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Emergency, disaster preparedness assistance available in six languages

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Emergency, disaster preparedness assistance available in six languages
As we head further into wildfire season, the state of California has been preparing resources on emergency alerts in other languages to help non-English speakers get accurate information.Multilingual videos with emergency and disaster preparedness information in Korean, Vietnamese, Hmong, Tagalog, Hindi, and Chinese are now available statewide. It's part of the "Talks with Mom" campaign, which features conversations between family members around the issues of health and safety."I think it's a great idea, especially if there's a lot of people that don't speak very much English. I think it would be very helpful," says John Ly who works at Wah Tsun Chinese Herbs Co.Listos California prepared a multilingual emergency preparedness campaign to help families prepare for COVID-19, wildfires and natural disasters. An effort that John Ly is happy to hear about – as his business in South Sacramento sees a variety of customers."Our store, in general, gets Spanish speakers, Hmong, people that speak Cambodian, Chinese, Vietnamese. Our store gets a pretty diverse amount of customers," and adds that while it's a good first step to address wildfires, earthquakes or floods — there's a lot more that can still be done."I would try to hit all the languages; Spanish, Indian, Hmong. And try your best to hit all the spots," Ly said.Aside from English and Spanish – currently— Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese and Korean are among the top languages spoken across the state.Through these videos, residents can sign up for emergency alerts at CalAlerts.org, plan evacuation plans, or get a list of supplies to have at home in case they're ever forced to shelter-in-place.Guidebooks in different languages are also available online.

As we head further into wildfire season, the state of California has been preparing resources on emergency alerts in other languages to help non-English speakers get accurate information.

Multilingual videos with emergency and disaster preparedness information in Korean, Vietnamese, Hmong, Tagalog, Hindi, and Chinese are now available statewide. It's part of the "Talks with Mom" campaign, which features conversations between family members around the issues of health and safety.

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"I think it's a great idea, especially if there's a lot of people that don't speak very much English. I think it would be very helpful," says John Ly who works at Wah Tsun Chinese Herbs Co.

Listos California prepared a multilingual emergency preparedness campaign to help families prepare for COVID-19, wildfires and natural disasters. An effort that John Ly is happy to hear about – as his business in South Sacramento sees a variety of customers.

"Our store, in general, gets Spanish speakers, Hmong, people that speak Cambodian, Chinese, Vietnamese. Our store gets a pretty diverse amount of customers," and adds that while it's a good first step to address wildfires, earthquakes or floods — there's a lot more that can still be done.

"I would try to hit all the languages; Spanish, Indian, Hmong. And try your best to hit all the spots," Ly said.

Aside from English and Spanish – currently— Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese and Korean are among the top languages spoken across the state.

Through these videos, residents can sign up for emergency alerts at CalAlerts.org, plan evacuation plans, or get a list of supplies to have at home in case they're ever forced to shelter-in-place.

Guidebooks in different languages are also available online.