There are many organizations dedicated to keeping your family prepared in the event of a disaster. Please help keep your family and community informed by reviewing these resources and sharing them to anyone that will find them useful. You can learn more about preparing for a disaster by contacting or visiting any one of the following organizations:
Los Angeles
County Department of Health Services – Public Health Emergency Preparedness
Hotline This hotline is staffed by multi-lingual operators available between 8:30 am and 5 pm Monday through Friday to provide information on disaster preparedness. The information provided by the operators is similar to the information that is included in this labt.org web site. Callers are connected directly with hotline operators who speak Spanish, English, Korean, Armenian, Mandarin and Cantonese Chinese, Vietnamese and Russian. Callers who speak other languages will be assisted by a tele-interpreting service. Los Angeles County Emergency
Survival Program (ESP) This web site was developed by the Emergency Survival Program (ESP) and the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management. The web site contains a calendar style collection of easy to print disaster information sheets that include topics on 1) Understanding terrorism; 2) Actions for threat levels; 3) Tuning into the media; 4) Weapons of mass destruction; 5) Taking cover; 6) Planning for a trip; 7) Staying or going in a disaster; 8) Being safe at work; 9) School preparedness; 10) What to do if you are in a public place; 11) Volunteering; 12) Preparing an emergency kit as a gift. There is also a description of disasters that have occurred in Los Angeles County. Most of the web site contains disaster planning resources for local government officials and an overview of the Office of Emergency Management’s role in a disaster. The information is available in English only. Los Angeles County Disaster Hotline: 800-980-4990 This hotline has recorded information (no live operators) on disaster and emergency preparedness in English and Spanish available 24 hours a day. As of July 2005, the hotline had taped information on the following topics: 1) Current information on terrorism and the recent threat level for Los Angeles area; 2) Information from the LA Department of Public Works on a number of storm-related emergency situations, including power outages, sandbags, landslides, hillside fires, traffic signal problems, homeowner’s guide; 3) Information on anthrax and mail handling procedures; and 4) Emergency preparedness and basic first aid, with specific guidance on both. 211- Los Angeles
County (simply dial 211) Live operators at this line are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and provide free, confidential information and referral services to individuals for such critical issues like health care and substance abuse, domestic violence, shelter, food, legal and financial assistance, children and senior programs and mental health services. Services are available in English, Spanish and over 140 languages via a tele-interpreting service. Note: City of Los Angeles Emergency
Preparedness Department This web site provides a brief summary of how to prepare for a disaster while at home, work, or in the car. It also gives a brief description of how to prepare children, elderly, special needs populations and pets. The web site contains easy to print Spanish brochures on disaster preparedness, power outages, and how to prepare for extreme heat. The City of Los Angeles Emergency Preparedness Department coordinates the interdepartmental preparedness, planning, training and recovery activities of the Emergency Operations Organization, its divisions, and all City departments. City of Los
Angeles Emergency Preparedness Department Helpline This helpline has comprehensive recorded information (no live operators) 24 hours a day in English and Spanish for each of the following emergency preparedness related topics: 1) Information on the City’s annual Emergency Preparedness Fair; 2) Emergency preparedness tips; 3) Earthquake preparedness; 4) Fire safety and heat wave protection; 5) Storm emergencies; 6) Information on City services (power lines and water problems, erosion and structural damage, blocked storm drains, refuse collection and debris removal, and lost and found animals); 7) Sandbag information (sandbags free to public). The helpline also refers people to http://www.updatela.com/ web site, which is the official web site of the City of Los Angeles Emergency Operations Organization. During major emergencies impacting Los Angeles, information of potential interest to the public and media will be posted here. City of Los Angeles Department
of Disability (DOD) The DOD web site has information on emergency preparedness for people with disabilities, including a 46 page handbook that can be downloaded for free. The handbook is easy to read with large print and includes information that will be of special interest to those with visual, and mobility disabilities, owners of service animals and pets, persons who are deaf and hard-of-hearing, and those with special medical needs. California Emergency Preparedness
Office This web site contains comprehensive information about floods, ricin, wildfires, smallpox, and biological, chemical & radiation agents in both English and Spanish. Some information on floods and hurricanes is also available in French and Vietnamese. There are 21 fact sheets that cover biological, chemical and radiation emergencies some of which are in multiple languages including English, Spanish, French, Tagalog, and Vietnamese. Centers of Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) Emergency Preparedness & Response CDC has comprehensive information on bioterroism agents (English & Spanish), chemical emergencies (English only), radiation emergencies (English & Spanish), mass trauma (English & Spanish), natural disasters & severe weather (English, Spanish & French), and recent outbreaks and incidents (English & Spanish). It also contains easy to print fact sheets in many of the topics mentioned above. CDC Telephone Hotlines for Emergency Preparedness and Response You can call the following CDC numbers at no charge and talk to a hotline operator 24 hours a day (24/7) 365 days a year about emergency preparedness for natural and intentional disasters. English and Spanish U.S. Department of Homeland
Security This web site is easy to use and provides information in English and Spanish on preparing families and businesses for a disaster for emergencies involving biological & chemical threats, explosions, nuclear blasts, radiation threats, and natural disasters. The web site has a special section for children: FEMA for Kids! that uses cartoon characters to teach kids how they can be prepared for disasters and prevent disaster damage. Children can also learn what causes disasters, play games, read stories and become a Disaster Action Kid. Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) A copy of Are You Ready? A Guide to Citizen Preparedness in English and
Spanish can be downloaded free from this web site. Are You Ready? provides
a step-by-step approach to disaster preparedness by walking the reader
through how to get informed about local emergency plans, how to identify
hazards that affect their local area, and how to develop and maintain
an emergency communications plan and disaster supplies kit. Other topics
covered include evacuation, emergency public shelters, animals in disaster,
and information specific to people with disabilities. American Red Cross This web site has extensive disaster preparedness and response information for the public, including information on preparing for and responding to terrorism and natural disasters, family disaster planning guidelines, helping your child cope with a disaster, preparedness for the elderly and individuals with special medical concerns, preparedness for pets, service animals and livestock, and preparedness guidelines for business and industry. The web site has disaster preparedness information in the following 14 languages: Arabic, Cambodian, Chinese, English, Farsi, French, Hmong, Japanese, Korean, Laotian, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese. Living Independently in Los
Angeles (LILA) LILA is an on-line project designed to benefit people with disabilities living in Los Angeles County. LILA uses an interactive map that may include the location of services and programs benefiting people with disabilities including local businesses, accessibility features of publicly subsidized housing, inclusive recreation programs, and independent living resource information. It includes a list of disaster and emergency resources in the website’s Community Resource Directory. The National Child Traumatic
Stress Network – Terrorism and Disaster Branch The focus of this web site is to serve the mental health needs of children and their families in the event of disaster or terrorism. The web site has numerous resources on child trauma for parents, healthcare workers, and other professionals, including specific guidelines on dealing with disaster and terrorism-related childhood trauma. The web site also has information on family preparedness and response for natural disasters and terrorism, including a Family Preparedness Guide and emergency Wallet Card in the following 6 languages: Armenian, English, Korean, Russian, Spanish and Vietnamese. American Veterinary Medial
Association (AMVA) AMVA has a 15-page booklet entitled, “Saving the Whole Family,” that will help you design a disaster preparedness plan for your small and large animals. Booklet comes in English only. It can be downloaded for free from their web site.
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