Governor Cuomo and northeast Queens lawmakers are calling on borough residents to prepare for the unexpected.
On March 2, Cuomo, Congressman Tom Suozzi, Queens Borough President Melinda Katz, Assemblyman Ed Braunstein and Councilman Paul Vallone invite residents to this year’s Citizen Preparedness Corps Training Program in Little Neck.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints at 254-10 Bates Road will host the informational event, which seeks to prepare individuals for any type of natural or man-made disaster.
In 2014, Cuomo launched the program so that New Yorkers would have the tools and resources needed to respond to emergencies and natural disasters and how to recover to pre-disaster conditions. In September 2018, the governor announced that more than 250,000 New York residents have participated in the program since its inception.
The two-hour training sessions are conducted by the New York National Guard and volunteers from the American Red Cross who work with experts from the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services’ Office of Emergency Management and Office of Fire Prevention and Control.
Training kits will be distributed to each participant or to each family registered for the program. These kits contain items that will help individuals in the immediate aftermath of a disaster.
Starter kits include the following emergency essentials:
- Plastic drop cloth
- Light stick
- (2) D batteries
- First Aid kit
- Face mask
- Safety goggles
- AM/FM pocket radio with batteries
- (6) packs of drinking water
- (6) food bars
- Regular flashlight
- Emergency blanket
- Duct tape
- Work gloves
- Water bottle
Participants are encouraged to prepare their own emergency kits that are equipped with seven to 10 days worth of supplies in the event that electricity, heat, air conditioning or telephone services do not work.
To register for the training session visit prepare.ny.gov. Other training sessions in Queens include one in Jamaica on March 20 and another in Rosedale on May 21. A free online training option is also available for those who cannot make it to an in-person session.
