Listas: A Black woman makes preparing for an emergency in California a family affair

Manny Otiko | Black media in California

(CBM) – California is admired for its beautiful weather.

But the Golden State is also prone to natural disasters due to the frequency of earthquakes, landslides, wildfires, superstorms, floods and intense heat, especially in the desert areas.

Severe flooding left more than 200,000 California homes and businesses without power by 2023, according to Governor Gavin Newsom.

To help families prepare for disasters, the California Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) launched the program Listas program. This information campaign, featuring women from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, teaches other women how to prepare for natural disasters. The initiative includes 70 videos created to be shared online.

The campaign was launched in March, Women’s History Month has been promoted during a press conference organized by Black media in California And Ethnic media services on April 4.

Shayla Happi Amenra-Warmsley, a Black teacher and mother of two, is featured in a Listas video talking about extreme weather planning.

Amenra-Warmsley said participating in an emergency planning video made her think about what to do for her family during a natural disaster. In her video, she reminded her daughter that cell phones don’t work in an emergency. That’s why it’s important to have an emergency contact list.

Amenra-Warmsley also said that most people these days don’t remember phone numbers because everything is stored on their phone.

She said her involvement in this plan made her realize the importance of teaching loved ones about emergency planning and preparing to deal with difficult situations. This is one of the skills she teaches her students.

“I teach my students not only academically, but also teach them lifelong resilience skills, helping them emerge from any storm as a stronger version of themselves. Learning how to prepare for emergencies is the key,” says Amenra-Warmsley.

Diana Crofts-Pelayo, deputy director of Crisis Communications & Public Affairs at CalOES, said the Listas campaign uses women as opinion leaders because they are often the drivers of information in their families.

“These are women who bear the responsibility of making ends meet while caring for children or elderly parents, while the messengers are first- or second-generation women who help support their families within the unit,” Crofts-Pelayo said.

The Listas campaign has made more than 400,000 calls to motivate people to sign up for severe weather alerts.

In the videos, women share steps to prepare for an emergency, such as:

Make a ‘go bag’. This includes identification documents such as birth certificates, driver’s licenses, passports, cash, wallets and phone chargers.

Also preparing for a longer stay at home. This includes conserving water, batteries and non-perishable foods.

Create a list of family phone numbers. This should be printed in case phones don’t function due to lack of power.

Have a family plan to meet at another location.

“We saw that women over the age of 18, especially in Latino, AAPI and Black communities, were the ones who listened to our message, passed it on and actually used it during an emergency,” said Diana Crofts-Pelayo,

Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen (D-Sacramento) is also featured a video. She said it was important to have people from different ethnic backgrounds in the campaign.

“When a disaster strikes, it affects everyone in the entire community, and when you see different women from their culture talking about having a go bag ready, batteries charged, water to wash and drink – women in all communities can think: ‘If she does this, I should do that too’. I do this at my house too,” said Nguyen.

Manny Otiko | Black media in California

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