Project Independence’s focus on preparedness goes beyond earthquakes
Schoolchildren, businesses and hospitals around the state participated Thursday in the annual Great California ShakeOut, a drill focused on earthquake preparation.
But for people living with a developmental disability, preparing for an emergency can be complicated.
That’s where Costa Mesa-based Project Independence has stepped in to provide guidance.
Taking a break from moving out of his Costa Mesa apartment Thursday, Roger Von Berg used some of the survival knowledge taught to him to practice during the event.
He learned to avoid being close to windows because of breaking glass and to try to get under a doorway for protection.
Von Berg grabbed a chair, covered his head and neck and hung on for a few moments, as if the drill were the real thing.
He was also advised to have at the ready a backpack filled with emergency food, first-aid kit and other supplies.
Von Berg had also been told that if he was in bed when an earthquake occurs, that he should stay in bed and try to find pillows to cover up for protection.
“He’d want to get under as much as he could,” said Project Independence Executive Director Debbie Marsteller.
Project Independence, founded in 1977, helps those with developmental disabilities find work, housing and healthcare, among other necessities.
Von Berg is among the clients of Cassandra Heise, a community support specialist with Project Independence.
“We enable them to live independently,” Heise said. “Without us, they wouldn’t feel as if they had anywhere to go. We’re taking them to doctor’s appointments, med checks, grocery shopping, making sure they’re successfully living on their own.”
Von Berg, 65, works at Goodwill in its electronics recycling department. The longtime Costa Mesa resident commented that he still remembers the 1994 Northridge quake. He said he really felt it, even though Costa Mesa is well south of the epicenter, and recalled how it shook an aquarium his brother had given him.
“It sounded like a bunch of waves are coming,” Von Berg said. “The fish got blown out on the rug there, for a ways.”
