As another wildfire season is in full swing in California and the Western States, California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) Director Mark Ghilarducci joined Dominique DiPrima in the KBLA studio for the podcast First Things First. He and DiPrima talk preparedness during wildfires, earthquakes and cybersecurity, keeping our families safe in the next emergency. Below are a few excerpts taken from Director Ghilarducci’s discussion with Ms. DiPrima.
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A Wildfire-prone California
Mark Ghilarducci: We’ve always had wildfires… But these fires today are more extreme. They’re more intense. They’re more complex. They move faster than we’ve ever seen before. And the fuel that’s feeding these fires is so dry, there’s no humidity, the relative humidity is low.
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Wildfires Are a Way of Life in California, so Be Prepared
Mark Ghilarducci: So, wildfires are a big thing in California. It’s a way of life. Earthquakes are a big deal. Flooding, believe it or not, while we have drought right now, we’ve had significant flooding in the past. And cybersecurity is a huge factor here in California. We are working very, very diligently to protect our critical infrastructure. And, you know, this has got to be a team sport.
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Earthquake Early Warning and the MyShake App
Mark Ghilarducci: So, we have an app called California’s MyShake App. It’s free. And the MyShake App in California, will give you not only that warning both verbally and gives you buzzes, but there’s also a number of earthquake preparedness tips on there too.
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Cybersecurity is a Cal OES Priority, and it Should Be Yours Too
Mark Ghilarducci: And if you’ve got a Microsoft product or even an Apple product, they’re regularly updating. You want to install those updates because they send patches to make sure that it’s the most secure. And then it’s up to you to also do your part by not clicking on these phishing emails and changing your passwords regularly. Those are areas and ways by which you can really make your personal computer much more secure.
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