North county community members came to Cloverdale Citrus Fair on Aug. 7 for the Northern Sonoma County Fire and Earthquake Safety Expo.
The expo brought together a disaster simulation, community nonprofits and resources and first responders.
The event had been over a year in the making, with organizer Geoff Peters initially wanting to hold the disaster simulation in mid-2020. But as the COVID-19 pandemic ramped up, plans got pushed back.
In an interview prior to the expo, Peters said that community support from those willing to lend time, donate goods or otherwise be involved propelled the event into being larger and more expansive than organizers thought it would initially be.
The safety expo initially started as an event for people trying to get Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) certified — as part of their certification, they had to participate in an emergency response simulation. The simulation occurred behind caution tape on Saturday, warning potential viewers that the fake blood and car accident might be too much for those with weak stomachs.
