Mountain Disaster Preparedness Expo educates for collective and individual preparation

Mountain Disaster Preparedness (MDP) held a Preparedness EXPO in Town Hall on Thursday November 7. The theme of the event was “Hope for the best, prepare for the worst…are you ready?”. MDP is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that organizes our community to prepare for and respond to all forms of disaster.

Attendees were invited to visit each of seven stations, meet volunteers from MDP and learn about different aspects of the group’s activities, and what they themselves could do to be better prepared. Those who visited all the stations and had their cards signed at each were eligible for a drawing with a gift card as the prize.

The first station was manned by Jon Brown, who offered an overview of MDP. Brown also operates the organization’s webpage. He explained that if you still have access to the internet, agencies like CalFire provide a wealth of carefully vetted information, which locals can supplement with more specific local posts by visiting their website, mdpidyllwild.org. The landing page has links to their normal updates and emergency Facebook pages, in addition to links and phone numbers for local governmental agencies. One of these is Alert RivCo, where you can sign up for cell phone alerts targeted to your neighborhood on the hill (https://rivcoready.org/AlertRivCo.)

The next station provided a familiarization with the contents of a first aid kit, and a chance to purchase one. Volunteers Gigi Kramer and Sarah Robins demonstrated basic techniques for making slings and wrapping sprains and other injuries. They explained that the local Disaster Aid Stations not only have first aid supplies, but also notebooks that explain how to use them, written in easy-to -understand language. MDP keeps a cadre of doctors and nurses, practicing and retired who can be called upon during emergencies. They are always looking for volunteers with medical skills.

At the third stop, Woody Henderson provided a virtual tour of a Disaster Aid Station (DAS.) Photos showed the contents inside one of these nine cargo containers scattered around the Hill. A map of their locations is available in the front of your Idyllwild Phone Book, if you don’t have one stop by the Town Crier office. There is also a map in front of the Post Office.

On display was one of the new, larger reflective signs that will be going up on the DASs, making them unmissable. Henderson also spoke of MDP’s project to add solar power to the stations. The idea is to provide charging for the emergency radios that are in each station. The first station is complete, and as the budget allows, the others will follow.

The DASs are also collection point for residents and visitors in an emergency, a good place to arrange to meet up, and a place where MPD commanders and medical volunteers will be found.

The fourth table displayed the contents of a home emergency supply barrel. At the DAS table, residents were reminded that the station “is not a substitute for your personal preparedness needs.” Volunteer Maggie DiZinnio showed just how much preparedness could fit inside a 35-gallon trash barrel. The first aid kit and other supplies needed if one was to be forced out of the house in pajamas (warm clothes, a pair of work boots well broken in, tools like a hammer and pry bar, flashlights, etc.) go on top. Under that goes food and water, then blankets and sleeping bag, and at the bottom the personal items you might need in a longer emergency. The demonstration kit included cooking supplies like a mess kit and “canned heat,” plates and plastic cutlery, toiletries including toilet paper, bleach for disinfecting water, and an am/fm weather band radio with a crank recharger.

The most important thing, DiZinnio said, was to personalize your barrel. If you need medication, ask your doctor for an extra bottle. If you have pets, add food and other things they might need, like a muzzle and leash. The barrel should be in a protected place where it would be accessible even if your home is not, perhaps an exterior closet or outbuilding. She also reminded attendees that kits like this allow you to help neighbors, even if your own home is relatively unscathed after an incident.

The fifth table introduced the CERT program, the Community Emergency Response Team. These volunteers receive training that allows them to assist first responders directly during an emergency. Connie Benson and Tracy Philippi were there with handbooks explaining the training and the kinds of tools that team members have on hand. Benson noted that much of that training happens with Idyllwild Fire Protection District staff. Team members meet once a month for two hours at IFPD, and Benson expressed gratitude for the use of their facilities and the training they receive when firefighters are available. Last month, she said, the training dealt with “cribbing,” the technique of freeing a survivor from under heavy wreckage using pry bars and blocks to build a support by stages.

CERT members also meet regularly at the DASs to become familiar with the contents. They tell residents in an emergency to first make sure you are safe, then check on family and neighbors, then venture out and help the community where you are needed. The training, Johnson said, also helps team members to stay calm, and spread the sense of calm to others.

Next in the tour was a table focused on kids. There were coloring books and other materials to familiarize young people with the concepts of preparedness. One of the books included a place for local emergency phone numbers, and age-appropriate explanations of the dangers of scenarios like fire, earthquake, thunderstorms, flooding and heavy snow fall. The book also had advice for adults on how to create an emergency plan and how to quiz and drill children to make them comfortable with the steps they should take, including reunification if the family becomes separated.

The last table introduced MDPs radio team. Robert Hewitt, Director of Radio Communications, explained that his job is to keep the system updated and in good operating order. Radio allows team members to gather and disseminate information even if cell phones are out of service. MDP has 34 radio-operating members and two repeaters (in upper Pine Cove) that allow the handheld radios to reach each other and the outside world. The operators participate in weekly call-ins to practice their networking skills.

If you missed the Expo, MDP’s website is a permanent virtual Expo where you can learn about preparedness, volunteering and the other ways you can support them, and subscribe to their newsletter: mdpidyllwild.org