The governor, San Diego County supervisors and San Diego City Council have proclaimed April Emergency Preparedness month in California and San Diego.

California residents have suffered the effects of various disasters ranging from severe winter storms to major earthquakes and wildland fires, resulting in costs of hundreds of millions of dollars.

In light of the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the President has declared war on terrorism. The County of San Diego is an active participant in the Terrorism Working Group of the Unified San Diego County Emergency Services Organization, consisting of local, State and Federal agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation. A new County program under Homeland Security is beginning training and is called the Community Emergency Response Team or CERT.

The essential responsibilities of the RB Emergency Preparedness Program are to: comply with public policy to advise and assist residents of the seven Rancho Bernardo districts, visitors, and local businesses to be prepared for up to 72 hours for any natural or man-made disaster affecting the community; organize, train, and equip authorized disaster response teams to provide limited services to the community for the protection of life and property for up to 72 hours; assist RB districts, which utilize Neighborhood Watch members in their local emergency plans with appropriate training and support; cooperate with and assist all agencies, public or private, in order to provide disaster relief to Rancho Bernardo.

Need more be said? Emergency preparedness is no longer an option; it is a necessity.

Rancho Bernardo has an outstanding team of Preparedness workers who need help in all 7 Districts. Eastview, High Country West and Westwood are lacking Emergency teams. In the past, Eastview and Westwood were very active. Let’s revitalize Rancho Bernardo!

Let’s do what the county, the governor and the president want us to do: organize our communities to fight crime, prepare for emergencies, disaster and terrorism. It takes very little of your time, but it may save your life. Get in touch with Director Jim Harmon at 451-9550; he will tell you about the many opportunities for you to help.

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Are you prepared for an earthquake? Would you know how and where to turn off: your main water supply, your hot water heater water supply, the hot water heater gas valve, electric circuit breaker, gas meter, gas clothes dryer, and washing machine water supply. Obviously, you might not need to turn all these things off, but could you, if necessary? And do you know how to operate manually your electric garage door?

After the emergency, when you know that your home and family members are safe, what to do next? Make sure you show your neighbors that everything is A-OK with you and hang a white towel or cloth at the front of your house visible to the street.

You may now want to see if you can be of assistance to others. You may not know who needs help, but you can be sure your community center does. It will be manned by volunteers who have received training in emergency techniques and CB radio transmission. They can use your help in a myriad of ways. Call Director Harmon at 858-451-9550.