Throughout the month, schools and the city will continue outreach programs on preparedness. On Tuesday, April 12, LCUSD will have a district-wide disaster drill. On April 20 the city will host an emergency preparedness mixer at Descanso Gardens.
"The general rule of thumb is to have seven to 10 days worth of water and food," Stegner said.
FEMA also advises people to make certain their homes are safe and secure. Some of their suggestions include fastening shelves securely to walls, placing large or heavy objects on lower shelves, hanging heavy items such as pictures and mirrors away from beds and couches, and securing a water heater by strapping it to the studs and bolting it to the floor.
It is important to have an earthquake preparedness kit that includes a flashlight and extra batteries, portable battery-operated radio and extra batteries, a first aid kit, essential medicines, along with emergency water and food.
It is also important for individuals and families to be prepared as well as volunteers in the community. The City of La Cañada has offered training sessions, again following FEMA guidelines, for volunteer emergency response teams. Those volunteers would meet at a predesignated area if and when a major earthquake happens. They would then be assigned throughout the city to evaluate areas that need immediate help.
"This is especially valuable as a contract city because we have small city staff," Stegner said. He added that cities such as Pasadena have a much larger city staff and could call for additional help through other agencies, including Parks and Recreation. La Cañada volunteers are a large part of the community effort.
"It is within the community and outside the community," Stegner added. "We have people that commute to our area that are also volunteers."
The emphasis on disaster preparedness may be taken more seriously since the Katrina hurricane, but Stegner feels that disaster is completely different than what California may be facing with an earthquake.
"It was not a typical disaster. Usually you are left with something," Stegner said.
He looked at the Northridge earthquake 12 years ago as an example. "There were isolated areas of damage that are disconnected," he said. "Some areas that are damaged and some that are not."
He agrees that the one warning Katrina gives is that communities cannot depend on immediate government response. That is why being prepared is important, he said.
