Mariposa County

            Health Department

A Family Guide To Emergency Preparedness

A  FEW  IMPORTANT  ITEMS  TO  CONSIDER

¡ Know school and/or day care provider evacuation and disaster plans.

¡ Create a contact list for your entire family to carry in a wallet or purse.

¡ Make sure children know who to contact for help if they are separated from you.

¡ Arrange a primary and secondary meeting place outside the home in case of a house fire.  Be sure the meeting places are free of hazards.

¡ Arrange a mutual meeting place between spouse worksites in the event roads are impassable.

¡ Know local evacuation routes and how you will know when evacuation is necessary.

¡ Learn First Aid and CPR.

¡ Ask your pharmacist or physician about storing important medications.

¡ Keep a disaster and first aid kit inside the trunk of your car. 

FAMILY DISASTER PLAN 

Mariposa Old Highway 140 Fire September, 2004                                                     

STEP 1

    Meet with Your Family

Discuss how to prepare and respond, what to do if you have to evacuate, where you will meet.

STEP 2

    Make a Disaster Supply Kit

Contact the local American Red Cross Mariposa/Merced Chapter for a full list of preparedness items.

209-383-0445

STEP 3

     Practice, Practice, Practice

After your family has developed a plan and stored emergency preparedness items, practice your plan by holding disaster drills.  This allows the family to go through the plan without the real stresses of an

emergency.  This also helps to reveal faults in a plan and correct them early.

 A FEW IMPORTANT ITEMS TO CONSIDER

¨ food

¨ extra clothing

¨ extra shoes/boots

¨ blankets

¨ flashlights

¨ batteries

¨ portable radio

¨ matches

¨ plastic bags

¨ cash

¨ copies of important documents

¨ recent family member photos

¨ family emergency plan

¨ medication list

¨ extra eyeglasses

¨ first aid kit

¨ comfort items

¡ chewing gum

¡ coffee

¡ child’s toys

WHY SHOULD WE BE PREPARED?

According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), since 1965, every county in California has received a Presidential Disaster Declaration more than 4 times.  Disasters may be caused by fires, floods, landslides, or earthquakes.

 FEMA recommends each person be prepared for three days without assistance.  In rural communities, however, we recommend each person be self sustaining for at least one week.

"Emergency preparedness is a team sport"

- Eric Whitaker