Volunteer at Altadena Habitat site urges disaster-preparedness, cites deployments after food-support interruptions

Maria Renas of the California Emergency Response Corps spoke at a Habitat for Humanity build site in Altadena, urging local residents to prepare for disasters and help neighbors where government support falls short.

Renas said the site is a community-organized relief effort focused on disaster preparedness and named Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties as areas the program serves. "We are currently at Habitat for Humanity. They are currently building a home here in Altadena," she said.

The speaker described recent deployments in response to gaps in food support: "So when food stamps, stopped, we deployed to Bakersfield and Santa Barbara." She framed those responses as part of the corps' emergency work and said her experience with California volunteer programs shaped her view that "service really does matter."

Renas also said she has been involved with the California Climate Action Corps in addition to the California Emergency Response Corps, and she urged people to learn about preparedness resources so they could pass that information to others. "You have to go and help out your community because if you don't, who will?" she said.

No formal actions or votes were recorded during the remarks. The presentation was a call for neighbors to engage with local preparedness efforts and to share resources across communities.