|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
On Saturday, Aug. 3, San Mateo County hosted its 20th annual Disaster Preparedness Day event at the San Mateo Event Center. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. community members gathered to learn how to prepare for and to survive and recover from an emergency.
“San Mateo County is a Disneyland of disasters, so we have anything from wildfires to earthquakes to flooding,” said Dr. Shruti Dhapodkar, county director of emergency management.
Over 60 local agencies including law enforcement, public health, first responders, energy providers and others were represented. Workshops were held throughout the venue teaching hands-only CPR, how to stop bleeding, pet preparedness, wildfire resilience and how to pack a go-bag.
For the first time, the event featured workshops in English, Spanish and Mandarin. Dhapodkar emphasized the importance for the county to connect with the entire community in spreading awareness of emergency preparedness.
Guests could participate in a scavenger hunt to collect stamps from booths to redeem for prizes, including an emergency meal that lasts five years and an emergency radio. Stamps could be gathered by attending workshops, talking to exhibitors and learning about different agencies.
“I absolutely think it’s very important to know that these are the people that will be serving the communities during disasters and these faces are ubiquitous and they come from all diverse backgrounds,” Dhapodkar said.
Workshops for children included “Storytime with a firefighter” in English, Spanish and Mandarin and “Prepare with Pedro,” a youth preparedness program hosted by the Red Cross. Dhapodkar hopes that these workshops will inspire young children to become first responders.
In addition to workshops, the pathways of the event center were lined with fire trucks, police mobile command centers and booths showcasing gear and robots. Kids had the opportunity to sit in the fire trucks while parents were snapping pictures. Guests could also walk onto the mobile command centers to tour the interior.
The CPR workshop was popular with over 30 attendees within the first hour, according to Red Cross volunteer Carol Masterson. She explained that it’s important that the community knows how to perform hands-only CPR to help save lives during a medical emergency before an ambulance arrives.
Booths such as the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office Explorer Post was interacting with guests to give more exposure to their services and youth volunteer programs. The Explorer Program offers 14- to 20-year-olds the opportunity to work with Search and Rescue and law enforcement units on various duties, said veteran Explorer Ellis Wong.
Volunteers at the Explorer Post also walked through the various gear that the Search and Rescue unit carries during rescue operations as well as taught people about earthquake liquefaction zones. Wong warns that a disaster by the San Andreas fault is long overdue, so it’s important to increase awareness and prepare residents for emergencies.
“If [the community] can take even one thing away today, I would say pack your go-bag,” said Dhapodkar.
The county advises residents to sign up for SMC Alerts and to log onto Genasys Protect, an emergency communication platform, to stay updated during emergencies. For more information on disaster preparedness visit smcgov.org/dem.
Redwood City attorney sues ‘First Amendment auditors’ after Menlo Park disputeApril 2, 2026 11:31 am
