STUDIO CITY (CBS) — Chris Ipsen from the Los Angeles Emergency Management Department visited KCAL 9 Wednesday to discuss the importance of emergency preparedness.

Visit Ready LA for more information and keep the following tips in mind:

Tip 1: Find all shut-offs for your utilities and learn how to shut them off if necessary. The hazards that come with utilities tend to be overlooked, but after a natural disaster water, electricity, and gas could be very dangerous if they’re not shut off.

Tip 2: Designate an out-of-state friend or relative to be your family contact and make sure every family member knows the phone number and checks in after a disaster. During an emergency, intrastate phone lines are often overloaded and it is easier to call out of state numbers than intrastate numbers.

Tip 3: Make an emergency kit for your pet, too. Pets also need disaster survival kits during an emergency, including: pet food, water, medications, contact information, photo of pet, small blanket, toy, written instruction for your pet’s care, and if you have a cat, a small shoebox and a bag of sand for a makeshift litter box.

Tip 4: If you are on the beach and you feel the earth shake, immediately head for higher ground. Earthquakes can cause tsunamis, so don’t wait for a tsunami warning to head for higher ground if you feel an earthquake on the beach.