Disaster Preparedness Tips; Adding a Webcam is easy

Posted on by
We just received some good news from the Contra Costa County Health Services. The county has qualified to move from the purple tier (most restrictive) to the red tier.  More types of businesses can now reopen, with restrictions, including Places of Worship, Indoor Restaurants, Movie Theaters, Gyms, Personal Care Services, and Outdoor Playgrounds. For more details, click here to view the press release
In this edition, we cover two topics
1. Disaster preparedness tips
2. Adding a webcam to your computer is easy.

1. September is National Disaster Preparedness Month 
With the recent wildfires, and with the possibility of other disasters that may occur, we’ve compiled some resources to help you be prepared and stay safe.

An excellent place to start is http://ready.gov, the website of the Department of Homeland Security. There you will find lots of information about disaster preparedness, including wildfires, flooding, pandemics like COVID, and much more.
Make a Plan for shelter, evacuation, pets, communication with loved ones
Build a Kit of emergency supplies, medications, food, water, and more
Ready Kids tips and games for kids, teens, and families
Wildfire Preparedness tips to help you plan for a possible wildfire, how to survive, and what to do afterward

Check out Nixle to sign up for alerts about severe weather, crime, severe traffic, missing persons, and local events.
Check out Smart 911 and the Smart 911 App for weather, traffic, and other emergency alerts. You can also create a safety profile to help first responders better serve you.
Check out the FEMA Mobile App for real-time alerts, safety tips, checklists, and more.

2. Adding a webcam to your computer is easy!
With so many people sheltering in place and working remotely, we’ve been getting lots of calls about adding webcams to computers. Webcams are super-easy to install. They typically come with a USB cable that can be plugged into a desktop or laptop computer. Normally, no software needs to be installed and no configuration is required.

Your video conferencing software, should see the device and use it automatically. Most webcams come with a  built-in microphone, so all you need to be able to use programs like Skype, Zoom, etc. are speakers, which come pre-installed on most computers. If your computer doesn’t have speakers, you can get inexpensive speakers that plug into an audio jack or USB port on your computer.

Webcams cost as little as $19.99 and computer speakers start at around $15.00 


Stay Safe and Be Well,
Betina, Ryan, Lloyd and Edward