Community Preparedness Month Kicks Off in Santa Clara County
As wildfires rage throughout Northern California, local residents are encouraged to be emergency and disaster ready
Santa Clara County, CA – In recent years, the Bay Area has seen wildfires become more virulent, devastating hundreds of thousands of acres of landscape and impacting many community members. With Santa Clara County situated between three fault lines and more instances of severe weather patterns occurring, now is the time to become emergency and disaster ready.
September is observed by the County of Santa Clara as Community Preparedness Month when emergency officials encourage community members to take an active role in emergency planning by being prepared for the unexpected.
“Emergency preparedness and disaster readiness require active participation from the whole community including residents, government, law enforcement, fire, and EMS to respond to emergencies and rebuild after disaster strikes,” said Director of Emergency Management, Dana Reed. “When community members are prepared, they are better positioned to help those around them. There are simple steps we can all take now that can save someone’s life, including our own, one day.”
This year, Community Preparedness Month will focus on how to protect loved ones by taking the 4 Steps of emergency preparedness:
1. Sign Up For AlertSCC at www.AlertSCC.org. AlertSCC is free for everyone and easy to set up. Alerts are sent directly on your mobile device, landline, and/or email. You can control how you want to receive alerts and designate the order you want to be notified, whether it is your mobile device first, email second, or landline third.
2. Make A Plan. Planning is vital to making sure that you can evacuate quickly and safely no matter what the circumstances. Always map out several routes with safe locations to meet up in case you become separated. Talk to your family about how you will receive information and stay connected.
3. Build an Emergency Supply Kit. Pack a Go Bag – an emergency supply kit for when you are required to evacuate. Build a Stay Kit – an emergency supply kit for when you are required to stay home.
4. Help Your Family, Friends, and Neighbors. Host a neighborhood emergency planning meeting and discuss evacuation routes, identify which neighbors may need additional support during an emergency or disaster, and create a contact list of local services and resources to share with the community.
The County encourages residents to prepare for the unexpected and stay informed about emergencies that could occur in our community and the safety actions to take before, during, and after disasters. For more emergency preparedness and disaster readiness information, please visit www.PrepareSCC.org.
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ABOUT THE COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA
The County of Santa Clara government serves a diverse, multi-cultural population of 1.9 million residents in Santa Clara County, California, making it more populous than 14 states in the U.S. The County provides essential services to its residents, including public health protection, environmental stewardship, medical services through the County of Santa Clara Health System, child and adult protection services, homelessness prevention and solutions, roads, park services, libraries, emergency response to disasters, protection of minority communities and those under threat, access to a fair criminal justice system, and many other public benefits.
Visit the County of Santa Clara at: https://www.sccgov.org
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Media Contact: Kia Xiong, Office of Emergency Management, (408) 808-7838 office or (669) 235-2222 mobile