, Vietnam

Occasionally, staff members at San Francisco DEM have an opportunity to travel abroad. They frequently write back with their observations. The following is an observation from Assistant Deputy Director, Bijan Karimi, during his visit to Hanoi, Vietnam.

Dispatch 1 - Hanoi, Vietnam

Last April the San Francisco Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (NERT) conducted its annual citywide drill. For those of us who were there, wasn't it cool?! And for those of us who were not, join the Neighborhood Empowerment Network (NEN) Director Daniel Homsey, NERT Program Coordinator Lt. Erica Arteseros and Advisory Board Member Lynn Jacklevich and experience the camaraderie of this social preparedness activity. Want to feel the camaraderie first-hand?

Last week the California Academy of Sciences opened its newest exhibit: Earthquake. It is an awesome combination of seismic science (who’d have thought that African ostrich chicks and earthquakes have so much in common) and earthquake preparedness education. We were fortunate to be able to work with the exhibit designers regarding the earthquake preparedness section content, and are elated to see the exhibit come to ‘life’.

We got up very early, we dressed in 1906 style, and we joined our fellow San Franciscans in commemorating one of the most significant natural disasters in California's history.

As we close this year’s National Emergency Medical Services (EMS) week, DEM wants to highlight the recipients of the 14th Annual EMS Agency and SF Paramedic Association Award Program. Aligning with this year’s National EMS Week theme, EMS: more than a job. It’s a calling, the recipients of this year’s EMS Awards were honored for their dedication and commitment to the field of emergency medical services and those they aid.

In this week’s DEM Blog, we are sharing the message created by the Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District in honor of the 75th Anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge. Meanwhile, DEM will be a part of the festivities by activating the City’s Emergency Operations Center to ensure coordination, communication and situational awareness, which is what we regularly do to support San Francisco’s cultural value to celebrate!

Great news on the preparedness front: SF Heroes is now available on both iPhone and Android! And last week we finished filming the last scene for our SF Heroes smart phone app ‘commercial’. The minute and a half video is intended to explain what the app does and why it is important in a fun and virally amusing way.

A few DEM Blogs ago, we wrote about spring being a Season of Preparedness (Tis the Season for Spring Preparedness).