Earthquake

Precautions to take in the event of an earthquake:

1. Try to remain calm and reassure others.
2. If you are indoors, move immediately to a safe place. Get under a desk, table, or workbench if possible. Stand in an interior doorway or in the corner of a room. Watch out for falling debris or tall furniture. Stay away from windows and heavy objects (such as machinery and refrigerators) that may topple or slide across the floor.
3. Do not dash for exits, since stairways may be broken and jammed with people. Power for elevators may fail and stop operating. Seek safety where you are when the natural disaster occurs, and then leave calmly if evacuation is necessary.
4. Be prepared for the potential of the electricity to go out, emergency alarms to start ringing, and the sprinkler system to go off. You may experience glass breaking, walls cracking, and objects falling.
5. If you are outdoors, try to get into an open area, away from buildings and power lines. As soon as circumstances permit. Call the management office/security to report damage and any injuries.
6. As soon as circumstances permit, call the management office and security to report any injuries and or property damage.
   

Tornado

Click here for the Tornado Preparedness and Information Manual (opens in a new window)

Flooding

Flooding generally occurs during heavy wind driven rainstorms or hurricane type weather and usually occurs in lower level floors of the building. Accumulation of excess water in lower levels of the building can cause damage to utilities, equipment, furniture and other unprotected materials. Wind driven rain can also cause windows to leak that are otherwise okay during normal rainstorms. Consider removing important materials and documents that may be near windows. Remember, even if you are on an upper floor, flooding on a lower floor could impact you office if utilities, elevators, etc. are affected.

Actions to Take to Minimize Damage from Flooding:

1. Check all areas (doors, windows, ground vents, door louvers, etc.) where flood waters can enter. We recommend you remove furniture, equipment, records, etc. in such areas or raise them at least two to four feet above the floor level or away from window areas.
   
2. Cover items with heavy plastic protective covering if they are in an area susceptible to wind blown rain or waters and cannot easily be moved.
   
3. Disconnect electrical equipment wrap cords and tape up high off the ground.
   
4. Stock supplies and materials useful for protection of equipment (i.e., heavy plastic drop cloths, masking tape, wooden boxes or pallets to raise items off the floor, plywood or other materials to block broken windows, sandbags to prevent seepage, flashlights and batteries, rubber boots, etc.) Holladay properties will provide a small kit when a Hurricane Watch is announced Report flooding, electrical damage, etc. immediately to Holladay Properties so remedial measures can be started.

Precautions After a Natural Disaster

There may be considerable structural damage and people may be injured.

• Remain calm. Assess the situation.
• Tend to the injured. Cover them; administer first aid if necessary (only if qualified/certified in first aid, Red Cross certification). Call for medical assistance if severe injury needs immediate attention.
• Check for fires and other hazards. Put out any fires immediately if you can.
• Check for damage to utilities and appliances. Do not turn on electrical switches or appliances until you are sure there are not gas leaks. Turn off electricity if there is a potential danger from damaged wiring.
• Shut off water mains if breakage has occurred. In due time, report utility damage to the Building Management Office and follow their instructions.
• Do not light matches or use open flames. There may be gas leaks.
• Do not touch power lines, electric wiring, or objects that are in contact with power lines or wiring.
• Do not use the telephone except: to call for help; to report serious medical, fire or criminal emergencies; or to perform an essential service.
• Do not use toilets until you are certain sewer lines are unbroken.
• Listen to the radio for information about the event and disaster procedures.
• Be very cautious when entering or moving about a damaged building
  

Weather Terminology — Understanding Watches, Warnings, and Advisories

Watches mean that widespread severe weather is possible. A watch means that severe weather has not occurred yet, but weather conditions are becoming highly volatile. Pay close attention to the weather, and tune into TV, radio, or NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts frequently.

Warnings (Severe Thunderstorm, Flash Flood, Dust Storm, or in rare cases, Tornado) mean that life-threatening weather is about to occur, or has been reported. Take action immediately. Warnings are not issued for lightning, mainly because most thunderstorms, no matter how weak, produce deadly cloud-to-ground lightning.

Flood Advisories mean heavy rains will cause minor flooding of washes, streams, and typical flood-prone areas. Flooding in this situation is usually not serious. If the flooding does become life threatening, then the flood advisory is upgraded to a Flash Flood Warning.

STAY INFORMED ABOUT THE STORM

Listen to NOAA Weather Radio, commercial radio, and television for the latest tornado WATCHES and WARNINGS. When conditions are favorable for severe weather to develop, a severe thunderstorm or tornado WATCH is issued. Weather Service personnel use information from weather radar, spotters, and other sources to issue severe thunderstorm and tornado WARNINGS for areas where severe weather is imminent.

Severe thunderstorm warnings are passed to local radio and television stations and are broadcast over local NOAA Weather Radio stations serving the warned areas. These warnings are also relayed to local emergency management and public safety officials who can activate local warning systems to alert communities.

NOAA WEATHER RADIO IS THE BEST MEANS TO RECEIVE WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE

The National Weather Service continuously broadcasts updated weather warnings and forecasts that can be received by NOAA Weather Radios sold in many stores. The average range is 40 miles, depending on topography. Your National Weather Service recommends purchasing a radio that has both a battery backup and a tone- alert feature, which automatically alerts you when a watch or warning is issued.

You can also receive weather warning updates from weather.com (opens in a new window), the Tucson Office of the National Weather Service at www.noaa.gov (opens in new a window), and most local TV Channel’s web sites.