Stay Listos – Four Ways to Take Action During National Preparedness Month
This guest blog post was written by Karen Baker and Justin Knighten, Co-Chairs of the Listos California Emergency Preparedness Campaign.
September is National Preparedness Month. To recognize the month, Listos California is teaming up with the California State Association of Counties to encourage all California Supervisors and county staff, especially those serving diverse and vulnerable communities, to take and promote the five free and easy steps to get ready for wildfire and other disasters like earthquakes.
As you know, disasters disproportionately impact diverse and vulnerable populations. Without significant efforts to engage these communities about disaster preparedness, they are destined to suffer repeatedly and unnecessarily when disaster strikes. “Listos” means “ready” in Spanish and the Listos California Emergency Preparedness Campaign was created last year by Governor Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers to engage Californians in disaster preparedness efforts, especially those facing social isolation, poverty, language barriers, and access and functional needs challenges.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, wildfires, recent northern California heatwaves, and other pressing issues impacting our communities, it is urgent that we all take the simple steps to ready ourselves, families, and neighbors.
Listos California invites you to join the movement today! Be part of the Listos California effort to ready yourself and others. Help us spread the word to keep Californians safe.
- Use and share accessible materials to get your community prepared. Listos California has developed an array of useful tools – available in English, Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, Filipino, Korean, Hmong, and Vietnamese - to meet community members where they are. The campaign has also developed a toolkit with social media graphics and messages to help share information on wildfire preparedness.
- Discover your community’s disaster risk. Listos California created vulnerability hazard maps aimed to help you better identify the populations in your counties who are likely to experience the greatest risks and challenges in the event of a disaster. These first-of-their-kind maps are based on Census track data and are currently being used by the campaign’s statewide network of partners to inform their local engagement strategies.
- Sign-up for Listos California’s e-blast. Get Listos California campaign e-updates. You will have access to materials, facts, and stories from the frontline of the Listos California campaign. You’ll also get updates from the #YourActionsSaveLives novel coronavirus public awareness campaign.
On behalf of Listos California, thank you for all that you do during National Disaster Preparedness Month and beyond to keep California’s communities safe and ready to react when disaster strikes.
