Citizens Urged To Prepare For Emergencies In Santa Cruz County

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA — In an effort to raise awareness about the importance of being prepared for local emergencies or disasters, on Tuesday the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors proclaimed September 2019 as National Preparedness Month.

“Santa Cruz County has seen more than its share of emergencies, and our community knows the importance of disaster preparedness," Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors Chair Ryan Coonerty said. "We encourage everyone to sit down with their families and create emergency plans that take into account neighborhood evacuations, disaster supplies, family medical needs, pets, family communications and more. The more we do now to prepare, the more resilient we become."

Santa Cruz County is vulnerable to a variety of disasters, including storms, earthquakes, wildfires, flooding, power outages and more. Residents are encouraged to download the CodeRED app to make sure they receive emergency notifications, and the County Office of Emergency Services maintains a number of preparedness resources for residents and their families at www.santacruzcounty.us/OES.

To assist in preparedness, individuals and families should consider the following:
• Signing up for alerts and warnings
• Plans for alternative shelter
• Evacuation routes
• Family communication plans
• Age-specific family member needs
• Special medical, prescription and dietary needs
• Pets or service animals
• Emergency preparedness kits, including food and water
• Practicing emergency plans, including household evacuation

• Water - one gallon of water, per person, per day, for a minimum of three days (pets too)
• Food - a minimum three-days supply of non-perishable food for humans and pets
• Battery-powered or hand-crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert
• Flashlight
• First-aid kit
• Extra batteries and cell phone chargers
• Whistle to signal for help
• Dust masks, plastic sheeting and duct tape
• Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
• Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
• Manual can opener for food
• Local maps

During the next month Santa Cruz County Public Health and the Office of Emergency Services will be very active on social media and is inviting citizens to visit those websites sites for information on preparedness tips for families, pets, people with disabilities and planned power shut-offs.

Additional preparedness resources are available at www.santacruzhealth.org/emergencyplan.