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Church offers Emergency Preparedness FairAug 01, 2011 (The Porterville Recorder - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- A makeshift toilet, a home-made portable shower, and learning how to store emergency water were all part of the Emergency Preparedness Fair held Saturday by the Porterville's Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, First Ward, at the church, 1164 N. Newcomb Street. "We thought with the recent tragedies all over the world, it is good to get the word out on how to help people get prepared," said Bishop Boyd Badders. "Each organization in our church was assigned a different station." The fair included several stations on how to prepare an emergency food bank for the family in one's own home, how to make a simple bread-type meal out of four simple ingredients, how to make an emergency portable toilet and shower, what items should be in a first-aid kit, water purification methods, and preparing a 72-hour survival kit for each member of the family. In addition, the blood bank, California Highway Patrol, Porterville Police Department, Porterville Fire Department and Imperial Ambulance were all on hand with presentations and services of their own. At the emergency food booth, Kathy Hoffman passed out a list with food items that could be stored in a large coffee can or other Rubbermaid-type one-gallon container. The kit, which is recommended for each family member and lasts 72 hours, included such things as granola bars, soup mix, crackers, beef jerky, fruit roll and a variety of other such items. Next to her, Victor Chandler, 8, of Porterville, helped his mom hand out samples of simple wheat biscuits -- a simple staple made by combining one tablespoon of yeast, one and a half tablespoons of salt, three cups of water and six cups of wheat flour. Victor helped grind the wheat and placed it in the oven prior to the fair, he said. At the booth, they also had examples of long-term food items and hints on how to store and rotate them. At a separate booth, Phil Castaneda talked about a complete "grab and go" 72-hour kit that included everything from a small portable tent, clothing, food, water to equipment, bedding, radio, batteries, flares, lanterns, fuel and lights. The list seemed to be endless but it all fit nice in one container. "I can put all of this, except the tent, in here," he said of a large plastic rolling trashcan. "Everything I need is in here, and in the event of an emergency, I could grab this and go." Emergency Preparedness Coordinator Beverly Drake, said the majority of people are not prepared for an emergency, natural or personal. And when something happens, it is nice to be totally prepared. "There are so many things that people just don't think about," Drake said. "There's legal paperwork, what happens to the children, what about getting blood? Coins. People do not think about keeping coins and small bills on hand. If the ATM machines are down, your ATM card is not going to do you any good." For that reason, each station talked about a different emergency aspect. Chrissy McBride had a unique station. She talked about all the miscellaneous things one should have on hand ready to go when an emergency hits. "These are things people don't think about. Most people think food and water. But what about baby's binky, maps, cell phone chargers, eyeglass prescriptions, copies of your home owner policy, medical records and insurance cards. There should be extra copies all together, ready to grab and go." In addition, McBride had lists on how to prepare emergency kits for cats, dogs and horses. By the end of the day, close to 300 people had stopped by the fair, and 35 units of blood had been collected, said Badders. "It was very successful but it was our first time. We didn't get the word out enough and hope to see maybe a couple thousand people next year," he said. "We're already thinking ahead to next year and making plans. Overall, it went well and people were very appreciative. Several came up to me and said they never knew about any of this information and that they learned a lot." Contact Esther Avila at 784-5000, Ext. 1045 or [email protected]. To see more of The Porterville Recorder or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.portervillerecorder.com/. Copyright (c) 2011, The Porterville Recorder, Calif. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. |