On July 9, the Los Angeles Department of Public Health revealed a new disaster-readiness plan that pushes communities to connect with each other and promotes neighbors and residents to meet one another and prepare a disaster plan.
By building a stronger connection and society their Connect, Prepare and Respond program will allow for fewer injuries, loss of life and property damage. It is encouraged to obtain safety education through services such as the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), the Public Health Emergency Volunteer (PHEV) Network and the Medical Reserve Corps.
The disaster plan would ideally be made up a of a strong communication method with residents, a procedure to determine the status of each resident, a neighbor inventory to which individuals can be indentified and additional assistance can be offered, a neighborhood map with planned evacuation routes and an emergency plan and survival kit for every household. It is vital to make sure the people in the household are safe, activate the emergency plan, to get information on the circumstances and checking in on neighbors.
For more information on developing an emergency preparedness plan, contact local training classes or volunteer activities or go to prepare2respond.org. To learn more about the Department of Public Health and its work, go to publichealth.lacountry.gov.
