National Preparedness Month is sponsored by the Federal Management Agency of the Department of Homeland Security and it encourages Americans to take steps to prepare for emergencies. The aim is to encourage individuals to take important steps like getting an emergency supply kit, making a family emergency plan, being informed about the different emergencies that may affect them, as well as taking the necessary steps to get trained and become engaged in community preparedness and response efforts.
September 2015 is when families in communities across the nation will be making plans about what to do if an emergency strikes in their community. For example, your family may not know where everyone will be when disaster strikes, so it is important to put a plan in place that says where to contact each other. Think about the different conditions that might be experienced in your home area.
What hazards might your family face? Earthquakes, wildfires, winter storms, floods, tornados, and hurricanes are all a threat to communities across the nation. “In California we currently have 12 active fires,” said the CAL FIRE State Information Officer, Lynne Tolmachoff. Earthquakes are usually on our minds and many local residents can tell you where they were during the Loma Prieta Earthquake of 1989.
National Preparedness Month is a part of a governmental effort to strengthen the United States’ preparedness capabilities. The national preparedness plan includes prevention, protection, response, and recovery efforts to prepare the United States for all hazards.
On September 13, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the Home Depot parking lot on 41st Street in Santa Cruz, National Preparedness Month will be observed in Santa Cruz County. A group of emergency preparedness volunteer organizations will be represented. Among them will be the La Selva Fire Department and County Emergency Response Team (CERT) and they will be featuring live demonstrations, exhibits and CERT training.
On September 26, in Felton, the Red Cross will be operating a limited program of installing fire alarms in a few targeted locations. The recipients will be selected based on fire hazard criteria. For more information about this program, call Mike De Mars at 479-6843.
