Help Establish Additional Neighborhood Hubs
The current West Seattle hubs were very much neighborhood driven. The process of establishing the existing locations was started with small, focused steps to help establish some level of “community preparedness” in each local neighborhood. These are the steps we recommend if you want to do the same:
Pick a location that IF your neighborhood wants to have a central gathering space, people will know where that is. Your neighborhood would decide on a site (for example: a park, parking lot, or street corner) but it should be an outdoor location because buildings may not be structurally safe following an earthquake. Be sure to choose a place where there isn’t much risk of falling objects.
Build a community or neighborhood “Go Kit” or backpack with simple things like family radios, writing material, sign making supplies, maps and flashlights. Include a notebook of West Seattle resources (with potential shelter locations, such as schools and community centers), so if the City tells people to go somewhere for shelter, you have the maps! We can provide examples of what other neighborhoods have done.
Then, “set up shop” at the new Emergency Communication Hub for a period of time on any one day (morning or afternoon).The purpose is to get your organization “out there” with the information about your new Emergency Communication Hub, that “here it is”.
If you would like to establish an Emergency Communication Hub in your neighborhood, please contact us. We are happy to help! If you are outside of West Seattle in another Seattle neighborhood, be sure to check the Large Map of Hub Locations and the Other Communities page of our site; as well, here is some information from the Seattle office of Emergency Management.