Wheeled Duffle Travel Bag & Supplies — Pilot Program for Use Following a Disaster Situation
We invite block coordinators, or equivalent, to apply for our pilot program to establish Neighborhood Gathering Places for a post disaster situation. We want to strengthen neighborhood preparedness, block-by-block, following a major disaster when evacuation might not be possible or desirable. This program started with a $4K community grant from the City of Menlo Park. According to Amazon, the Wheeled Duffle Bag‘s dimensions are listed at 37 inches long with the width: x18.11 x 7.87 inches.
Wheeled Travel Duffle Bag & Supplies — Program Overview
OVERVIEW. Thanks to a $4K grant from the City of Menlo Park, and the hard work of Board Members and volunteers, MPC Ready is piloting a program to help Block Coordinators be equipped to quickly set up a Neighborhood Gathering Place/Command Post following a major disaster. The general idea is somewhat modeled on the work of the Burlingame Neighborhood Network Cache program. The bag is deliberately big enough so that a Block Coordinator can later add more supplies.
The Duffle Bag and Supplies are aimed at situations where evacuation is not possible or desirable, such as following a major earthquake. The rolling duffle bags will contain initial supplies to help the Block Coordinator quickly set up the Post and help neighbors get organized to provide mutual aid and support during a time when outside help might not arrive for 72-hours or longer.
Duffle Bag Application (Online or printed)
We invite you to apply for one of the stocked duffle bags. You may use the printed APPLICATION FORM or our Online Application Form
Quick Start Guide — This includes a list of the items in the duffle bag (page 4)
QUICK START GUIDE. Following a disaster, a Block Coordinator’s first priority is his/her/their safety and that of their family and/or household. Once all are okay and/or stabilized, a Block Coordinator’s primary role is to provide the overall coordination for the neighborhood’s disaster response. If printing Guide using two-sided printing, choose flip on short edge (landscape).
Ideally, the Block Coordinator has practiced setting up the Neighborhood Gathering Place/Command Post before the disaster. However, most of the tasks are simple and volunteers without training can be assimilated into the operations. We give thanks to the Burlingame Neighborhood Network for the basic design of the Guide, and some of the content. We also give thanks to the City of Palo Alto Radio Volunteers for much of the radio-related content we included in the Guide.
Forms — for the Block Coordinator & Neighbors to use to safely check on neighbors, etc.
- Neighbors/Volunteers Check in Form — for use by Block Coordinator or a designated volunteer
- Windshield Survey – for use by Utility & Safety Teams
- Neighbor Wellness Check Form — for door-to-door safety & wellness checks
- Communication Coordinator Form — to keep track of people
- Communications Log — to keep track of messages coming into or out of the neighborhood
- First Aid Record Sheet — for the First Aid Teams providing first aid support within their comfort level
- Fire or Police Station Report — for runners to deliver based on Block Coordinator request