NOT SET TO COPE WITH A DISASTER COUNTY REPORT: 4 IN 10 UNPREPARED.Byline: TROY ANDERSON Staff Writer Just a fraction of Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County residents are fully prepared to deal with an earthquake or other catastrophic disaster and nearly 40 percent are completely unprepared, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a report released Thursday. While the risk of a natural or man-made disaster man-made disaster Technological disaster Public health An event in which a significant number of people are injured or die as a result of human devices or activities, unrelated to conflicts, and attributed to operator error–eg, Exxon Valdez is high, only 6 percent of county residents say they are completely prepared to deal with such an event, according to the report based on a survey by the county Department of Public Health. "As we have seen from Hurricane Katrina's effects ... it is imperative that the residents of Los Angeles County prepare themselves for the likelihood of a disaster, natural or man-made," Public Health Director Dr. Jonathan E. Fielding said. "We all procrastinate pro·cras·ti·nate v. pro·cras·ti·nat·ed, pro·cras·ti·nat·ing, pro·cras·ti·nates v.intr. To put off doing something, especially out of habitual carelessness or laziness. v.tr. on some things and put them in the back of our mind because they are not in the headlines. But this is something where you want to be prepared in case there is a headline." About 58 percent of residents said they are either mostly or somewhat prepared. The San Fernando San Fernando, city, Argentina San Fernando (săn fərnăn`dō), city (1991 pop. 144,761), Buenos Aires prov., E Argentina. It is a district administrative center in the Greater Buenos Aires area. and Antelope valleys had the lowest percentage of residents who said they were unprepared to deal with a disaster at 30 percent and 29 percent, respectively. Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, county officials have stepped up emergency preparedness plans and efforts to urge residents to get ready. Experts acknowledge that Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, is a high-risk area for fires, floods, mudslides and earthquakes. And the densely populated area with the nation's largest port could also become the target of a terrorist attack. "Anything to do with homeland security Noun 1. Homeland Security - the federal department that administers all matters relating to homeland security Department of Homeland Security executive department - a federal department in the executive branch of the government of the United States begins in the hometown," said David Sommers, spokesman for county Supervisor Don Knabe. "And what he's always contended is that families need to think about their own preparations when it comes to preparing for disasters. The report found that differences in age, ethnicity, education and income levels are associated with varying levels of preparedness. And more than half of adults living below the federal poverty level were not prepared for a disaster. Those with less than a high-school education are twice as likely to be unprepared for a disaster as those with college or graduate degrees, Fielding said. troy.anderson(at)dailynews.com (213) 974-8985 |
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