We’re grateful to Mark Stapf, immediate past chair and current board member of the Red Cross San Gabriel Pomona Valley Chapter, visited our club and provided a crash course in emergency readiness. With the wild fires that displaced thousands in our State still fresh on our minds, his words were all the more relevant.
Some of the most basic steps he recommended were:
- Flashlight and footwear by bed
- Having a Fire extinguisher
- After an earthquake, don’t turn gas off unless you smell a leak
- Strap down the hot water heater
- Turn off water, don’t use until you hear it’s safe
For an emergency kit Mark recommended having one weeks worth of provisions ready:
- 1 gallon of water per person
- 1 week food per person
- first aid supplies
- medication, Identity status as safe and well on Red Cross site
- MRE, extra clothing
- trash bags
- cash small bills
- hygiene supplies
- prescription glasses
- entertainment
- rope
- tape
- radio
- batteries
More information is available at: https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies.html
