Re “Officials admit to being caught off guard by epic winter storms,” March 4

It is amazing to me that the Southern California mountain residents are expressing anger over officials for not getting them out of their “trapped” situation caused by recent storms.

As a citizen who experienced the major 1994 earthquake in Northridge, I have been informed year after year by government officials, fire department personnel, business owners and schools to be prepared for another big one.

Water, food, medicine, flashlights, batteries and so forth — we need all of this to be on our own for quite some time.

Maybe this experience of being trapped in their homes for a few weeks will be a reminder to all of us that we need to be prepared for whatever event happens. That we need to pull up our bootstraps and display our American self-reliance for a few weeks when disaster strikes.

Oh, and don’t forget to be prepared for your dogs and cats or other family animals as well. They will need their treats too.

Rosemary Polito Reseda

Your headline suggests, thanks to use of the word “admit,” that officials were somehow derelict, when in fact the article makes clear that there was no way to bring in adequate snow removal equipment with only 24-36 hours notice of an incoming blizzard.

You need to remember that some read nothing more than the headlines. Sloppy language will help drive away readers.

Sue Guilford Orange