When you think of a disaster or emergency what typically comes to mind? Earthquakes, flooding, high wind events, landslides? All of these depict a fairly consistent theme: the occurrence of a significant event over a period of minutes or days which leaves a detrimental footprint on the quality of life for those impacted by the event for years to come. For each of these, there are usually a number of preparedness tips that one can take prior to the occurrence to mitigate its impact on themselves, their family, their business, etc. However, rarely do we find ourselves in the middle of a disaster where we, as individuals, have the power to dictate how deeply this footprint will impact the economy, availability of natural resources, and society as a whole.
California’s drought has been a declared State of Emergency since January 17, 2014 and is only getting worse as we continue in to these hot summer months. However, this declared emergency is unique in a number of ways. First, its occurrence has and will continue to last much longer than a few moments of violent shaking or days of torrential rains. But secondly, this drought differs from those events referenced above in that each day that passes every resident of California can impact the footprint left behind by this disaster. As a result, the Save Our Water campaign, through the state’s drought awareness program, has provided some simple yet important tips for recommended water usage by all of California’s residents. Some of these water conservation measures include:
• Shutoff nozzles on hoses
• Shorter wash cycles for laundry
• Recycling indoor/outdoor water
• Efficient dishwashing tips
• Reducing lawn watering
(Please visit http://saveourwater.com/ for a full list of tips and more information on how you can help)
This campaign is partnering with big name celebrities like Lady Gaga to promote Public Service Announcements (PSA) to help disseminate these water conservation messages to the public (to see this PSA also visit link above). Meanwhile, Governor Jerry Brown is calling on all Californian’s to engage in this unified effort through means of extraordinary individual water conservation measures. So please, join in this effort and help California conserve this precious resource.
We encourage the community to partner with the UC Irvine Police Department to prevent or report crime by calling (949) 824-5223. If you wish to remain Anonymous, call “OC Crime Stoppers” by dialing 855-TIP-OCCS (855-847-6227), text "OCCS" plus your tip to CRIMES (274637), or use the website http://occrimestoppers.org/
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UC Irvine Police Department
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