Quick: Are You Ready for a Disaster?

What are the top five emergencies you worry about happening in your neighborhood? Are you prepared if an emergency happens? Officials from Los Altos and Los Altos Hills, and Santa Clara County, want to know.

The city and county are seeking input from residents through a survey identifying the most worrisome hazards, available online through Jan. 15, 2011.

At the survey is a list of 31 different possible hazards, from agricultural pests and diseases and earthquakes, to infrastructure failures and wildfires. Participants are asked to pick the five items of most concern to their neighborhoods.

The goal of the survey is to identify the worst potential disasters in Santa Clara County in order to develop official plans to mitigate potential problems and handle future emergencies.

The survey also asks a very relevant question in light of Los Altos residents' wake up call on Dec. 19, when a 3.1 earthquake struck: What emergency supplies do you have on hand if a major calamity struck today? Survey choices include things like water, non-perishable foods, cash and important documents.

Other survey questions include whether participants have earthquake or flood insurance, and whether places of employment have disaster plans in place.

For more information about the survey, visit the city of Los Altos website, or call Corinne Bartshire at 510-834-3326 or cbartshire@dewberry.com.