Learn to prepare family for disasters

Community readiness

Diane Huber | Lacey Today • Published July 04, 2007

Comments (0)

Markie and Phil Brown are prepared for just about any emergency.

Each keeps a pair of sturdy shoes, work gloves and a flashlight next to their nightstands.

They have a 23-pound bucket of powdered food that feeds 275 people, in flavors like barley vegetable, country noodle and Western stew.

Stuffed into nooks and crannies around their Jubilee home are gallon jugs of water, sleeping bags and backpacks stuffed with first-aid supplies. A huge rolling garbage can contains hard hats, a camping stove, blankets, rain ponchos, dust masks, cat food and more supplies - "in case we're stuck in the house," Markie Brown said.

"Or, if we have to walk, we would drag this with us."

The Browns are heading up the Jubilee active adult community's emergency preparedness program. They went through Thurston County Emergency Management's Map Your Neighborhood program, and they are charged with training others in their neighborhood to be prepared for an earthquake, power outage or other major disaster.

Neighborhoods preparation

The training covers the first nine steps to take following a disaster; a list of supplies and skills each resident should have; and how to create a neighborhood map with locations of natural gas meters, propane tanks and residents who are elderly or disabled and need to be checked on first.

Residents are instructed to care for their family and home first, then meet at a designated neighborhood gathering site.

The county recently offered the first of the statewide Map Your Neighborhood training sessions to neighborhood associations.

"We're really trying to teach people the skills to take care of problems at or near their homes," said Kathy Estes, emergency management manager for the county.

It could be up to 72 hours before help can arrive in an emergency, she said.

Those interested in heading up their neighborhood's disaster plan are urged to take the county training, next offered Sept. 25. Trainers then can order program materials and handouts to train neighborhood block captains on what they've learned. The captains, in turn, will educate the residents on their block.

Next page >>