EVERETT — If a disaster hits Everett, Terri Amburgy’s street in the Delta neighborhood is ready.
She’s helped her neighbors catalogue the supplies and skills each household can offer in an emergency.
One neighbor has carpentry skills and another works as a nurse. They’ve got — just f
or starters — camp stoves, tents, fire extinguishers and an all-terrain vehicle.
They’ve talked about how to turn off each other’s gas and water.
Maybe just as important, people on Amburgy’s street now know each other. They’ve got a plan in place to take care of themselves if police and firefighters can’t.
“The definition of a disaster is that it overwhelms 911,” Amburgy said. “Those people are not going to be your first responders. It will be your neighbors.”
Amburgy was one of the first people in Everett trained to lead her neighbors through an emergency preparedness program called “Map Your Neighborhood.”
The city is offering an orientation for people who’d like to learn to become a facilitator for the program. It’s scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Everett Firefighter’s Hall, 2411 Hewitt Ave.
The city began encouraging people to try the program about three years ago, said Mary Schoenfeldt, a public education coordinator for Everett’s Office of Emergency Management.
“The beauty of it is it gets people to look out for each other,” she said. “It’s an easy grass roots program. Anybody can do it.”
So far, a mobile home park, an apartment complex and about a dozen other neighborhoods have tried it, she said. It works best for groups of about 20 homes.
The program is flexible, Schoenfeldt said. People participate only if they want to and she tells facilitators that if they’re uncomfortable sharing a certain piece of information — for instance, that they keep a chain saw in the garage — they shouldn’t.
“You contact just the people you feel comfortable with,” Amburgy agreed.
The north Everett woman found that two of her neighbors didn’t want to participate. Plenty of others did. She lives in a working-class neighborhood that includes a mix of younger families with children, retired people on fixed incomes and Spanish-speaking immigrants.
The program has provided some piece of mind, particularly for elderly and disabled folks, she said. Able-bodied neighbors have pledged to check in with those who may need help if an emergency strikes. Each household also has signs they can place in their front windows that say “OK” or “HELP.”
Organizers would like those who wish to attend to register in advance by calling 425-257-7979 or emailing sgriffith@ci.everett.wa.us.
Reporter Debra Smith: 425-339-3197 or dsmith@heraldnet.com
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