Vancouver's Leader in Transition toward Strong, Resilient, Complete Communities
Emergency Preparedness
Information
Personal, neighbourhood and community preparedness .
Examining all aspects of planning/action to make ourselves and communities more resillient to emergencies, be they short (earthquake) or longer term (climate change, peak oil).
Members: 11
Latest Activity: Dec 10, 2011
General information
Disasters, such as a massive earthquake or a severe weather event resulting in lengthy power outage are major events that can strike anywhere and at any time. In a widespread serious emergency, traditional 911 and First Responder capabilities such as fire, police, medics, and utility personnel may be overwhelmed and unable to immediately assist individuals and families. People may be on their own for days following the disaster and perhaps longer, depending on the emergency.
Our local worst case scenario might well be an earthquake, for which there is no warning, and thus no chance to evacuate. Being well prepared at home and at work, along with being able to know and trust your neighbours, is more than a good idea; it could be life-saving and can give us peace of mind.
While being individually prepared is important, preparing your neighbourhood is also vital! The YOYO acronym “You're On Your Own” will mean that neighbours will likely be the first ones to offer assistance. Neighbours who are prepared are more effective in their response to an emergency and have an increased capacity to enhance self-sufficiency of those around them in the aftermath of a disaster.
Village Vancouver, starting with the Dunbar Transition Village, is organizing planning and training for individuals, neighbourhoods (small areas of a few blocks at a time) and the wider Dunbar community. Working with the Neighbourhood Emergency Preparedness Program, the Dunbar Residents Association, the Dunbar Business Improvement Association and concerned individuals, VV is developing a framework for planning and preparation with the goal to rollout the program to other Transition neighbourhoods. A broad range of issues are being addressed including food security, emergency power management, communication, first aid, etc.
We’re inviting participation from other villages and individuals, with the knowledge that this is a community focused activity.
We’ll be building on some of the excellent work pioneered by the L2020 group in Port Townsend and Methow Valley in Washington USA and the Vancouver NEPP website. The following resources provide a good starting point for becoming more informed:
http://vancouver.ca/emerg/NEPP/
http://www.getemergencyprepared.com/
Discussion Forum
Convenor away for spring break
Started by Ann Pacey Mar 17, 2011. 0 Replies 0 Likes
Sorry to say that I'll be away for the first 2 weeks of this working group. So if you don't hear back from me, that's why. It in no way reflects how active this group will become.
Comment Wall
Comment
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Comment by Ann Pacey on December 10, 2011 at 10:54am -
Dunbar Emergency Preparedness is really moving along. We've got our first coordinating meeting next Tuesday, December 13, at the Dunbar Community Centre to launch the Dunbar Earthquake and Emergency Preparedness (DEEP) program. Block watch captains covering 81 blocks will be convening to initiate a neighbourhood mapping effort and decide on next steps. The meeting is open to all Dunbar residents so come if you're interested.
© 2012 Created by Randy Chatterjee.
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