ABC7 Megadoppler weather app! Get your weather on the go | Free ABC7 apps
In Your Community

Prepare SoCal: Disaster Preparedness in Los Angeles and Southern California

Advertisement
PREPARE SOCAL
 

ABC7, Edison International and Aetna have joined the American Red Cross PrepareSoCal campaign. PrepareSoCal is a public awareness campaign to create more resilient communities that are better equipped to help each other prevent, prepare for and respond to life-threatening disasters. Being prepared is the key to surviving a disaster, and PrepareSoCal wants to help viewers be prepared.

PrepareSoCal

We're in this together, Southern California, so:

  1. Get A Kit
  2. Make A Plan
  3. Be Informed

Get a Kit: At minimum, the American Red Cross recommends that you have the following items in your emergency preparedness kit:

  • Water: One gallon per person, per day. A three-day supply is recommended for evacuation. A two-week supply is recommended if you stay in your home. Also, don't forget to provide for your pets.
  • Non-perishable food: Easy to open and prepare food items are preferable. A three-day supply is recommended for evacuation. A two-week supply is recommended if you stay in your home. And, don't forget to provide for your pets.
  • First aid kit
  • Medications

For a complete list of emergency supplies, visit www.PrepareSoCal.org. To purchase an official Red Cross emergency preparedness kit, visit the Red Cross store.

Make a Plan: Families can and do cope with disaster by preparing in advance and working together as a team. Create a family disaster plan including an evacuation plan and a communication plan. Knowing what to do is your best protection and your responsibility.

  • Meet with your family and discuss the types of disasters that are most likely to happen. Explain the dangers of fire, severe weather, and earthquakes to children and explain what to do in each case. Plan to share responsibilities and work together as a team.
  • Pick two places to meet:
    1. Right outside your home, in case of a sudden emergency, such as a fire.
    2. Outside your neighborhood, in case you can't return home. Everyone must know the address and phone number.
  • Ask an out-of-state friend to be your "family contact." After a disaster, it's often easier to call long distance. Other family members should call this person and tell them where they are. Everyone must know your contact's phone number.
  • Families should develop different methods for communicating during emergency situations, and share their plans, beforehand, with all those who would be worried about their welfare.

Be Informed: Visit PrepareSoCal.org, a website created by the American Red Cross that has step-by-step guides on how to get ready for disasters, including earthquakes, fires, tsunamis, and mudslides, as well as links to disaster preparedness classes in your area to learn more.

  • Identify how local authorities will notify you during a disaster and how you will get information, whether through local radio, TV or NOAA Weather Radio stations or channels. Know the difference between different weather alerts, such as watches and warnings and what actions to take in each.
  • When a major disaster occurs, your community can change in an instant. Loved ones may be hurt and emergency response is likely to be delayed. Make sure that at least one member of your household is trained in first aid and CPR, and knows how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED). This training is useful in many emergency situations. To register for an American Red Cross course click here.
  • Share what you have learned with your family, household and neighbors and encourage them to be informed.

Edison International

Edison International (NYSE:EIX), through its subsidiaries, is a generator and distributor of electric power and an investor in infrastructure and energy assets, including renewable energy. Headquartered in Rosemead, Calif., Edison International is the parent company of Southern California Edison, one of the nation's largest electric utilities, and Edison Mission Group, a competitive power generation business.

Southern California Edison serves a population of nearly 14 million via 4.9 million customer accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within Central, Coastal and Southern California.

Edison's commitment to safely delivering reliable, affordable electricity to our customers has led our company to power Southern California into one of the most vibrant and innovative regions of the U.S.

Because public safety is first and foremost in everything Edison does, we are implementing safety awareness and emergency preparedness training programs throughout our service territory, in partnership with the American Red Cross.

Electricity can be dangerous. Coming into contact with electric wires can cause serious injury or even death. For that reason, we encourage you to review electric safety tips with friends, neighbors and loved ones to help keep them safe. To learn more, please visit www.sce.com/staysafe.

About Aetna

Aetna is one of the nation's leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 36.7 million people with information and resources to help them make better informed decisions about their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of traditional, voluntary and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, group life and disability plans, and medical management capabilities, Medicaid health care management services and health information technology services. Our customers include employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, health care providers, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups and expatriates. For more information, see www.aetna.com.

Be sure to check out the following websites, which are included to enhance your ability to get better prepared.