What would you do in a disaster?

Prepare. Plan. Stay Informed. 

Ready San Diego - http://www.readysandiego.org/

During a disaster, federal, state and local emergency services may be overwhelmed by the volume and extent of incidents and therefore delayed in assisting citizens in need. As FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) notes, “People need to be the help before the help arrives." 

FEMA reminds citizens to:

 • have a personal emergency plan

 • store at least a 3 day supply of food and water

 • be ready to help your neighbors

 • be prepared to be immediate responders 

In support of this goal, Ready San Diego offers extensive information for citizens on disaster readiness including preparing for:

 • wildfires

 • earthquakes

 • pandemic influenza

 • tsunamis

 • flooding

 • terrorism

Ready San Diego also includes information on:

 • creating a personal emergency plan 

 • assembling an emergency kit (including for your pets!)

 • locating resources (including the regional notification system AlertSanDiego) for becoming/staying informed in a disaster

Ready San Diego also provides an informative list of San Diego maps including:

 • Emergency Map - an interactive web map with data including local hazards, fire perimeters, AlertSanDiego emergency notification areas, evacuation centers, evacuation routes, traffic control

 • Know Your Hazards - enter a street address to display a map of wildfire, earthquake, flood and tsunami hazards

 • Wildfire Hazard Map Tool - find the level of wildfire hazard in your area and learn how to reduce your fire risk

 • Adverse Weather Map - displays the 100-year floodplain, recent fire burn areas, and weather alerts

Ready San Diego also offers links to organizations for additional training. I highly recommend the CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) Academy, where you will learn (1) disaster preparedness for area hazards and (2) basic disaster response skills including:​

 • managing utilities (electricity, gas, water) and extinguishing small fires

 • medical aid including how to open airways, control bleeding, and treat for shock

 • how to search for and rescue victims safely

 • collecting disaster intelligence to support first responder efforts

More info on CERT can be found here:

http://www.readysandiego.org/get_involved/

Review by Rachael Smithey, SWC Librarian ​