Anonymous
(Santa Barbara, CA) — The Foodbank of Santa Barbara County will host a monthly series of “Seven Steps to Earthquake Safety” Learn-at-Lunch webinars in 2022 covering one of the seven steps each month, culminating with the local edition of California’s statewide Great ShakeOut drill on October 20, 2022 at 10 a.m. The series started April 20, continues with monthly events through October, and is free and open to the public.
“We’re so proud to take a leading role in disaster preparedness initiatives that the entire community can participate in,” explained Anthony Rodriguez, Foodbank operations and disaster services specialist. “One step at a time we can all become ready to stay resilient when one of our state’s most likely natural disasters strikes.”
Rodriguez, Stacy Silva, emergency manager, Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management, and Ethan Walker, regional prevention & preparedness manager for American Red Cross, serve as coordinating committee chairs of the newly launched Earthquake Country Alliance (ECA) Central Coast, a regional chapter of the statewide ECA.
The organization is sponsoring the Learn at Lunch series with Foodbank’s Rodriguez at the helm. Various experts in emergency and disaster preparedness will present on topics that range from having a household plan for safety to minimizing financial hardship in case of a disaster.
The seven steps to safety topics, schedule of events and links to sign up to participate in the monthly webinars are as follows:
Step 1: Secure your Space by Identifying Hazards
Wednesday, April 20 / 11 am -12 noon
Earthquake shaking can move almost anything, even large or heavy items.
Learn how easy it is to secure contents in your home (or elsewhere) to reduce dangers to life and property.
Step 2: Plan to Be Safe
May 18 / 11 am – 12 noon
Learn how to create a disaster plan and decide how to communicate during an emergency with your friends, family and co-workers.
To register, visit: www.FoodbankSBC.org/DisasterSession2
Step 3: Organizing Emergency Supplies
June 15 / 11 am – 12 noon
Learn how to organize disaster supplies and keep them in convenient locations to be prepared for earthquakes and other disasters.
To register, visit: www.FoodbankSBC.org/DisasterSession3
Step 4: Minimize Financial Hardship
July 20 / 11 am – 12 noon
Learn how to organize your important documents, strengthen your property and consider insurance.
To register, visit: www.FoodbankSBC.org/DisasterSession4
Step 5: Drop, Cover and Hold On
August 17 / 11 am – 12 noon
Learn how and why to drop, cover and hold on in different situations when the earth shakes.
To register, visit: www.FoodbankSBC.org/DisasterSession5
Step 6: Improve Safety and Step 7: Reconnect and Restore (same session)
September 21 / 11 am-12 noon
Learn how to improve safety when shaking stops by assessing and dealing with injures, broken utility lines, building damage, aftershocks, and – if along the coast – tsunami.
and
Step 7: Reconnect and Restore
Learn how to restore daily life after an earthquake by reconnecting with others, repairing damage, and rebuilding community!
To register, visit: www.FoodbankSBC.org/DisasterSession6
SHAKEOUT DRILL
Thursday, October 20 / 10:20am
To register, visit: www.FoodbankSBC.org/GreatShakeOut22/SignUp
ECA is a public-private-grassroots partnership of leading earthquake professionals, emergency managers, government officials, business and community leaders, and others.
About Foodbank of Santa Barbara County
The Foodbank of Santa Barbara County is transforming health by eliminating hunger and food insecurity through good nutrition and food literacy. The Foodbank provides nourishment and education through a network of more than 300 partner agencies, nutrition education programs and food distribution sites operated by the Foodbank and its volunteers. Over the last year, our response to the Covid-19 economic crisis has included distributing over 30 million pounds of food, making more than 80,000 home deliveries of healthy groceries to older adults and those with disabilities, and launching new services in high-poverty areas, such as the Healthy Farmworkers program. For many local residents, recovery from the economic crisis is expected to take 18 to 24 months. With the community’s continued support, the Foodbank will be a significant driver of economic recovery for Santa Barbara County. For more information, visit FoodbankSBC.org.
