Immigrant Communities Poorly Prepared for Disaster

I recently hosted a press conference to get the word about disaster preparedness to our immigrant communities with limited English-speaking abilities. According to a study by the Tomás Rivera Policy Institute and the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, immigrant non-English speaking communities are more vulnerable during a disaster because they are not prepared as well as English-speaking communities and because of the limited availability of resources in their native languages. Currently, the City offers classes in emergency preparedness for community groups and organizations. Classes are free and translation can be done in some cases by city agencies or by the host group. If you’re interested, call the City’s Emergency Management Department at (213) 978-2222 or the Los Angeles Fire Department’s CERT program at (818) 756-9674.