"Unforeseen emergencies can not only injure us, but force us to evacuate our neighborhood, workplace or school - or even confine us to home.
What would you do...
...if basic services - water, gas, electricity and telephones - were entirely cut off? What could you do if neighborhood firefighters were committed to major emergencies and unable to reach you and your loved ones right away?"
Our level of preparedness will directly affect our quality of life following a disaster. So, just as a matter of practicality, make sure your family and home are prepared to whatever extent you're able. You'll find information and resources below that can help you get a kit, make a plan and be informed.
Getting prepared can be a daunting task, so don't try to tackle it all at once. As with anything, incremental steps can add up to something substantial, and something is always better than nothing.
Storm Preparation
LAFD recommendations to protect yourself from injury and your property from storm damage
Earthquake Country Alliance
Information and resources to help everyone who lives, works, or travels in earthquake country get prepared to survive and recover quickly.
"There Is No Magic 'Triangle'"
"After recent earthquakes in New Zealand and Japan, a chain letter has resurfaced suggesting a 'new' way to survive an earthquake, something called the 'triangle of life.' It sounds simple–and it would be if the advice were not just plain wrong–and potentially life threatening!
Instead, the Los Angeles Fire Department and the world's leading earthquake experts - including more than 600 scientists at leading institutions agree: When an earthquake strikes...?Drop! Cover! Hold On!"–LAFD News & Information, 4/18/11
Downloads (PDF):
Earthquake Safety
A single-page handouts from the Red Cross that you can print out and refer to.
Emergency Preparedness (6.8mb)
An LAFD guide to get you to "prepare for a major disaster and maintain that readiness."
FEMA Earthquake Home Hazarad Hunt Poster
Provides visuals and descriptions so that homeowners can identify and fix at-risk areas of their homes to reduce future earthquake damage and disruption.
FEMA Earthquake Safety Guide for Homeowners
Provides homeowners with a good start to strengthening their homes against earthquake damage. The guide also illustrates the relative cost of prevention versus repair or replacement.
CERT Manuals (Community Emergency Response Teams)
If you're not able to take the training, going over this documentation from the course would be the next best thing.
GET INVOLVED
CERT(Community Emergency Response Teams) | CERT LA: FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate called CERT "just basic citizenship training for the 21st Century, which I think every American should get a chance to receive." and we agree.
Become a Red Cross volunteer : After the dust settles, the Red Cross helps people put their lives back together.
SUPPLY SOURCES
SOS Survival Products (Site | Map): When you're ready to start putting together some supplies, you'll find everything you need at SOS. Registered CHHOA members will receive a 10% discount code to use in-store or online.
First Aid Global: Preparedness supplies at wholesale prices. Registered CHHOA members will receive a 10% discount code.
OF INTEREST
"Preparedness Now": The film was created by the USGS Multi-Hazards Demonstration Project in cooperation with the Designmatters program at Art Center College of Design to depict the physical, social, and economic consequences of the most comprehensive earthquake scenario ever created.
