A neighborhood emergency can either break the spirit of a community or make it stronger. The aim of preparing for a neighborhood emergency is to build self-sufficiency. If ever there is a city-wide crisis and emergency services have problems reaching out to your neighborhood, you have community leaders and volunteers who can help out in their stead.
A neighborhood emergency can come in any form: a city wide national disaster, neighborhood criminal attacks, large neighborhood fires, etc.
So what are the basic components of handing a neighborhood emergency?
– Neighborhood self-sufficiency for 5 days
– Provide emergency assistance to their families
– Work as an emergency respond team to save lives
– Guide untrained volunteers to help out in the emergency response
Storage
Basic food items and water bottles should always be stored in the neighborhood community center. When it comes to food, you want ready-to-eat meals which contain all the vital nutrients needed. Food and water should be more than sufficient for the whole neighborhood and last for at least 5 days.
Additionally, you will want to look for equipment needed during an emergency, such as an emergency generator, flash lights, fire extinguishers, medical kits, communication aids like walkie-talkies, etc.
Break up and Organize
A neighborhood can be pretty big, so it helps to have some form of organization. Having a form of organization can help have better coordination and reach out to those who need it. You can either divide the neighborhood by families or buildings. Select volunteers who will be willing to lead these groups during an emergency and contribute to helping out.
Neighborhood Watch
When it comes to tackling a sudden increase in a crime or a criminal crisis, Neighborhood Watch is a good way to respond. No neighborhood is equipped to deal with criminals; that responsibility lies only with the local Police Force. However, a Neighborhood Watch makes the police more aware of the criminal activities and hence, they can tackle it better. You can also contact a Security Service to get help in forming an effective Neighborhood Watch.
A Marked Staging Area
A kind of central command post will work wonders during an actual emergency. People will not only gather at a staging area for safety, food and water, but it will become a neighborhood staging area to organize rescue operations.
Get the Right Training
Reading all of this is well and fine, but you need to get the community leaders and volunteers to attend a neighborhood emergency workshop at least once. It will help them prepare for:
– Medical emergencies
– Light search and rescue
– Suppression of Fires
– Helping and Organizing survivors
Having a Security Service Helps
Apart from depending on the local emergency service, you can rope in a private security service to help in bettering your neighborhood emergency response. When an emergency strikes, emergency services may be crippled or have their hands full. A private security service has trained guards who know how to deal with the situation and can lend a hand.
A good neighborhood emergency response all boils down to how strong your community is.