Last year I became CERT trained (Community Emergency Response Trained) through a free program the City of LA offers in conjunction with LAFD. I highly recommend it! https://www.cert-la.com
The clipboard-toting inner Girl scout in me wanted to take the training course to be “Uber prepared!” What
Known fact: There will NOT be enough resources to care for everyone when a disaster strikes. This means- we ALL have some personal responsibility here, for ourselves, our family & for our community. In fact, as a neighbor recently reminded me– the one point the LAFD instructor’s made repeatedly was this:
We are not coming to save you! -LAFD
They simply cannot. They will not have the resources to help everyone, so please do not rely on them! Instead…. learn & prepare! One very effective
CERT training can teach you how to:
Eventually… the training made me have less anxiety and “More Preparedness” and for
💦 make sure you have significant backup resources for fresh, clean water for everyone in your family. Keep some water in your vehicle. (SOS store in Van Nuys sells water in easily transportable packets, as well as other useful supplies.) Center of disease control suggests one gallon per person per day, at least.
🔦 Update supplies & check on locations: Show everyone the flashlight locations/ batteries / do a walk-through to remind everyone where the fire extinguishers are / where the first aid kits are located, etc. (All up to date?)
📋 Have a plan! Where will everyone meet in case of
🚙 Fill up gas tanks in cars (try not to dip down below the halfway mark) If there’s a substantial earthquake it will be almost impossible to get gas.
🔌 Be in the habit of keeping phones charged/ have back up batteries/
🔧Know how to turn off your gas!
🥫Update earthquake kits at home & in
👨👩👧👧 Make sure to keep backup shoes & extra socks for each family member in the car/ (update kits with shoes that fit for ever-growing kids.) Foot injuries are one of the most common sources of infection after disasters. (Waterproof boots are the best to wear after disaster since flooding can be an issue. Wet feet + abrasions/blisters + unknown debris is not a good mix.)
💵 Keep a stash of small bills at hand. No ATM’s will work, cash will be king & nobody will have “change” (so if you only have $20 bills for a $2 loaf of bread… it will become a $20 loaf & you will run out of your cash quicker.
Extra Tips
👨👩👧👧 Do not run outside when an earthquake hits if you can avoid it! So many injuries end up being from falling debris, bricks, power lines, etc. Be VERY careful of any fallen powerlines. (Read that FEMA guide!)
💵 There’s a great store in Van Nuys called SOS Survival Products that
💦 Swimming pool water cannot be used for drinking water, but it can be great for bathing and to use to refill toilets that are still in working order!
🔌 Do not touch any power lines OR fences/gates/anything with power lines touching them! They may be
…From my daughter: “Get an
Have any great tips to share? Please add them in the comments below!
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Greetings! Very useful advice within this article! It’s the little changes that make the most
significant changes. Thanks for sharing!
It’s going to be end of mine day, but before finish I am reading this enormous paragraph to increase my
know-how.