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After a major emergency, like an earthquake or fire or flood, emergency responders, like the fire department or emergency medical services, may be overwhelmed and unable to quickly address all the issues facing the many neighborhoods in Palm Springs. It may be hours or days before essential services are available, we must be ready to act on our own as individuals and as a neighborhood. Preparedness is everyone’s job, and we should plan ahead for disaster.

Daniel DeSelms, the Emergency Management Coordinator for the City of Palm Springs, attended the November 2019 Annual Meeting. He reminded us that not just government agencies but all sectors of society – service providers, businesses, neighborhood organizations and every individual citizen – should plan ahead for disaster.

Resources to help you prepare are available in the Emergency Management section of the City website. Visit https://www.palmspringsca.gov/government/departments/emergency-management These resources will help you: Identify Your Risk, Assemble a Disaster Supply Kit, and Put Together a Plan.

When it comes to planning, a discussion with family, friends or household members is a good way to start. How will you receive emergency alerts and warnings? What is your shelter plan? What is your evacuation route? What is your family/household communication plan? What is your plan for pets? Talk about your home’s gas shut-off, water shut-off, and electrical panel shut-off. Know how to properly shut-off your solar installation. Special shut-off procedures are required – you cannot just shut-off the main circuit breaker.

Another step you can take to better prepare for an emergency is to sign up for the City of Palm Springs Community Notification and Alert System. Visit https://member.everbridge.net/index/892807736727048#/signup Remember, your ability to receive fast, accurate information can help you survive in an emergency. If authorities can’t reach you, they can’t alert you.

The City has identified emergency preparedness as a very high priority. The goal is to build upon the momentum that the Organized Neighborhoods of Palm Springs (ONE-PS) has created to become a more disaster resilient community. It is important that every resident in the city is prepared to be self-sufficient for at least 72 hours. By coordinating our efforts and dividing into small neighborhood teams, our preparedness objectives can be achieved. Becoming a disaster resilient community will require everyone to take our risks seriously and work with our neighbors to become better prepared. We will need to rely on each other in the initial days or weeks following an emergency or major disaster and it is through our organized neighborhoods that we can make that happen. TRENO has not yet established a plan for neighbors to help neighbors. If you have an interest in helping with this initiative, send us a message at: https://www.trenops.com/contact