Learn What to Do When Disaster Strikes

Organizers of a this month's emergency preparedness nights ask Calabasas residents to "Imagine that the 101 is blocked and no traffic can get through" following a large earthquake. "Are you ready?" their flier asks.

If your answer is no—or if you're not sure—you can learn about preparing for disasters at one of the City of Calabasas' emergency preparedness nights offered Thursday at Lupin Hill Elementary, Oct. 17 at A.E. Wright Middle School and Oct. 25 at Chaparral Elementary. All programs run from 7 to 8 p.m.

At the events, representatives from the Los Angeles Fire Department's Citizen Emergency Response Team (CERT) will discuss how to prepare for an emergency. The city of Calabasas will provide emergency materials and promote the Map Your Neighborhood program, which helps prepare neighborhoods to be self-reliant during the first hours of a disaster, when traditional 9-1-1 responders might be overwhelmed by demand. Pet Safe will be on hand with information on how to keep pets safe in a disaster and S.O.S. Survival Products will be selling emergency supplies.

For more information about being prepared in an emergency, visit the city of Calabasas' website (from the home page, click on "Residents" tab, then "Emergency Preparedness").