It’s September and that means it’s National Preparedness Month, which is the perfect time to upgrade emergency supply kits and get ready for unexpected emergencies.
With the Central Coast still on the heels of the Gifford Fire, Santa Barbara County officials say it's the perfect time to get prepared for any unexpected emergency.
Jackie Ruiz is a spokesperson for the county’s Office of Emergency Services. She says one way people can prepare for an emergency is by using the county’s new online emergency zones map.
“This is a map that we actually launched during the Gifford Fire, but it's really great,” said Ruiz. “It's available 24/7 on readysbc.org/emergency and folks can go in there at any time, type in their address and get a sense of what that map looks like.”
Ruiz also says that this month should be recognized as a time to start building or refresh emergency kits and to make an evacuation plan with family members.
Some items the county recommends adding to emergency kits are a little bit of food, medication, passports, medical records and birth certificates.
To learn more about how to prepare for an emergency, visit www.readysbc.org.
