City leaders introduce Ready Your L.A. Neighborhood program in wake of recent quakes

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- As aftershocks from last week's large earthquakes continue to shake Southern California, Los Angeles city leaders and first responders launched a citywide preparedness effort.

Officials say the public should view this event as a wake-up call and get prepared. Besides having an earthquake kit and taking the necessary precautions inside your home, the city says neighborhood councils can play a big role, and they encourage everyone to Ready Your L.A. Neighborhood, or RYLAN.

"Everybody goes down the block to that safe place, checks in with each other, makes sure that that senior down the block by herself is doing OK, people's pets are fine. The person that's living with a disability is OK," said L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti. "That's what helps people survive. It's not just the shock itself, it's what happens immediately afterward, and no app can do that for you."

The Los Angeles Office of Emergency Management says in a disaster, your neighbors may be your closest source of help. Garcetti hopes every L.A. resident will take the 90-minute RYLAN course provided by the city.

Following last week's quakes, Granada Hills North Neighborhood Councilmember Keren Waters said she wants to take the course as soon as possible at her neighborhood council meeting.

"It's a traumatic event and everyone responds to a traumatic event differently, so it's important to have the soldiers vs. those who may be very emotional, to take care of everyone's individual needs and how they respond to a disaster," she said.

If you're interested in bringing a RYLAN workshop to your neighborhood, you can visit emergency.lacity.org.