June 2012: Map your neighborhood

Details

Updated on Tuesday, October 2, 2012, 7:33 pm

Disasters don't just affect individuals; they impact whole communities.  By working with your neighbors, you can help your community prepare for, respond to, and recover from a disaster.

Map Your Neighborhood was developed to help neighborhoods organize to respond in an emergency. Working through the program takes some time, but bringing the neighborhood together can help make it safer daily, as well as help you work together during a disaster.

Create a contact list, a map of the neighborhood with known hazards labeled, and a list of available skills and tools.  Identify a place for everyone to meet when the disaster event ends.

Immediately, make sure that you and your loved ones are okay.  Then, check gas and water lines and shut them off, if necessary.  Place a sign on your home, visible from the street, that reads "Help" or "OK." Then head to the meeting site; and from there, you and your neighbors can split into teams to check on neighbors who may need help, listen for updates on the disaster, and watch children.

Want to learn more?  Print a guide at http://1.usa.gov/Iq7Vv2 or ask for one at the Albany Fire Department administrative offices at Albany City Hall, 333 Broadalbin Street SW.