Expanding Our Neighborhood Preparedness Efforts

Hello SWONA Folk,

I wanted to share a quick update from our recent Emergency Preparedness meeting where we came together to talk about how we can make our neighborhood better prepared for emergencies. Here are a few highlights to share with you:

1. Organizing Our Neighborhood

We’re working on printing a digital map of the neighborhood using Google Maps/My Maps. This will help us better organize into smaller groups, once we get better organized, and be able to structure designated areas.

Here are some information about the CERT Program to become a Certified Emergency Response person for our neighborhood, to become deployed in case of an emergency: 

https://servewashington.wa.gov/programs/cert-community-emergency-response-team/cert-resources

I will also attach the "Neighborhood Based Emergency Response" slideshow from a few weeks ago that has all of the relevant information.

If you are interested in becoming a "Block Captain", please let any of us know, and we will get you invited to the WhatsApp group chat.

2. Strengthening Communication

We talked about ways to stay connected, especially during an emergency. We’ll be using WhatsApp to create a simple, easy-to-use group called “Emergency Response” (or something similar) so we coordinated "Block Captains" when volunteers are interested. We’ll also continue using emails, flyers, and maybe even set up a social media account to expand efforts at SWONA promotion.

3. Building Community Solidarity

One of the biggest takeaways was how important it is to keep building trust and connection among neighbors. Sharing skills, resources, and just being there for each other can make a huge difference. We’re focused on reaching out in a friendly, respectful way to include as many folks as possible.

Also if anyone has any experience with HAM Radios and would like to be added as a resource on that level, please let us know. Likewise, if you have a background in medical care (nurse, doctor, EMT, firefighter, etc.) and would be willing to serve as a resource in an emergency, we would love to know.

4. Good News on Grant Funding

We were thrilled to hear that our grant proposal for $3,250 was recommended for full funding! Part of this will go toward materials to support our community-building efforts.

We also applied for an additional grant through the Community Sustaining Fund of Thurston County to help further support and expand our neighborhood emergency preparedness initiatives. We’re hopeful this will help us provide even more resources and outreach opportunities in the months ahead. We will continue to pursue other areas of funding as needed and as opportunities become available.

5. Fun Events Ahead

We’re also planning a community garage sale! We’ll create a simple map showing participating houses to help everyone find the good deals and support each other.

6. Expanding Our Outreach

We are in the early stages of setting up a TikTok account and a BlueSky account for SWONA. These platforms will help us reach and engage more neighbors and community members, share updates, and promote our events and preparedness efforts in new and creative ways.

7. Next Steps

At our next meeting, we’ll be finalizing block captains for whatever areas interested currently, reviewing the maps, and holding a quick WhatsApp training so everyone feels confident using it.

Thank you for being part of this growing effort. If you have any ideas, questions, or want to jump in and help out, I’d love to hear from you!

Looking forward to connecting more soon,

Zach Lincoln

Outreach Coordinator