Activities planned throughout county and Idyllwild
For those of you caught in the news of the Palmer Fire near Beaumont or the La Tuna Fire in the Verdugo Hills of Los Angeles or those who prefer rain, Hurricane Harvey or the impending Irma, Gov. Jerry Brown joined with the Federal Emergency Management Agency in declaring September National Preparedness Month.
The 2017 theme is “Disasters Don’t Plan Ahead.” The intent was explained in a FEMA press release earlier this month.
“Managed and sponsored by the Ready Campaign, National Preparedness Month is designed to raise awareness and encourage Americans to take steps to prepare for emergencies in their homes, schools, workplace, organizations, businesses and places of worship. National Preparedness Month is an opportunity to share emergency preparedness information and host activities across the country to help Americans understand what it truly means to be ready.”
And FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate said in the release, “Disasters don’t always occur when we are together with our family and friends, and so it is important to take a few minutes now to plan what you will do in the event you are separated. It only takes a few minutes to talk through the greatest risks that can affect where you live, work or go to school. But by having that conversation or making a plan, families will have more confidence and be better prepared when the next event happens.”
The California Office of Emergency Services has offered several suggestions for families to initiate plans in case of an emergency and steps to think about or issues of which to be aware. These can be found on its website at www.caloes.ca.gov/for-individuals-families.
The Riverside County Emergency Management Department has planned several events this month throughout the county.
EMD advises, “Looking at the evacuations taking place in East Texas, how would you let your family know you are safe? What would you take with you? Do you have copies of your important documents, such as prescriptions, insurance policies and important records?”
Locally, Mountain Disaster Preparedness is planning a community meeting Thursday, Sept. 28. The guest speaker will be Alex Tardy of the National Weather Service’s San Diego Office. In 2015, he spoke to a full room of local residents about the forecast for a potential El Niño bringing winter rains.
