Monterey, CA, July 27, 2016 – Let’s get prepared! If an emergency occurred tomorrow, would you be ready? September is National Preparedness Month and Capital Insurance Group® is – hosting its 4th Annual CIG Insurance Community Safety Saturday™ on September 10, 2016 at the Monterey County Fair & Event Center, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM.

National Preparedness Month, sponsored by FEMA (www.fema.gov), aims to educate and empower Americans to prepare for and respond to all types of emergencies, including natural disasters and potential terrorist attacks. National Preparedness Month is a time to prepare yourself and those in your care for emergencies and disasters, both large scale and smaller local events.

Get Prepared!
Each of us can make a difference in our own community but many of us have not taken the time to learn the latest information about preparedness. Research on personal preparedness indicates that individuals who believe they are prepared for disasters often times are not as prepared as they think. In addition, some admit they do not plan to prepare at all. The challenge is maximizing awareness and encouraging participation in disaster preparedness activities to affect change at the community level.

Dr. Sarah W. Blackstone, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Community Emergency Response Volunteers (CERV) of the Monterey Peninsula explains, “Disasters occur infrequently but emergencies occur daily –whether it is an accident or fire at home, a medical emergency, a tree falling on your house and so many other types of emergencies that can happen to us and those we care about. It’s important to take the time to learn how to become better prepared to deal with these occurrences!”

Our nation’s emergency managers, firefighters, law enforcement officers, EMT/paramedics, and other emergency responders do an incredible job of keeping us safe, but they cannot do it alone. We must all embrace our personal responsibility to be prepared and help contribute to the safety and security of our communities as well.

Make sure that you and your family are prepared for an emergency. Ensure that you can go for at least three days without electricity, water service, access to a supermarket, or other local services.

A few important steps to take:
• Prepare a disaster supply kit with at least three days of food and water. You can learn how to prepare one from the many emergency & safety organizations at CIG Insurance Community Safety Saturday.
• Create a Family Emergency Plan, so that your family knows how to communicate during an emergency.
• Obtain a NOAA Weather Radio.
Dick Bower, Emergency Planner with the Monterey County Office of Emergency Services provided some local statistics from last year:
- In 2015, Monterey County was impacted by 9 incidents that were severe enough for the Office of Emergency Services to track response and recovery activities.
- In three of those incidents, the County Emergency Operations Center was activated to support the response and recovery.
- The most significant incident of 2015 was the Tassajara Fire which burned approximately 1,100 acres of land and 20 structures in the Tassajara/Cachagua area.
- The Alert Monterey County emergency notification system saw an additional 9,700 people register for service bringing total participation to 13,757 phones.
- In late 2015, OES began forming the Resilient Monterey County Partnership which has now grown to 7 participating organizations with ongoing recruitment.

The Monterey County Office of Emergency Services also has a very helpful online Disaster Plan about preparing for disasters at http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/oes/Preparedness%20-%20Families.asp

CIG Insurance Community Safety Saturday™ At a Glance:

What: 4th Annual CIG Insurance Community Safety Saturday™

CIG Insurance Community Safety Saturday™ is an important and free family-friendly, community safety event. It was developed by CIG in 2010 and has been held throughout California, Nevada, and Washington, features activities, demonstrations, and educational services designed to improve the safety and security of children, teens, families and communities. People of all ages will enjoy free games, prizes, food and a wealth of safety materials and resources from many different booths staffed by local and regional organizations.

When: Saturday, September 10, 2016 – 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Where: Monterey County Fair & Event Center, 2004 Fairground Road, Monterey.

Contact:
Wendy Brickman
Brickman Marketing
395 Del Monte Center #250
Monterey, CA 93940
831-633-4444
[email protected]
http://www.CIGinsurance.com