San Joaquin County to mark National Preparedness Month

STOCKTON — Catastrophic flooding in Louisiana, Tennessee and New York. A deep freeze shutting down power in Texas. Windstorms in Iowa. Tornadoes in Illinois and Maryland. An earthquake on the California-Nevada border. Wildfires throughout California, close enough that Lodi has been bathed in smoke.

Over the past year, these are just a few of the natural disasters that have struck in the U.S. alone.

San Joaquin County has not been entirely protected. County residents have struggled in recent years with drought, heat waves and — like most of the world — the COVID-19 pandemic.

An emergency can strike at any time. Are you prepared?

In support of whole-community preparedness, the San Joaquin County Office of Emergency Services is participating in National Preparedness Month, held every September across the U.S. to promote family and community disaster preparedness and emergency planning throughout the year.

“It’s our goal that all San Joaquin County citizens think about emergency preparedness every day,” said Shellie Lima, deputy director of Emergency Services, in a press release.

The 2021 theme is “Prepare to Protect. Preparing for disasters is protecting everyone you love.”

Emergency preparedness officials urge residents to learn about risks and create a plan to deal with potential disasters in the local area. The department is encouraging households, businesses, community groups, and county staff to prepare and plan for emergencies.

Residents should consider what they would do if they were without utilities, electricity, water, access to a supermarket or local services, or maybe even without response from police, fire, or rescue for up to three days.

The 2021 weekly campaign themes are:

• Make A Plan (Sept. 1 to 4).

• Build a Kit (Sept. 5 to 11).

• Low-Cost, No-Cost Preparedness (Sept. 12 to 18).

• Teach Youth About Preparedness (Sept. 19 to 25).

The Office of Emergency Services will partner with other county agencies and partners to help residents learn, plan and prepare for a disaster. Helpful tips, tricks, and information will be shared through OES social media sites, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Nextdoor.

“This September, we encourage all residents to take steps to prepare for disaster, which will ensure that our community is ready for any emergency,” Lima said.