SANTA CLARA COUNTY, Calif. (KRON) — In recent years, climate change and natural disasters have severely impacted thousands of Bay Area and Northern California residents.
Starting this month, the county kicks off “Community Preparedness” month in an effort to encourage community members to take an active role in emergency planning to be as prepared as possible for the unexpected.
“In recent years, we’ve seen wildfires more frequent here in California, we’ve also seen extreme weather patterns that have become more frequent,” said Kia Xiong, Communications Officer for Santa Clara County’s Office of Emergency Management. “With Santa Clara County being situated on three fault lines, now is the best time to prepare for an emergency.”
This year, the county’s “Community Preparedness” month will focus on how people can protect their loved ones by taking the following four steps:
1. Sign Up For AlertSCC at www.AlertSCC.org. AlertSCC
- Free to use. Alerts are sent directly to 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
- Encouraged to map out several routes with safe locations to meet up in case you become separated. Planning is vital to making sure that you can evacuate quickly and safely no matter what the circumstances. Talk to your family about how you will receive information and stay connected.
3. Build an Emergency Supply Kit
- Pack a Go Bag with an emergency supply kit for when you are required to evacuate.
- Build a Stay Kit with 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.
To learn more visit the PrepareSCC website.