Experts are available to guide North Olympic Peninsula neighborhoods and businesses through preparations for a disaster.
The Map Your Neighborhood program is offered through the Clallam and Jefferson County emergency management departments as well as through Local 20/20 in Jefferson County.
To get the free service, contact:
■ The Clallam County Department of Emergency Management at 360-417-2525 or 360-417-2483. More information is at www.clallam.net/emergencymanagement.
■ The Jefferson County Department of Emergency Management at 360-385-9368 or Local 20/20 at NPREP@L2020.org. More information is at www.jeffcoeoc.org or http://l2020.org/emergency-preparedness.
The program, developed by the state Emergency Management Division, offers support for neighborhoods, businesses, churches — any group of people — who want to be better prepared to take care of themselves during a disaster.
In Clallam County, a coordinator will come to the group for a presentation that is about 90 minutes long, said Jayme Wisecup, program coordinator with the Clallam County Emergency Management Department.
The group will receive a map of the neighborhood or business having the program and by the time the session ends will have organized at least four teams, she said.
One team will handle communications, such as amateur radios and other tools. The utilities team will survey the site for hazards involving propane tanks and other utilities and checking for water leaks.
The OK-Help search team will check for injured. Part of the program is to make sure each participant has a sign saying “OK” or “Help” to place in a window or by the road after a disaster and speed assistance if it is needed.
The accountability team searches for those with special needs or for anyone who has not reported at the gathering site.
About 120 neighborhoods are in the program now, Wisecup said, adding that the department also offers another curriculum for surviving 30 days in isolation.
In Jefferson County, Local 20/20 does most of the training and keeps the neighborhood lists, said Keppie Keplinger, Jefferson County Emergency Management public information officer.
“They started it and we’re supporting them,” she said.
Some 140 neighborhoods — some as small as five houses — have been trained, she said.
Presentations are from about 90 minutes to a couple of hours, Keplinger said.
Each neighborhood is responsible for drawing its own map. Participants must know their neighbors and any special needs or talents they may have, mark where the propane tanks are and record who has the tools, she said.
“We support them throughout,” she said.
During the annual All-County Picnic at H.J. Carroll Park, which this year will be Aug. 21, information is provided in a setting intended to encourage people to get to know their neighbors.
