• • Home
  • Events
  • Emergency Preparedness
  •     Fair & BBQ
  •     Fair Organizing
  •     Personal Readiness
  •     Neighborhoods
  •     Resources
  • Economic Security
  •     Rural Development
  •     Local Opportunities
  •     Purchasing Survey
  • [Food Security]
  • Energy Security
  • [Water Security]
  • Who We Are
  • Director's Update
  • Join Our E-Mail List
  • Support CPC

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 9, 2010

Public Invited to “Neighborhood Preparedness Fair & BBQ”

Twisp, WA – The Methow Valley is prone to a number of natural disasters including wild land fires, extreme weather events, power outages, and floods. Recent disasters nationwide have shown the importance of understanding the reality of YOYO (you’re on your own), at least in the short term, should disaster strike.

In response, the Methow Valley Community Preparedness Committee (CPC) is hosting a “Neighborhood Preparedness Fair & BBQ” on Saturday, August 21st from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the Twisp Community Center and Commons Park. The purpose is to provide citizens with information on how to protect their homes, care for themselves, their families, and their neighbors in the event of a disaster. The Fair will include information booths hosted by local and regional First Responders including Okanogan County Emergency Management, Aero Methow Rescue, Fire District #6, the Twisp Fire Department, the Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Forest Service, local law enforcement, and the American Red Cross, plus a number of local businesses and organizations that provide some form of emergency services.

Kid’s activities will be out in the Commons Park and First Responder information booths will be set up in the Community Center gym. Smokey Bear will be there to greet the kids. A free hot dog BBQ will be served at 1 p.m. with live music by Brad Pinkerton and friends. Stage presentations by the Emergency Responders will begin at 10 a.m. and noon with free door prizes given away after each.

Members of the public attending the Fair can learn how to protect their homes from wildfires, what supplies to have on hand in an emergency, how to assemble a “Grab & Go” bag in the event of an evacuation; even how to care for their livestock and pets. Citizens can locate their “Neighborhood” using an aerial map, and will also have an opportunity to sign up to be “Neighborhood Leaders” and take a free two-hour training course provided by Okanogan County Emergency Management. The training will focus on how to organize ones neighborhoods using the “Map Your Neighborhood” (MYN) flip chart and guide designed by Washington State’s Emergency Management team. Evidence suggests that neighbors are the first people turned to for help in a disaster. Taking the “Neighborhood Leader” course and implementing the MYN guidelines could help save property and lives. The training will be on Saturday, September 11th from 10 a.m. – noon at Aero Methow, with an alternative session offered on Wednesday, September 15th from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at the Twisp Fire House. To sign up, call Okanogan County Emergency Management at 509.422.7206.

The Methow Valley Community Preparedness Committee is a group of local citizens whose purpose is to prepare citizens to meet basic needs in the face of unforeseen economic, energy, or environmental disruptions and to re-localize and strengthen the valley’s economy. Their “Neighborhood Preparedness Fair & BBQ” is free and open to the public. More information can be found on their web site at www.mvcommunitypreparedness.org