Santa Clara University

The earthquake in Japan is an important reminder of the role of disaster preparedness in our communities. While legislators look for services and programs to trim spending in government, I hope they will consider retaining funding for emergency services.

Many cities and counties offer training for residents, knowing that when there is a major natural disaster people will have to help themselves and their neighbors. With cuts to police and fire, there will not be enough emergency responders to cover all impacted areas.

The American Red Cross, Salvation Army, and other non-profit groups will likely pick up some responsibilities once covered by the public sector, but we need to retain a core of trained staff to take charge.