Learn what foods to stock up on in case of a disaster

COMMUNITY EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM

Free safety classes are held monthly on fourth Fridays

The LW Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) will hold a safety class focused on emergency food on Friday, Sept. 25, at 9 a.m. in Clubhouse 3, Room 9. All are welcome.

Every LW resident should have enough non-perishable food to last seven days in an emergency. In a major earthquake, extended power outage, or infrastructure disruption, grocery stores may close, supply chains may stall and refrigeration may fail.

The average adult needs about 2,000 calories per day to maintain energy, and during stressful conditions—like cleanup, evacuation, or caring for others—calorie needs can rise to 2,400-3,000 calories. Learn how to meet these needs using simple, affordable, nonperishable foods that store well and require minimal preparation.

July’s CERT class focused on emergency water. People learned how to manage essential sanitation needs during an emergency, including how to assemble a portable toilet and a clothes washing station; proper water storage techniques and ways to decontaminate water.

The session emphasized how critical clean water becomes when normal infrastructure fails, and why every household should have both stored water and a plan for making questionable water safe to drink.

CERT holds free safety classes on a variety of topics on the fourth Fridays from 9-10 a.m. in Clubhouse 3, Room 9.

Catherine O'Brien (l-r), Karen Olson, raffle winner Lu Tolentino with his new water filter straw, and Fara Q. Macartney at the July CERT meeting.