LOS ANGELES, Calif.–Authorities urged Southlanders to be diligent in preparing for emergencies, as the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attack approaches.
“September is National Preparedness Month, which was founded after 9/11 to increase preparedness in the United States,” Erik Scott of the Los Angeles Fire Department said.
“This year will mark the 10-year anniversary of 9/11, and the Los Angeles Fire Department asks you to take time to remember those lost as well as time to make sure you are prepared for future emergencies,” Scott said.
Scott said people should be prepared to go for three days without electricity, water service, access to a market or local services, and he urged people to follow these guidelines:
* Put together a kit of supplies, including water, non-perishable food, first aid materials, prescription medications, a flashlight, and a battery-powered radio. The supplies should be enough for yourself and anyone who is in your care.
* Make an emergency plan with your family and your neighbors.
* And sign up for information from federal, state and local authorities.
More information is available at the websites www.lafd.org , or www.ready.gov.
“Fire, police and rescue personnel may not always be able to reach you quickly … and the most important step you can take in helping us is being able to take care of yourself and those in your care,” Scott said. “The more people who are prepared, the quicker the community will recover.”
Officials are planning a memorial ceremony at 9 a.m. on Sept. 11 at the Frank Hotchkin Memorial Training Center in Elysian Park. Among those scheduled to speak are Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and LAFD Interim Chief Brian Cummings.
The training center includes two memorials marking the events of Sept. 11, 2001. One memorial is dedicated to the World Trade Center, and consists of a 23-ton, 22-foot-tall steel column that originally was part of the lobby structure, LAFD Capt. Tina Haro said.
“This column is believed to be the largest remnant of the World Trade Center on the West Coast,” Haro said.
The second memorial, titled “Towering Memories,” is in the lobby of the training center. It includes two shapes similar to the silhouette of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, and includes a list of names of those who lost their lives at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the Pennsylvania plane crash site.
