The following information is produced as part of the Emergency Survival Program.  ESP is an awareness campaign designed to increase emergency preparedness at home, in the community, at work and at school. 

The March ESP focuses on the importance of updating our emergency supplies.

In our busy lives, we count on many conveniences that we take for granted.  We buy gas when we run low. We pick up a few last minute groceries on the way home from work. At the turn of a faucet, a switch or thermostat, our utilities service our homes and workplaces.    However, emergency planning experts advise that we need to ensure our family has food, water, and other essential supplies for the first 72 hours (three days and three nights) after an emergency.  This is the amount of time it might take for normal deliveries of supplies and services to stabilize.  Also its important to remember you don’t know exactly where you might be when the emergency strikes, so it is wise to have a backpack with a few emergency supplies in places besides your home, such as your car or work place.

The wise thing to do is to consider the items that your family will need to be safe and secure in an emergency for three days before the emergency occurs.

AT HOME

q       One gallon of drinking water per person per day

q       Additional water for washing, for pets, and for cooking

q       Non-perishable food for family members and pets for three days

q       First aid books and supplies

q       Flashlights, portable radios and extra batteries for both

q       Tools such as a wrench to turn off gas at the meter if you smell gas or safety goggles

q       Camping gear, sleeping bags, rope, tents for temporary shelter

q       Paper plates, utensils, trash bags

q       An all purpose (ABC) fire extinguisher

q       Emergency cash

q       Copies of key documents, contacts and family emergency plan

SPECIAL SUPPLIES

q       Food and supplies for infants and toddlers

q       Prescription medications and copies of prescription orders

q       Mechanical walking aids (wheelchair, walker, crutches or canes)

q       An emergency generator, for the family member who is on a battery-operated life-support equipment or other medical devices

q       Hearing aids and extra batteries

q       Extra eyeglasses

IN YOUR CAR/WORK PLACE

q       Drinking water

q       Non-perishable food and snacks

q       Flashlight

q       Portable, battery-operated radio

q       Extra batteries

q       Blanket

q       Personal hygiene supplies

q       Trash bags and ties

q       Walking shoes

q       Jacket

q       Gloves

q       Dust mask

q       A whistle

q       Cash in small bills and coins

SAFETY TIPS

q       Use only clean plastic water containers to store water.  Never use bottles that used to contain bleach, milk or juice.

q       Label the date of purchase on food items without an expiration date.

q       If your power has gone out, even for a short time, be careful of food spoilage.  Use items from the refrigerator first, and then use items from the freezer.

q       Do not purchase gas masks or stockpile antibiotics.

For more information on disaster preparedness visit our website at www.anaheim.net.

For further information contact Anaheim Fire Department Disaster Preparedness Section at (714) 765-6951.