National Preparedness Month: Help your neighbor

Published on September 23, 2024

When disaster strikes a community, residents will be the first people in their neighborhood to respond to injured neighbors and other dangers. First Responders will be immediately overwhelmed and these resources will also be impacted by the disaster. Getting to know your neighborhood, understanding what resources are available and who will need extra assistance is crucial for a community to be prepared for a disaster.

Mapping your neighborhood is an activity that that you can do with your neighbors to increase awareness and preparedness for disasters. Understand the hazards in your neighborhood. Identify neighbors that have access and functional needs. Identify who in your neighborhood is a member of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). Know your zone in case of an evacuation.

Emergency preparedness and response starts with you! Start today to understand the hazards and risk to the community. Develop a plan for home and for work. Improve your skills by joining CERT or taking classes from the American Red Cross. Build relationships in your community and learn about the resources that are available to you.

As this year’s National Preparedness Month comes to a close, take your preparedness to the next step and practice your plan. Next month, on Oct. 17, is the Great Shake Out, an international day for people to participate in earthquake drills at work, school, or home. There are 7.12 million Californians registered to participate. Are you one of them? Visit shakeout.org/California to learn more and register.

Photo credit: Brandon Bond - Picture taken during the 2020 CZU Lighting Complex fires to illustrate excellent neighborhood preparedness.