Community members of the 14th district packed the P.S. 279 cafeteria to get a lesson in emergency preparedness on Wednesday.

According to FEMA, approximately 890 people die in winter house fires in the United States every year.

Councilman Fernando Cabrera and the Office Of Emergency Management made sure members have the tools they need to avoid becoming a statistic. Over 100 families were gifted go-bags with things like flashlights, emergency blankets, ponchos, soap and toothpaste.

"Through my office, we were able to give $6,000 to OEM to give these families go- bags," said Cabrera.

In the event of an emergency, they can grab that bag and go.

OEM went through the contents of the bag and explained why each item is important. They also provided information on what to do in the event an emergency strikes with interactive demonstrations.