San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee is urging families to take steps to be prepared for an emergency, the mayor said in a statement on the earthquake in Nepal.
A 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal at about 11:10 p.m. Pacific time Friday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The Red Cross said more than 3,000 lives have been lost in Kathmandu and Red Cross officials expect to find more deaths closer to the earthquake’s epicenter.
“On behalf of the residents of San Francisco, I, again, extend my thoughts and prayers to the people of Nepal and those responding to this devastating earthquake,” Lee said in a statement. Lee’s statement added that he expresses the City’s deepest condolences to the people close to those whom the earthquake injured or killed.
Officials with the mayor’s office said the earthquake is a reminder that residents must be prepared for the next disaster so that their family is safe. Officials with the mayor’s office said a natural or man-made disaster can happen with little or no warning.
Lee is urging residents to visit sf72.org to learn how to prepare for a disaster, officials with his office said. He’s also urging residents to join their Neighborhood Emergency Response Team or NERT. NERT trains individuals to prepare for disasters and emergencies and to be part of a neighborhood response team, according to the San Francisco Fire Department.
Lee’s office said San Francisco stands ready to help in the international response to the earthquake. San Francisco residents understand the destruction earthquakes can cause, his office said.
The mayor’s office said the best way to help is to donate to a reputable humanitarian group that is responding to the disaster.
Residents can donate at sfgivesback.org.
Keith Burbank, Bay City News
