On Saturday, Sept. 8, individuals who live, work and play in SW DC gathered at the Channel Square Apartments Clubhouse. Over the next two hours, they participated in a role-playing exercise aimed at better understanding how communities can be more resilient when faced with disaster. The exercise occurred against a backdrop of National Preparedness Month and with a real threat of three storms forming in the Atlantic Ocean. As a simulated category five hurricane impacted a fictional town, the group of over forty participants learned how preparedness, relationships, supplies and communication all combine to determine how well a community will withstand a disaster. The game was sponsored by the Southwest Neighborhood Assembly’s Emergency Preparedness Task Force and was delivered by the National Academy of Sciences’ LabX team. The Emergency Preparedness Task Force is recruiting new members. If you are interested, please contact Ben Curran or Thelma Jones through the contact information on SWNA.org.
BY Andrew Roszak