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Sausalito Village Emergency Preparedness Program

One of the questions we asked ourselves at Sausalito Village was: What happens to our members when there is an emergency—particularly those who live alone or don't have family nearby?That question led us to create our Emergency Preparedness Program, which we launched in May 2020, right in the middle of the pandemic.

 

The foundation of the program is very simple: know where your members are, know who may need help, and create a neighborhood network before an emergency happens.

 

Using geomapping, we divided our more than 240 Village members into 10 geographic neighborhoods. Each neighborhood has two to four volunteer Co-Captains who serve as the connection between the Village and the members living in their area.

But we wanted to do more than simply create a list of names.

 

Identifying Who May Need Help
Every Village member is personally interviewed about their emergency preparedness and potential vulnerability. We ask questions that help us understand who is likely to be able to manage independently and who may need additional assistance during an evacuation, power outage, fire, earthquake, or other emergency.

 

Members identified as particularly vulnerable are connected with our Healthcare Advocacy Program. Each is paired with a Healthcare Advocate who checks in quarterly. This gives us an ongoing relationship with the member rather than waiting until an emergency occurs.

 

We also connect these members with the Sausalito Police Department's R U OK? program. An officer interviews the member in advance and keeps important information on file that could be useful for a welfare check, evacuation, or other emergency.

 

Preparing Before the Emergency
Education is another important part of the program.

We hold regular preparedness programs on practical subjects such as assembling a Go-Bag and deciding in advance which 10 things you would take if you had only 10 minutes to evacuate.

We've discovered that these conversations accomplish something beyond preparedness. They reduce anxiety.

Fire, earthquakes, evacuations and extended power outages can be frightening, particularly for older adults living alone. Talking through what you would do—and actually making those decisions ahead of time—gives people a greater sense of control.

We also partner with the Floating Homes Association to offer fire-extinguisher inspections and refills and an opportunity for members to purchase prepared Go-Bags.

 

The Most Important Part: Connection
Our program doesn't require sophisticated emergency equipment or a large professional staff. Its strength comes from something Villages already do exceptionally well: creating relationships.

 

Our neighborhood Co-Captains know the members in their areas. We know which members may need additional assistance. Our Healthcare Advocates maintain contact with our most vulnerable members, and we have established a relationship with local law enforcement before an emergency occurs.

 

For many of our vulnerable members who don't have family nearby, perhaps the most reassuring message we can give them is: You will not face an emergency alone. Your Village knows you are here, and your Village is looking out for you.

 

Watch a video about the program, presented at the National Village Conference in October 2022 (SVEPC begins at minute 14.25):