Disasters Happen…
By Kelly Thompson, Director of Engagement Initiatives
As the saying goes, “It is not a question of IF, but WHEN.” When disasters strike a community, a county, a state, a nation, we all hope and pray that some kind of preparedness plan is in place. Very often, there is a plan, but it turns out to be a partial or uncompleted plan for action.
As a community we’ve watched as many disasters have affected our community in the past two years: the windstorm, the ice storm, and the flood of August 4th, 2009. As a world we watched in horror the naturally occurring events that affected our brothers and sisters in Haiti this year and in 2009 our neighbors in Indonesia.
In all of these instances we’ve asked ourselves, “What can I do to help?” and “What can I do to protect myself and my family?” These questions are important to ask and even more important to contemplate as a part of a preparedness plan.
At Metro United Way we’ve witnessed first hand the overwhelming outpouring of caring, and volunteer time given by those in our community to help those in extreme need. This past fall we welcomed over 500 volunteers who came to aid of those needing flood clean-up assistance; these responders, and those participating in previous disasters were instrumental in creating the rapid action required to get help to people as soon as possible.
What we’ve learned from these experiences is that we would like to formally create a list of “Ready-Responders” joining an elite list of volunteers who agree to heed the call of duty when a disaster strikes.
Are you interested in becoming a member of this special group? Chances are if you have responded to our calls for flood volunteers, or windstorm volunteers we’ve got your name, but we want to hear from you just in case!
You can drop us a email at the Volunteer Engagement Center at patty.belden@metrounitedway.org or stopping by our Metro United Way booth at the upcoming Emergency Preparedness Fair on Saturday, February 29th from Noon until 4pm.
Louisville Emergency Preparedness Fair
Saturday, February 27, 2010
11:30 am Kickoff with Mayor Jerry Abramson
12:00 – 4:00 pm
The Salvation Army Male Campus
911 South Brook Street.
Free Admission
Bring a canned good for Dare to Care Collection
Door Prizes – Children’s Activities – Food & Drink
Come learn what you can do to be better prepared - as an individual, a family, a block or street, a neighborhood, suburban city, subdivision, condo association, church group, Scout group, service group, etc.
Education for Everyone! Take advantage of these free trainings at the Fair:
- Family Emergency Planning
- Power Line Safety
- Generator Safety
- Making a 72-hour survival kit
- Document storage – what documents do you need and storage options
- Red Cross Training
- Heating and cooking without power
- Caring for Pets in an emergency
Are You Ready for an Emergency?
Do your have ready for yourself, your family & your neighbors:
- A 72-hour survival kit
- An Evacuation plan
- Food & water for emergencies
- A plan for no electricity
- Know your neighbors
