Getting Ready For Tomorrow:

Practicing For Family Preparedness Fair

NORWALK — On Saturday, October 13, local volunteers from the Red Cross, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (including the Newtown branch), and Deloitte & Touche USA LLP will provide information on emergency preparedness for the whole family as a community service during a daylong event called The Family Preparedness Fair. Admission is free. The fair will run from 10 am until 4 pm at Norwalk Community College.

There will be three featured speakers during the course of the day. The first will be Tom Ridge, the first secretary of Homeland Security and former governor of Pennsylvania, speaking at 10:30 am. Darlene Washington, the National Red Cross Director of Preparedness, will speak at 12:30, and then WABC-TV weatherman Bill Evans will give his presentation at 2:30.

This is a fair for the whole family, but seating capacity for the special guest speakers is limited so for the speakers, organizers are asking for adults only and suggesting early arrival to get a seat. Reservations are being taken for Mr Ridge’s presentation.

With more than 30 presentation booths, the fair will provide the opportunity for “one-stop” preparedness information gathering to achieve self-sufficiency and be ready for unforeseen challenges that could impact individuals, families, and the community. There will also be emergency vehicles and demonstrations by the National Guard, state troopers, police, fire department, bomb squad, and Red Cross.

Booths in the food area will cover basic food storage, canning and dehydrating, composting, cooking alternatives, dry food preservation, “How to Eat an Elephant,” hydroponic gardening, portable water purification, soil gardening and sprouting, sprouting seeds to eat, water purification, and water storage.

Emergency Personnel booths will include information about and members of bomb squads, CERT, Ready4Tomorrow Kids, CPR/First Aid, emergency planning, National Guard, and pandemic flu.

Safety/Security will cover 72-hour kits, car kits, emergency communications, emergency lighting/generators, heat alternatives, home security, pet survival, and sanitation.

General Information booths will include computer safety, elderly care considerations, emergency information, financial preparedness, home organization/inventory, identity theft, and special needs.

Questions about the fair will be answered via email at R4T@snet.net.