Every year, the City of Yorba Linda joins cities across the nation to recognize the month of September as National Preparedness Month. With Yorba Linda susceptible to damaging earthquakes and unpredictable wildfires, there is nothing more important than preparing yourself, your family, pets, and coworkers for an emergency. The City of Yorba Linda, along with Orange County Fire Authority and Yorba Linda Police Services, encourages residents and business owners to take the following steps:
• Sign up for AlertOC emergency alerts. Be sure to include your home address for zone-specific information. If you haven't logged in in a while, check to make sure your contact information is up to date.
• Review OCFA's Disaster Preparedness website, ReadyOC.com, and ReadyForWildfire.com;
• Assemble a home disaster supply kit with enough provisions to last three to five days. Supplies should include food, water, and medicine for each member of your family;
• Make a Family Disaster Plan with a pre-arranged meeting location in the event the family home is unavailable or not accessible;
• Develop a communications plan that might include email or social media if landlines and cell phones are not working. If possible, establish an out-of-state contact that each family member can check in with;
• Keep an emergency backpack in your car. Contents should include comfortable walking shoes, a light jacket, snacks, water, a flashlight; and
• Get involved! After preparing yourself and your family for possible emergencies, take the next step and get involved in preparing your community. Learn more about the City's Community Emergency Response Team, a program designed to train community volunteers in basic disaster response skills, in the article later on in this e-newsletter.