It is safe to say that those who visited the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints this past weekend will be well prepared for when disaster strikes.
At least that was the goal of the church’s third Preparedness Fair which brought various preparedness experts under one roof to provide useful information and demonstrations on a variety of preparedness categories. Organizer Dr. Joseph Laudie spoke with KVOE News during the event and said if individuals become prepared in just “one category of their lives” he believes there is no situation they cannot face.
Laudie says simply taking time to develop a “72-hour kit” can often make a tremendous difference both during and after an emergency occurs.
Laudie adds that regardless of what emergency or disaster might occur, there have been studies that showed having a plan of preparedness can help alter an individual’s state of mind when disaster strikes.
Lyon County Emergency Management Director Jarrod Fell was on hand for Saturday’s event and agreed with this sentiment saying that when you are prepared you are “not in an immediate emergency” at that point. He adds that events such as Saturdays are great for the community saying he believes community preparedness leads to community resiliency.
As mentioned earlier, this is the third time the church has held a preparedness fair with the first taking place in 2017 and the second in 2020 just before the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Laudie tells KVOE News there is a possibility the fair could become an annual event, however, no formal decision has been made to that end.
