Listos California Campaign – What you need to know.

Listos California Campaign – What you need to know.

Posted on January 29, 2020

LISTOS California (LISTOS) is a $50 million statewide Emergency Preparedness Campaign, introduced and implemented by Governor Gavin Newsom and Cal OES.  Self-Help Enterprises and Tulare County are among the 24 counties and non-profit organizations throughout the state awarded funds under this educational campaign. Natural Disaster Preparedness education classes will be offered to all Tulare County residents. Classes will be tailored to benefit all residents, especially those living in very rural and vulnerable areas. Our goal is to educate and prepare 157,380 Tulare County residents.

“On my way to school, in 1987, I watched the asphalt roll like a wave down Whittier Blvd,” said Nicole Wynd, one of SHE’s LISTO’s Project Managers, as she reflects on her first earthquake experience. Nicole further described the experience through a young child’s perspective, and how important it is for our children and educators to be prepared during a natural disaster.

Nicole will be working closely with Tulare County’s Office of Emergency Services, American Red Cross, CSET, United Way and other select schools and local nonprofits to engage local communities on emergency preparedness to support California’s diverse and vulnerable populations.

“We are excited to have this opportunity to bring together a large diverse group of partner organizations and stakeholders that are already engaged and working in the community,” said Andrew Lockman, Manager of the Office of Emergency Services of Tulare County. “Together we will empower them to reach out to vulnerable residents and help improve their disaster preparedness and resiliency.”

“This is exciting because the American Red Cross has been doing preparedness for as long as we’ve existed, so the opportunity to partner with the Governor’s funding is bringing the topic to the forefront of people’s attention and pulling folks together in a way that we haven’t in the past,” said Lori Wilson, Executive Director of the Central Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross.

“Anytime we can get resources out into to our communities to be sustainable and safe, we are onboard. It’s one of our major missions at United Way,” said Rosemary Caso, Executive Director at United Way of Tulare County, a sub-recipient of the project.

Listos California activity is expected to begin as soon as February. Their efforts will include a wide collective educational effort that will involve workshops, trainings and community events. People and communities that would like to learn more about how to improve their emergency preparedness and resiliency practices should email Self-Help Enterprises at emergencyservices@selfhelpenterprises.org.

The local LISTOS California campaign is just one component of SHE’s larger effort to promote and provide natural disaster recovery and resiliency assistance throughout the entire San Joaquin Valley. SHE’s new Emergency Services Program offers San Joaquin Valley residents nearly $5 million dollars in program support for the following areas:

(1) Clean Water Solutions which include bottled water delivery and installation of filtration systems; (2) Access to water programs which provide and deliver emergency water tanks and/or hauled water to residents in the San Joaquin Valley in dire situations; (3) Well Quality & Resources  for the assessment of water well health and quality; (4) Emergency Preparedness via the LISTOS CA Campaign that will empower Tulare County’s most vulnerable populations to prepare for natural disasters through education and training.

This program will cover Stanislaus, Mariposa, Madera, Merced, Fresno, Tulare, Kings and Kern counties. Residents needing water-related assistance can email droughtsupport@selfhelpenterprises.org. For questions regarding emergency services, email emergencyservices@selfhelpenterprises.org. People can also call us at (559) 802-1685.