EMERGENCY COORDINATORS: ASSISTING IN COMMUNITY PREPAREDNESS Emergency coordinators are local volunteers who are activated during a declared emergency to render community service in conjunction with the EOC. Emergency coordinators may also participate as support staff for the EOC. There are two types of coordinators, area and neighborhood. Area Coordinators supervise Neighborhood Coordinators who are in charge of a specific geographical area in the community. All coordinators must exercise care to follow the limitations of his or her duties, follow instructions of their supervisor, be prepared for an emergency/disaster, and be willing to spend the time helping neighbors. AREA COORDINATOR: 1. Works in a designated geographical area under the direction of the EOC. 2. Designates the geographical areas of each Neighborhood Coordinator under his or her direction. 3. Assigns a volunteer resident as the Neighborhood Coordinator for each neighborhood area. 4. Communicates with and supervises each Neighborhood Coordinator. 5. Distributes information between local emergency officials, the EOC, and Neighborhood Coordinators. 6. Maintains a functioning Neighborhood Coordinator in each neighborhood area. 7. Assists in training of Neighborhood Coordinators. 8. Ensures that there is enough leadership to handle children, elderly, and single-parent families. 9. Has no actual or implied law enforcement authority. AREA COORDINATOR Name: Phone: NEIGHBORHOOD COORDINATOR: l. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. A volunteer resident assigned by the Area Coordinator to the geographical neighborhood area. Receives instruction and training from the Area Coordinator and local emergency officials. Reports to the Area Coordinator during a disaster and for emergency preparedness. Provides Area Coordinator with lists of resources available in the neighborhood area. Relays emergency information and instructions between the Area Coordinator and those residents in the assigned neighborhood. Accounts for individuals in case of an evacuation. Primarily concerned with individuals and families in the neighborhood area, and acts in a prudent manner insuring safety and well-being. Has secondary concern for the preservation of property from the natural elements in case of a disaster. 9. Has no actual or implied law enforcement authority. NEIGHBORHOOD COORDINATOR Name: Phone: FAMILY EMERGENCY/DISASTER PLAN AND PREPAREDNESS What can you and your family do? You and your family can prepare, with some simple planning to help alleviate the fear of the unknown in a disaster setting. Ensure family members know what to do and how to account for each other in a disaster by creating a Family Disaster Plan. A Family Disaster Plan is critical and should be in place at all times. To create your family's plan: 1. Meet with your family. Discuss the types of disasters and emergencies that are most likely to happen and what to do in each case. Explain the dangers to children and plan to share responsibilities, working as a team. If your family has in-home care for children or elderly, include the caregiver in your family plan. 2. Identify family rally points. Since your family is not together 24 hours a day, the first thing a family will want in a disaster situation is to be reunited. In your family's plan, set rally points, actual physical locations where to reunite. These locations should be places most commonly frequented by your family (such as home, work, school, or a neighbor). List your family rally points for your family plan as follows: 1. Home Location: 2. Neighbor Location: 3. Neighborhood Location: 4. Community Location: Emergency contacts. Next, have a third party common contact for family members to call to know what rally point is being used. Preferably, this third party contact should be someone out-of-state or otherwise out of the location of the disaster. Third-party Contact 1 Third-party Contact 2: Third-party Contact 3: Emergency procedures in the home. As a family, know how to prepare your home for a disaster. Know such things as how to shut of utilities, secure appliances, and brace furniture as discussed in this brochure. Disaster kit (72-hour kit). A Family Emergency Plan should also include supplies and tools to help your family through a disaster situation. To help your family plan, this brochure outlines basic elements of a first-aid kit, and provides information on a 72-hour Portable Emergency Kit. As the name of this kit indicates, it is portable, meaning it is easy to reach-easy to transport. Practice your plan as a family together.