National Preparedness Month gears up

The city of Chino has encouraged residents and businesses to get ready for the National Preparedness Month, a nationwide effort designed to increase awareness and encourage people to take action and prepare for emergencies.

"We all need to think about what we are going to do in the event of an emergency and plan accordingly," Mayor Dennis Yates said. "The recent fires serve as a reminder that we live in an area subject to any number of disasters and it is imperative that we are all prepared to sustain ourselves, our families and businesses for an extended period of time, which will allow our emergency personnel to address the most life-threatening emergencies first.

"Having enough water, food and supplies on hand in advance of a disaster is a necessity."

A recent Federal Emergency Management Agency report showed that 30 percent of Americans are not prepared for a disaster because they think emergency responders will help them.

The report also indicated that more than 60 percent of Americans plan to rely on responders within the first 72 hours following a disaster.

"This kind of thinking will only delay the recovery of our community following a disaster," Yates said.

"We all need to plan on helping ourselves for the first several days."

Residents and business owners are encouraged to create an emergency kit and develop a communications plan.

For more information, visit www.chinopd.org, www.redcross.org, www.calema.ca.gov or www.fema.gov/areyouready