San Bernardino County on Oct. 1 posted guidance urging residents of the San Bernardino Valley to prepare for sudden earthquakes, extreme heat, wildfire smoke, flooding and power outages, the county said.

The county published a short checklist with specific actions residents can take now to reduce risk and protect daily routines during an emergency; following it can help households manage the most common disruptions.

Know where to go to stay cool; the county listed libraries, shopping malls and community centers as possible relief locations in extreme heat.

Have access to food and water; the county recommended storing at least one gallon of drinking water per person per day and keeping nonperishable food and a manual can opener.

Prepare your refrigerator and freezer for storms; the county said to set both to the coldest setting before a storm, keep doors closed during an outage because a full freezer stays cold for about 48 hours, and freeze water containers to use as ice blocks.

Prepare for power outages; the county advised stocking flashlights, headlamps and extra batteries, avoiding candles to reduce fire risk, and keeping portable chargers or power banks charged.

Prepare for smoke events; the county advised staying indoors with windows and doors shut and setting air conditioning to recirculate to limit smoke entering the home or vehicle.

Protect important documents by keeping paper copies in a waterproof container and creating password‑protected digital copies as a backup.

Sources & methodology

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County of San Bernardino

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