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FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | NOVEMBER 2020 23 Check with your committee chair to confirm meeting place, date, and time. Ad Hoc Conservancy Committee A major selling point for Four Seasons at Beaumont was and is our Conservancy. While there are many outdoor activities in our HOA that our able-bodied seniors enjoy, walking far and away tops the list. This 2017 survey of activities enjoyed by our residents attests to the priority of walking outdoors — a pastime exercise unaffected by quarantine restrictions. As we grew, our builder underwrote all the costs of maintaining the Conservancy — both the costs required by environmental agencies and the maintenance costs requested by our residents. Now that all the houses are sold and the builder is no longer here, these cost burdens will soon fall on us — the users. Initial discussions with the current maintenance company and the environmental oversight agencies identify that approximately one-third of the current costs are related to actual Conservancy maintenance such as minimal irrigation, periodic inspections, and removal of invasive plants. The remaining two-thirds of the costs are associated with maintenance of the trails, views, and plant appearance to satisfy the walkers and neighbors of the HOA. As we build our future budgets we will have to decide how much we want to fund this, our most popular activity. ~ Len Tavernetti, ltavernetti@hotmail.com CMIST IS NOT A SANTA BARBARA WINE A study back in 2004 determined that almost one half of the population of the United States was handicapped. The National Response Framework through the federal Department of Homeland Security has a whole community approach to access and functional needs called CMIST. This article will identify these five areas and how they may help emergency managers and Four Seasons' residents alike. COMMUNICATION - related to hearing, vision, speech, intellectual disabilities, or English proficiency. Will you use an interpreter, a story board or a pencil and paper? You should keep a card with your communication information and how to best communicate with you in your emergency kit. MEDICAL - This could be related to ongoing medical conditions: IV therapy, tube feeding, dialysis, or oxygen. You need the medicine or treatment but you need someone to help you with it. Keep a completed medical card, extra supplies, and alternatives to your regular caregiver. INDEPENDENCE - This could be about supplies and equipment. You may need adult diapers and bandages or a wheelchair or scooter to keep you functioning. Service animals sometimes become fearful and may need a harness or leash or even a crate depending upon the emergency. Do you have a backup plan to your everyday caregivers? SUPERVISION OR INTENSE MEDICAL SUPPORT NEEDS - Some may need consumable medical supplies or equipment. Alzheimer's, dementia, or other medical conditions may require special supervision or caregiving support. Do you have a backup plan that may include family or friends? TRANSPORTATION - You will need access to a vehicle or a mass evacuation plan. There may be less than two exits from your home and one may be blocked. There is a small percentage of people without automobile transportation at all. Do you have a travel wheel chair and extra medical supplies? Does your chair have puncture proof wheels that cannot be damaged by broken glass? Do you have leather gloves to protect your hands? The most important things are to have copies of your medical plan that addresses all five of these items. Keep extra supplies in your emergency kit. Do you have alternatives to everyday equipment? (A travel wheelchair.) Do you have a list of people who can assist you if your caregiver cannot? This was taken in part from an article from the University of Arkansas. The Four Seasons Emergency Preparedness Committee meets on the third Tuesday of the month at 10 am via Zoom. The next EPC meeting will be on Tuesday, Nov. 17. ~ Michael A. Mendoza EPC Chairman, srmendoza@verizon.net Emergency Preparedness Committee

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