FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday,  September 21,  2006

Contact: Stacey Welling, Senior Public Information Officer
Phone: (702) 455-3201
Cell: (702) 249-3823
E-mail: stac@co.clark.nv.us 

Emergency Management Offers Supply Kit Tips

New Calendar Posted Online Gives Weekly Tips For Building Emergency Preparedness Kits

            An online handout posted on Clark County ’s website offers families step-by-step weekly instructions for building a 72-hour disaster supply kit over several months.

            Clark County ’s Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security created the four-page handout in support of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s National Preparedness Month.

            “We recommend that you put together a disaster supply kit designed to sustain you for a minimum of 72 hours after an emergency,” explained Office of Emergency Management Director Jim O’Brien. “A lot of the things you need for a kit you may already have on hand, so using the calendar is a tool to encourage you to put the items in a single, accessible location. If you need to buy some items, the calendar is organized so you just add a few things at a time to your kit as you make regular trips to stores. You don’t have to buy everything all at once. Over time you’ll have a full supply kit on hand in case you ever need it.”

The printable handout is posted on the home page the Office of Emergency Management’s website via www.accessclarkcounty.com. The list recommends that kits include a variety of items including water, nonperishable canned foods, flashlights with working batteries, first aid supplies, pet food and hygiene products. In addition the handout offers weekly steps for households to take to develop personalized safety plans. Suggestions include doing a practice fire drill, taking a first aid/CPR class from the local Red Cross, and establishing an out-of-town contact to call in case of an emergency so family members know each other’s whereabouts.

Clark County and several community partners also sponsored the “Ask the Experts Emergency Preparedness Forum” as part of National Preparedness Month. Experts from several local agencies discussed emergency management efforts and offered the public advice on how to prepare for emergencies. Clark County Television (CCTV) cable Channel 4 and Vegas PBS videotaped the forum for rebroadcast.

The program airs this week on Channel 4 on Thursday, Sept. 21, 5 p.m.; Saturday, Sept. 23, 10 a.m.; Sunday, Sept. 24, 7 p.m.   Vegas PBS also will air the program on Channel 10 on Sunday, Sept.   24, at   2 p.m.

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