San Bernardino County launches Preparedness Starts Here program

San Bernardino County is vulnerable to almost every form of natural disaster – earthquakes, wildfires, floods, debris flows, severe winds, extreme drought, and now crippling blizzards and tropical storms. Being on guard has never been more important, which is why San Bernardino County is putting disaster readiness front and center with the Preparedness Starts Here program.

Preparedness is a partnership between the county and county residents. Preparedness Starts Here keeps residents informed about what the county is doing to keep them safe while providing residents with the tools to prepare themselves and their loved ones.

“Our goal is to provide our residents with the information and inspiration they need to be prepared and keep themselves safe until help can arrive,” said San Bernardino County Third District Supervisor and Board of Supervisors Chair Dawn Rowe.

The program centers on a new county website, prepare.sbcounty.gov, which is displayed prominently on the county’s main website, sbcounty.gov, and will remain there at all times, not just during emergencies.

The Preparedness Starts Here website is a hub for disaster resources from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District, the Office of Emergency Services, and county Public Health and Public Works. It includes information and preparedness tools for each type of disaster as well as links to download the SBC Ready smartphone app, sign up for telephone emergency alerts, view weather warnings, and obtain food assistance.

Websites created for and specific to each active emergency can be accessed through the Preparedness Starts Here website, providing up-to-date information on the incident, damage, road conditions, and resources for victims.

County government, in partnership with other agencies, works hard to be prepared, provide emergency services, learn from the challenges that arise during each incident, and implement improvements in time for the next catastrophe. However, pulling through a disaster with minimal harm to life and property requires residents to be prepared as well.

Preparedness Starts Here links residents to:

The SB Ready smartphone app, which assists users in creating preparedness plans and provides checklists, news, alerts, and emergency phone numbers and locations.
The Telephone Emergency Notification System (TENS). This system notifies all residents in defined areas via voice and text to impending and active disasters and provides vital instructions. All landline phone numbers are loaded into the system, but residents who prefer receiving information on their mobile devices have to sign up.
The Sheriff’s Storm and Disaster Preparedness website, which includes information on various alert systems and preparedness guidance.
The San Bernardino County Office of Emergency Services website, which features links to emergency plans and answers to frequently asked questions about disaster preparedness and response.
And much more.

The county will promote the launch of the Preparedness Starts Here program in newspapers and on local TV (English and Spanish), radio, social media, and on news websites.

San Bernardino County encourages all county residents to visit prepare.sbcounty.gov and join the county and our public safety partners in being ready to survive, recover, and thrive. Preparedness starts here!

Additional County Update News – December 8, 2023