A Party for Preparedness
September 7th, 2010 | By: Thomas Baxter
What does emergency preparedness mean for your family? Most people know to drop, cover, and hold during an earthquake. Many community members have a three-day emergency preparedness kit for their home.
Hosting a MYN party is easy and fun
The city you live in has a plan, as do the county, state, and federal governments.
But something is missing.
When a disaster hits, first responders will not be able to help everyone. Instead, neighbors are likely to need to rely on each other.
That’s why the Issaquah Citizen Corps Council and the city of Issaquah offer a free program called Map Your Neighborhood, or MYN.
Knowing what to do in the first 60-minutes following a disaster, known as the “golden hour,” can help save lives, reduce the severity of injuries, and minimize the amount of damage that you, your family and neighbors sustain.
The Issaquah MYN program provides free trainers, who can come to a neighborhood party and facilitate a 90-minute training. MYN is looking for neighborhood leaders who will organize the party, invite their neighbors, and provide MYN with some post-training information.
During a MYN training you and your neighbors will:
- Learn the nine steps to follow immediately after a disaster.
- Identify the skills and equipment each neighbor has that could be useful in a disaster.
- Create a neighborhood map that shows the locations of each gas meter and propane tank.
- Pick locations for a neighborhood gathering site and neighborhood care center.
- Verify which neighbors may need extra help in a disaster such as the elderly, those with a disability, those with young children, or those with children who may be home alone.
Not only can a MYN party be fun (potluck, anyone?), but your community becomes stronger!
For more information, including how to schedule a training, go to www.ci.issaquah.wa.us/myn or contact Autumn Monahan at 837.3026 or autumnm@ci.issaquah.wa.us
