BEVERLY HILLS—The city of Beverly Hills is asking residents to plan and participate for emergencies during National Preparedness Month. According to a press release from Therese Kosterman, Public Information Manager for the city of Beverly Hills, September is National Preparedness Month and residents and businesses in Beverly Hills are being asked to take action.

Each September, the city works to heighten public awareness about the importance of planning for disasters.

“National Preparedness Month is a nationwide campaign held each September to encourage Americans to take simple steps to prepare for emergencies in their homes, businesses and schools. The goal is to raise public awareness and inspire a “call to action” by community members to take the necessary steps to protect the life, property and safety of themselves, family members, neighbors and co-workers,” states the release.

To be fully prepared for an emergency, residents should be self-sufficient for at least seven days. A major disaster could overwhelm emergency and city service resources, delaying assistance to those in need for several days. To prepare residents and business should:

-Make A Kit —Have supplies at home and kits in your car and at work available. Store a 14-day supply of water, a first aid kit, battery powered flashlight and extra batteries, and a cell phone battery pack charger. Make sure you have cash, clothing, tennis shoes, extra medications, personal hygiene, important documents and pet supplies in your kit.

-Make A Plan—Establish a plan for your family and make sure everyone knows what they should do, where to go or meet in case of emergency—and practice your plan! Out-of-state contact information should be shared with family members so messages can be relayed to loved ones if local communications are not available

-Be Informed—Sign up for the City’s emergency telephone notification system at www.beverlyhills.org/emergencynotification. Sign up for the City’s Facebook, Twitter, and Nixle sites. Also, during and after an emergency, you can go to the following locations for information:

·         City of Beverly Hills Website: www.beverlyhills.org

·         City of Beverly Hills Disaster Hotline: (310) 550-4680

·         Radio: 1500 AM

·         Time Warner T.V.: Channels 10 and 35

·         Twitter: www.twitter.com/beverlyhillsoem

·         Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/cityofbeverlyhills

·         Text BEVHILLS and 90210 to 888777 to receive text message alerts

To obtain additional information and a list of supplies visit www.beverlyhills.org or contact (310) 285-1025.