Being vigilant and prepared for emergency

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

The recent power outage and the ongoing fire threats serve as important warnings for all of us. We must always be vigilant and prepared for natural disasters. Those of us who have had to evacuate our homes know that being prepared for an emergency at all times could literally save lives.

We’re in the middle of fire season, and I want to make sure that you have access to these important resources that will help you prepare your home and your family for emergencies:

•www.ready.gov was launched in February 2003 by the Department of Homeland Security and is a national public service advertising campaign designed to educate and empower Americans to prepare for and respond to emergencies including natural and man–made disasters. The goal of the campaign is to get the public involved and ultimately to increase the level of basic preparedness across the nation.

•www.redcross.org is the official website of The American Red Cross, where people mobilize to help their neighbors — across the street, across the country, and across the world — in emergencies. Each year, in communities large and small, victims of some 70,000 disasters turn to neighbors familiar and new — the more than half a million volunteers and 35,000 employees of the Red Cross.

•www.fema.gov is the official website of the Federal Emergency Management Agency whose mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Please take a minute to check out the resources that are available to you. If there is anything my office can do for you as you prepare for fire season and other potential natural disasters, please don’t hesitate to call my district office at 619–596–3136.

It is an honor to serve you.

Sen. Joel Anderson

California’s 36th District