County Prepares Residents to Survive Disaster

With reports continuing to surface last weekend that al-Qaida may be planning more attacks on New York City, one county in California is making sure it continues preparing its residents.

According to an article by Dana Yates in the San Mateo Daily Journal, county officials are warning residents to be prepared for at least three days on their own if emergency crews need to respond to a disaster. Police officials told Yates that the best resource is still the public when it comes to first response.

The article says the county's public safety agencies are working to create teams to respond to large-scale terrorist attacks in the county. Police and fire departments are also learning to do more to react to emergencies like bioterrorism, explosion, radiological and nuclear bombs.

Public officials are telling residents to have at least three days of supplies on hand in the event of an emergency, and recommending that people take first aid classes and join a Community Emergency Response Team. In addition, the county's Health Services Agency is sending every resident a pocket emergency preparedness guide in November.

To read Yates' full article, click here:
http://www.smdailyjournal.org/article.cfm?issue=07-28-04&storyID=33196.