Lisa and Gary Reimann teamed up with Barbra and Phil Mecham to provide Midvale residents with the information and the skills needed to take care of those around them in the case of an emergency. 

Funded and organized by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, this safety fair was made for all Utah residents who were interested in learning more about emergency preparedness. Several booths included information on food storage, make-shift shelters, and further provisions provided by Midvale City. 

Barbra Mecham, one of the fair organizers, discussed her interest and passion for the safety of all Utah residents in case of emergency. She recalled a personal tale of being out of power for days with no foreseeable end to the outage in sight and being able to utilize a personal generator for emergency power and coolers she had stored for just such cases to save perishable food from going bad. 

The past winter’s snowpack and the resulting flooding has caused much stress to many residents across the Salt Lake Valley. Many remember the 1983 flooding that Utah experienced and the infamous State Street River. Many residents at the emergency preparedness fair seemed particularly worried about the repeat of such events, and Mayor Marcus Stevenson was present to inform residents about ways the city can help prevent any damages. He had information on how to retrieve sandbags (they can be picked up at Salt Lake County Public Works, located at 604 W. 6960 South in Midvale) and was ready to support emergency preparedness for all residents. 

"From a city perspective, we are working hard to avoid flooding and to take care of any flood threats to residents,” Stevenson said. “It is always important to prepare for any disaster and take those steps needed to handle such emergencies." λ