Atherton Living Magazine

Emergency Preparedness in Atherton with Jeanne Jensen

By Abbie Burgess

“Atherton’s beauty is a double-edged sword,” says resident Jeanne Jensen. “The trees and foliage plus the narrow thoroughfares create more risk for residents if a fire or earthquake strikes.”

She knows the danger of fires firsthand. Her family home in Atherton burned down twenty years ago, when she was a child on vacation with her family. It took five years to rebuild.

“We were on the receiving end of much love and support through our church, neighbors and school community,” she says, adding that she also owes a debt of gratitude to the multiple response units from the Menlo Park fire district who responded to the call.

“So I know fires can happen, and that’s a reason why I was motivated to get involved with A.D.A.P.T,” she explains.When disaster strikes, emergency preparedness can vastly affect the outcomes of individuals and communities. Jeanne joined the board of A.D.A.P.T. (Atherton Disaster and Preparedness Team), an all-volunteer group residents founded in 1999. The group partners with local Police to educate fellow Athertonians on preparing for major emergencies and natural disasters.

A.D.A.P.T.

“I was first drawn to an A.D.A.P.T. meeting after one of the stronger earthquakes hit our town a couple years ago,” Jeanne says. “After attending the meeting, I could immediately tell that this was an organization run by educated and motivated Atherton residents.” She quickly grew more involved with A.D.A.P.T. and is now one of four board members.

“We are in partnership with the Atherton Police Department and meet monthly to learn from each other,” she explains.

Jeanne has taken on the additional responsibilities of being an area coordinator. In this role she builds community within her area and works to arm neighbors with the skills to protect themselves, their family, and blocks. Atherton is divided into 14 areas, with a designated coordinator in each area, Jeanne explains (she coordinates area 12). Not all areas have a coordinator yet, but the A.D.A.P.T. team is working hard to fill open volunteer roles. A map of all the areas can be seen on the website getreadyatherton.org.

“Since joining the board last year, I’ve been spearheading community outreach and making sure all residents know about our efforts,” she explains. Jeanne, a consumer marketing and branding professional, aided in A.D.A.P.T.’s recent website overhaul.

The organization’s 4th Annual Emergency Preparedness Drill took place in Holbrook Palmer Park in September with more than 100 residents participating, including the town's Mayor. “The emergency drills are always so fun and inherently hands-on. There isn’t any pressure and it’s a great learning experience,” Jeanne says. The group responded to simulated post-earthquake disasters and emergencies throughout the neighborhood. Organized teams set out to rescue, observe, report, and respond to incidents planted around the town, including a 15-person recovery from a staged car collision.

“I was first drawn to an A.D.A.P.T. meeting after one of the stronger earthquakes hit our town a couple years ago,” Jeanne says. “After attending the meeting, I could immediately tell that this was an organization run by educated and motivated Atherton residents.” She quickly grew more involved with A.D.A.P.T. and is now one of four board members.

“We are in partnership with the Atherton Police Department and meet monthly to learn from each other,” she explains.

Jeanne has taken on the additional responsibilities of being an area coordinator. In this role she builds community within her area and works to arm neighbors with the skills to protect themselves, their family, and blocks. Atherton is divided into 14 areas, with a designated coordinator in each area, Jeanne explains (she coordinates area 12). Not all areas have a coordinator yet, but the A.D.A.P.T. team is working hard to fill open volunteer roles. A map of all the areas can be seen on the website getreadyatherton.org.

“Since joining the board last year, I’ve been spearheading community outreach and making sure all residents know about our efforts,” she explains. Jeanne, a consumer marketing and branding professional, aided in A.D.A.P.T.’s recent website overhaul.

The organization’s 4th Annual Emergency Preparedness Drill took place in Holbrook Palmer Park in September with more than 100 residents participating, including the town's Mayor. “The emergency drills are always so fun and inherently hands-on. There isn’t any pressure and it’s a great learning experience,” Jeanne says. The group responded to simulated post-earthquake disasters and emergencies throughout the neighborhood. Organized teams set out to rescue, observe, report, and respond to incidents planted around the town, including a 15-person recovery from a staged car collision.

“This is one of the many benefits of living in Atherton—you have groups like this that provide educational services for you and your neighbors. It is rare for a town to have a group like this at their disposal.”

From the 1906 earthquake to 2019

Jeanne grew up hearing family stories that taught her the value of emergency preparedness. Her great-grandmother was born in San Francisco and was present during the 1906 earthquake. “Stories about this disaster were passed down to me by my great aunt Winnie,” Jeanne says.

Jeanne met her husband Josh Shaw in college through a mutual friend. “He graduated from Oregon State University and I graduated from University of Oregon. These are rival schools, but we made it work,” she jokes. They married at the Menlo Circus Club in October 2016. She kept her last name to honor her late father, Dr. Richard Jensen, who died of a brain tumor in 2014. He is remembered as a dedicated dentist, practicing out of Palo Alto and Menlo Park.

Jeanne’s parents had moved to Atherton 27 years ago after finding a beautiful piece of property with many redwood trees, she says. “I’m so thankful I got introduced to this town through their decision.”

She notes that the care that residents put into their homes and surroundings is manifested as creative landscapes. “Each home is so uniquely art-directed and has its own theme.”

She loves meeting and engaging with the community and her neighbors and she sees herself running for local politics in the future. “Despite being pretty young, Josh and I love involving ourselves with the town and have such a strong loyalty to this community and city.”

When she isn’t volunteering her spare time with A.D.A.P.T., Jeanne enjoys trips to Disneyland—she navigates the parks with the ease of a frequent visitor—and hosting events at her home. “Now that our home is rebuilt, we love to host a lot of community events in our backyard to give back to the community that helped us so much.” She has been involved with Central Peninsula Church has been leading Sunday morning activities for Kindergarteners and first graders for over ten years.

She also encourages her neighbors to see what A.D.A.P.T. has to offer. “If you want to sponge free and relevant information and learn life-saving skill sets, this is the group to be a part of. It’s not a membership organization—we just are here to help.”

To get involved with A.D.A.P.T., visit https://www.getreadyatherton.org/prepare

“Atherton is fortunate to have A.D.A.P.T. as the go-to resource for disaster and major emergency training and preparation. Empower yourself and your family, for our police force, fire services and medical response teams will likely not have the ability to reach every resident for at least 7 days after an emergency." - Atherton Police Chief Steve McCulley