Could your family live at home for several days without normal utilities and services? That’s the idea behind the City of Paramount’s Camp at Home program, which gives residents a practical way to prepare for an earthquake or other emergencies.
Following a major earthquake, Paramount residents may experience power outages, damaged water lines and disruptions to communication services. Emergency responders may also need to focus first on areas with the most severe damage. Camp at Home encourages residents to prepare to safely remain on their property when conditions allow, helping keep roads clear for emergency responders and allowing resources to reach those who need them most.
The concept is simple: Practice camping at home using the supplies your household would rely on during an emergency. Start with the basics, like shelter, lighting, food, water and communication. The Camp at Home checklists can help residents identify where they would shelter, check flashlights and batteries and keep a battery-powered or hand-crank radio available for emergency information.
For families with children, turning preparedness into a game can also make emergency planning feel less frightening. Parents can give children tasks such as finding flashlights, locating emergency supplies or checking the family’s emergency kit. A favorite blanket or stuffed animal can also help children feel more at ease.
A Camp at Home at night is also a good opportunity to put your household’s food and water supplies to the test. During an outage, the guide recommends using refrigerated food first, followed by foods with shorter shelf lives and then canned or emergency foods. Households should store at least one gallon of water per person per day, with at least a week’s supply when possible. Families can also consider less obvious challenges, from trash disposal and hygiene to extreme heat or cold.
Communication deserves attention, too. Families should establish an out-of-area contact who may be easier to reach if local phone networks are disrupted. Two-way radios can provide another way to communicate within the neighborhood. Residents can also receive local emergency alerts through Nixle by texting 90723 to 888777 and learn more about emergency preparedness through the City’s Community Emergency Response Team program.
