On Saturday November 8, sixty designated block leaders took more than 1,700 small bags of emergency preparedness materials door-to-door within the Harbor Gateway North Neighborhood Council’s boundaries. Many of the residents who were home that morning expressed their appreciation for this effort to be better prepared for any future major emergency. The information contained in each bag included a bilingual “Family Disaster Supply Checklist” from the Emergency Management Department, one of their green/red door hangers for use after a major emergency, a 311 brochure, a Neighborhood Council brochure, the ABC7 Ready SoCal brochure with further guidance about the actions to take after a major disaster, and flyers about energy savings, cash for your lawn and the watering days schedule from the Department of Water and Power. Harbor Gateway Field Deputy Daisy Ybarra worked with the DWP to provide the small green bags for this outreach effort.
After delivering the information, block leaders gathered at the 135th Street School to share their experiences and have a boxed lunch. A number of residents were identified who have either a medical background, construction experience, own generators, have completed CERT classes or who are trained Ham radio operators. Plans are now underway to have individual blocks and neighborhood watch groups show the Emergency Management Department’s Five Steps LA training video so that more block leaders can be recruited. Ham radio and CERT training will also be offered in upcoming months for Harbor Gateway North stakeholders.
