Emergency preparedness means being prepared for all kinds of emergencies, able to respond in time of crisis to save lives and property, to help a community or even the nation return to normal life after a disaster, and ensuring that the environment is protected. The potential for a catastrophic event impacting California, the most populous state in the nation with an estimated population of 38 million in 2008, is something that requires this all hazards approach.
How You Should Prepare
California’s federal emergency preparedness partner, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) does an excellent job in its description of preparedness displayed below:
“Preparedness is everyone's job. Not just government agencies but all sectors of society -- service providers, businesses, civic and volunteer groups, industry associations and neighborhood associations, as well as every individual citizen -- should plan ahead for disaster. During the first few hours or days following a disaster, essential services may not be available. People must be ready to act on their own.”
Threats & Hazards
The information available within the “Threats and Hazards” portion of the Planning and Preparedness Division web site is intended to provide preliminary information on potential hazards that may impact the citizenry. The information provided will include preparedness tips and or guidance on how to be ready for these hazards and vulnerabilities should they impact the State.
Determine Your Risk
What are the hazards where you live or work? Find out what natural or human caused disasters pose a risk for you. Do you live near a flood plain, an earthquake fault, or in a high fire danger area? Are you prepared for an unexpected human-made disaster that can strike any time? Does your neighborhood or community have a disaster plan?
SEMS (Standardized Emergency Management System)
The Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS) is the cornerstone of California’s emergency response system and the fundamental structure for the response phase of emergency management. SEMS is required by the California Emergency Services Act (ESA) for managing multiagency and multijurisdictional responses to emergencies in California. The system unifies all elements of California’s emergency management community into a single integrated system and standardizes key elements.
NIMS (National Incident Management System)
The National Incident Management System (NIMS) provides a systematic, proactive approach to guide departments and agencies at all levels of government, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector to work seamlessly to prevent, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of incidents, regardless of cause, size, location, or complexity, in order to reduce the loss of life and property and harm to the environment.
Volunteer and Donate During Disaster
The ability to have volunteers donating time or the public willing to donate money or goods are a very important part within all four phases of emergency management. The ability to draw from and rely on volunteers and donations will ease the workload on first responders and provide critical support during long emergency activations. If you are willing, there is information available within this site to assist you in getting started.
Documents, Publications & Plans
Effective emergency management consists of consise planning, guidance, adherance to regulations, and providing information to all stakeholders. The ability to easily navigate to the most readily used information is maintained within the documents, publications, and plans portion of this site.
Contacts
If you are unable to locate the information you are looking for or have additional questions, please refer to the contacts portion of the site to garner the information.