Posted by: Charity_Maness on 09/20/2010 07:42 AM
Updated by: thepinetree on 09/22/2010 10:43 PM
Expires: 01/01/2015 12:00 AM
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Peggy Rourke-Nichols Brings Emergency Preparedness Info to the People of Calaveras County ~ By, Charity Maness
With September being National Preparedness Month, Peggy, a 24 year resident of Calaveras County, took this opportunity to share her wealth of knowledge regarding Family Emergency Preparedness with the people of Calaveras County. Recently Peggy gave a two part series presentation on Channel 7 on how you can be prepared for an emergency. “Everyone should be prepared to stay independent for at least 72 hours.” She stresses that while we have government agencies prepared for a multitude of impending disasters that it may take awhile to “rev up their response teams.”
Being a registered nurse, Peggy has had the opportunity to be a team leader for the California Red Cross response to the Northridge Earthquake and later to act as a mobile intensive care nurse during the Old Gulch Fire in 1992. These events, combined with others, opened her eyes to the extreme need for each citizen to be prepared. While we live in the foothills, we focus on wildfire, snow emergencies, and flooding, the actual list is much longer than just that. “A family needs to tailor their (emergency preparedness) kits to their needs and region. It is essential to have a family plan and involve the children…to ease their stress if a disaster hits.” Pointing out that some people within a family have special needs, ie: medicines, allergies, etc. so the kit must be consistent with that person’s needs.
When asked what a person should take in an emergency situation with limited time if they have not prepared in advance, Peggy suggests, “The kids, I.D., cash, credit cards, medications, assistive devices, pets, car keys, insurance cards and papers, and a wind up radio.” Peggy recommends the booklet “Are You Ready?” which is free when you call 1-800-beready. It covers all types of disasters, natural and man-made, and how to prepare. “Each of us is responsible for preparing ourselves and our family for disaster.”
Emergency preparedness sites to visit for information, Ready.gov, Redcross.org
Channel 7 program list of air times of Peggy’s presentation, http://co.calaveras.ca.us/legacy/patv/schedule/patv_channel_7.asp
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