Courtesy of Ben Curran
By Southwester Staff
As the Emergency Preparedness Task Force of the Southwest Neighborhood Assembly, (SWNA) Southwest Strong! works to prepare the community for disasters of all kinds.
The group pulled together for a range of accomplishments in 2022, including:
- A collaborative effort with the Southwest BID and Arena Stage to help the American Red Cross collect 35 pints of blood
- “The Pillowcase Project” for children held at the Southwest Library
- A talk by Sarah Dawn Petrin, author of “Bring Rain – Helping Humanity in Crisis”
- A disaster preparedness float in the July 4th parade in the Palisades neighborhood
- A talk on “The Emergency Financial Aid First Aid Kit” by financial coaches and experts from Operation Hope
- A panel discussion called “Lessons Without Borders – a look at U.S. Disaster Response and International Disaster Response”
- Regular literature table and conversations at the Saturday Southwest Farmers Market.
Looking ahead to 2023, Southwest Strong! is planning activities that include:
- Two Extreme Event Community Disaster Exercises – a flood scenario and a hurricane scenario
- Continuation of “The Pillowcase Project”
- A youth-led, youth-centered Climate Crisis Conversation roundtable discussion
- A talk on fire safety for all types of housing: apartments, condos, townhouses
- A Southwest team for a disaster preparedness float in the July 4th Palisades parade
For more information, visit swna.org/swna/task-forces/emergency-preparedness/.