A Quick Guide to Staying Safe in Any Natural Disaster

September is National Preparedness Month, and organizations like FEMA, American Red Cross, and Ready.gov have come together to inform the public on how to be prepared when faced with disaster. 

We observe National Preparedness Month to bring forth awareness about the importance in preparing for any emergency and disaster, encouraging people to take proactive steps in ensuring safety for each other and everyone around us. Preparing for a disaster can help people and communities recover faster and create a less stressful environment. 

Ready.gov believes that people should follow the four key steps when preparing for any disaster. Know the risks in your surrounding areas, make an emergency family plan, build an emergency supply kit, and get involved in your community to better prepare everyone around you. 

FEMA’s Ready Campaign has resources to help people prepare for any kind of disaster, whether that is earthquakes, flooding, wildfires, or power outages, this page has extra information on how to best prepare for any of these events. 

According to the Toolkit provided by Ready.gov, “National Preparedness Month is a great time to take small steps to make a big difference in being prepared. Getting yourself, your family and your home ready for emergencies like home fires, power outages and local floods means you’re more prepared for disasters like wildfires, flash flooding, hurricanes and more.” 

American Red Cross has come up with a strategic plan to follow throughout the month of September to ensure your safety and the safety of your friends, family, and neighbors. It details a 30-day plan to help keep everyone organized with steps they might have missed when creating their own preparedness plan like keeping spare batteries with their flashlights or filling the gas tank before it gets too low. 

An upcoming and important disaster to prepare for right now throughout California and the Bay Area are wildfires. The unfortunate season of wildfires is around the corner, but FEMA and American Red Cross have provided us with easy ways to prepare ourselves and our houses should the disaster come into your area. 

When preparing for any disaster, the most important first step is to have a plan set in motion so everyone in your household knows what to do in case of an evacuation order. Create copies of important documents like insurance policies and IDs in a secure password-protected digital space. You can strengthen your home in the case of a wildfire by using fire-restraint materials, keeping a water hose that can reach every area, and setting up a portable air cleaner to keep the pollution levels down indoors. Learn your evacuation zones for your area and practice them occasionally with household members and pets. Lastly, gather necessary supplies like a first-aid kit and N95 masks in a go bag and the trunk of your cars. 

The Contra Costa County Fire Protection District has a guide to help residents find their evacuation zones and contains further information on staying safe during fire season. Simply scan the QR code online and input your address to find your evacuation zone ID number. Users can also subscribe the Community Warning System which sends emergency messages to Contra Costa County residents. 

Check out some local emergency preparedness events in the future to get some hands-on training and help, or to learn more about ways to stay alert and ready for disasters. One important event to learn more about disaster resiliency is The Doughnut Disaster Festival on Oct. 11 from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. in Crockett, CA. 

The Doughnut Disaster Festival is an interactive theatrical and educational experience created to build a community of awareness and practice valuable strategies for when an actual disaster occurs.  

The event is free, but registration is available online to attend for those interested in participating anytime, all day, or for just one or a couple of the events on their itinerary. Some activities on the schedule include workshops, demos, and inspiring talks.

The City of Pinole is hosting Home Safety & Emergency Preparedness Workshops on November 6, 13, and 20 from 12-1pm at the Pinole Senior Center. The workshop is part of the Pinole Accessible Living Program and will offer education on how to stay safe before a crisis occurs.

For real-time updates and alerts, download apps like City of Pinole and FEMA app, or stay up-to-date by going to our website. Other available and reliable resources include American Red Cross and Ready.gov.