On the heels of the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina, a University Union event attempted to prepare students for similar emergencies.

The Department of Environmental Health and Safety introduced the Emergency Preparedness Fair Tuesday in the Redwood Room in the University Union.

Staci Louie, administrative support coordinator, put the fair together to “make students aware of personal preparedness in case of a disaster.”

“The first 72 hours after a disaster are the most critical and most important to survive through,” she said.

Louie had been putting the fair together for the past six months. With Hurricane Katrina in the back of everyone’s mind, she hopes people will learn the importance of being prepared in case of any emergency.

There were two television sets playing awareness videos. One video shows the staff of CSU Northridge describing the emotions and reactions during the 1994 earthquake. Wildfire Fire Safety and Prevention made the other movie, instructing people how to make their homes fire-safe.

To inform Sacramento State students, faculty and staff who walked through the fair, 13 booths were set up to pass out information. The booths were managed by organizations ranging from the American Red Cross to the Nursing Department to the Sacramento Metro Fire Department.

Representatives from the Sacramento County Police Department handed out emergency packets produced by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The packet basically instructs people “to have a plan, supplies and a communication plan,” said Nancy Boemer, administrative analyst with the police department and the Office of Emergency Services.

Several of the groups had different perspectives of what should be included in an emergency kit.

“In any disaster, people should worry about hygiene,” said Laura McCasland, communication and media officer with the Department of Health and Human Services. “People should have hand sanitizer and especially clean water. I’ve even heard of people having flotation devices in their homes.”

Roberta Fleet, the administrative support assistant with the Nursing Department, gave out information for what people could do without a lot of money or time in case of an emergency.

“People should have light sources and batteries, since in an emergency, it can get pretty dark,” Fleet said. “Bottled water and food that’s sealed, since with no electricity, a freezer couldn’t be used. Also have a person out of state, so other family members and friends could contact this person to let others know that they’re OK.”

Cintas, a company that designs safety equipment and first aid kits, was at the fair promoting its classes and safety kits. The company’s classes allow people, either individuals or large groups, to become certified in emergency medical training. People would learn to use CPR and how to use a defibrillator.

SMUD instructed people how to deal with electric problems during an emergency.

“People should stay away from live wires and just contact either 911 or SMUD,” said Alex Obraztsov, customer service representative for SMUD.