September is Emergency Preparedness Month
Officials Say Preparedness Begins at Home
In recognition of September as National Emergency Preparedness Month, county officials are reminding residents that emergency preparedness begins at home.
“There are three basic steps everyone should take to be prepared for an emergency,” said Jim O’Brien, manager of Clark County’s Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. “The first step is to build an emergency supply kit to meet your family’s basic needs for three to five days. You also need to create a plan so you and your family know how you connect with one another in the event of an emergency. It’s also important to educate yourself about the types of emergencies we’re prone to in Southern Nevada, and to be sure to tune into radio or TV in the event of an emergency for information.”
The Office of Emergency Management has lots of information about disaster preparedness posted on its Web site at www.accessclarkcounty.com, including a calendar that provides step-by-step instructions for building an emergency supply kit over several months. In addition to wildfires and flash floods, earthquakes are a possibility in Southern Nevada, as evidenced by the 5.4 earthquake near Los Angeles in July that shook parts of urban Clark County. Nevada is the third most seismically active state in the nation after California and Alaska. Officials say residents should secure items in their homes that might come loose as a result of shaking from a quake.
“Most injuries that occur from earthquakes are a result of falling objects,” said Ron Lynn, director of the county’s Development Services Department and chairman of the Nevada Earthquake Safety Council. “It’s important to properly secure items in your home that could fall, including bookcases, large pictures and any items that hang above your head.”
A delegation of 70 representatives from Clark County and local organizations will participate in a specialized training course Monday, Sept. 8 through Friday, Sept. 12, at the National Emergency Training Center’s Emergency Management Institute in Emmitsburg, Md. The training will focus on recovery efforts from the aftermath of a fictional earthquake striking the valley, and include scenarios tailored to the community’s infrastructure. Participants include staff from county departments and management, in addition to the American Red Cross and United Way, area cities, and several local agencies. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is paying for travel and lodging costs. Many communities have used the training to prepare for high-profile events like the Olympic Games. “The training was more first responder than recovery focused on our previous trip to Emmtisburg in 1996,” O’Brien said. “This year we’ll have more people from social service agencies and departments like public works and environmental management because their expertise would be critical in helping our community recover from a large-scale disaster.”
###
Editor’s Note: Public Communications will issue a news release from Emmitsburg on Thursday, Sept. 11. Video and a short interview with O’Brien about the training will be posted online in conjunction with the news release. Broadcast quality video will be available through Clark County Television Channel 4.