Disaster and Emergency Information

TO ALL HOMEOWNERS - Revised Disaster and Emergency Plan and Annual Survey:

The Disaster and Emergency Plan, January, 2011, (the DEP) is the 2nd Edition of the former Disaster Preparedness and Response Plan, June 28, 2006. It was revised by Disaster and Emergency Committee (formerly the Disaster Preparedness and Response Committee) members Kay Dellos, Becky Jablonski, Audrey Koertvelyessy, and Mary Rainey. The 2nd Edition contains updated information for the residents of Willowbend with sections that will be especially helpful to the Willowbend Disaster and Emergency Committee (formerly the Disaster Preparedness and Response Committee). The Disaster and Emergency Committee (DEC) hopes that all Willowbend residents will read the DEP and use it to prepare themselves for any disaster or emergency that might arise. Being prepared has been shown to save lives and protect property. A copy of the DEP will be given to each Willowbend household during the 2011 Willowbend Disaster and Emergency Planning Survey from February 1 to March 15. The DEP will also be available on www.willowbendcommunity.com.

Emergency/Disaster Signal System*

In case you are experiencing an emergency and need HELP signal with a red ribbon.

If the emergency is part of a disaster in our community and you are OK, indicated with a green ribbon.

* Tie the appropriate colored ribbon to your front door handle, lamppost or garage door light.

* Following a disaster in our community, our Willowbend CERT volunteers (when allowed into the neighborhood) will be checking all homes from the outside to see who might need help. The green ribbon signal will allow them to move on faster to help others. A phone number of a zone leader in your vicinity who you may contact for help is written on the red ribbon.

* This notice with a red and green ribbon has been distributed to residents during the month of August 2007. If you did not receive these items please contact Pam Picozzi (941-375-8984) or your zone leaders.

Willowbend Call Tree for Disaster Information

Our phone tree for disaster information is now in place. Residents will receive a call from a phone tree caller when a disaster is forecasted. The phone tree will be activated by our Incident Commander (George Gray) or our Deputy Incident Commander (Ed Schonegg). They will call zone leaders who will call our phone tree callers within each zone. These callers will call all full time residents who wish to participate in this volunteer service.

Callers will mention the following concerns. They will:

• Suggest that you listen to local media that, for example, a storm is approaching
• Ask if you intend to stay in your home at the time of the storm
• Remind you to have an emergency kit ready and a designated safe room
• Advise you to let someone know who lives outside the area what their plan is

In order for us to advise first responders and emergency workers which people to check on we ask that you contact your phone tree caller to advise.

• That you are evacuating (If you cannot reach your caller, notify your zone leader.) and
• That you have returned.

Zone leaders gather this information from callers and report it to our Incident Commander or Deputy. This information will not be shared beyond persons directly noted in this call tree and those emergency personnel who have a need to know.

Willowbend Graduates of the August 2006 - April 2007 Emergency Response Training

During the past nine months residents of Willowbend have been deeply involved in preparing to respond to community emergencies. Thirty-six persons have graduated from the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training. Others have been certified to perform CPR and to use an Automatic External Defibrillator. Your neighbors and the emergency response training they have completed are as follows:

Graduates of the CERT Training Program

Graduates of the CPR/AED training program only are:

Persons who have received specialized training at the Southwest Florida Chapter of the American Red Cross and their areas of specialty are:

Disaster Preparedness and Response Committee Report to Willowbend Homeowners Association Annual Meeting Report
March 1, 2007, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Osprey
Mary C. Rainey, Chair

Purpose of report:

1. Summarize our progress in preparing for emergencies.
2. Ask your help to advance our community’s preparedness.

Progress Report:

1. First step to being Red Cross Ready no matter if you are an individual, a business, a neighborhood, and a school system is TO HAVE A PLAN.

• We developed and received board approval of a community plan by June 2006
• 20 zone leaders visited 165 households during the month of July, giving advice, distributing the plan, and inventorying resources.
• Aug 06 through Jan 07 3 groups of CERT volunteers were trained with 36 out of 39 who started, completing the program.
• The first in-service education session was held on Restoration and Mitigation Following a Disaster organized by Rachel Rivlin. 51 persons from 7 communities across the county attended. Half were from Willowbend.

2. Our work is hardly started. Here comes my "ask"
   Participate in our Neighborhood Home Visit Program

• Our plan or state of readiness is always in flux, always a work in progress

3. Second step in being Red Cross Ready is to GET A KIT. How you do this as a family is spelled out in the plan. We have also been assembling community supplies. These are primarily resources kept in homes that homeowners stand ready to lend to others. But also we have purchased:

4. Third step in being Red Cross Ready is to BE INFORMED.

1. Safety and security – including a neighborhood watch program that would provide:

2. Possible letter of agreement by blocks of homeowners with a reputable disaster restoration company that would immediately provide such services as protection of damaged roofs, the drying out of the contents of our homes, and enable us to return our neighborhood as quickly as possible to "normal."

Annual DPR Visit, February 2008

During the month of March, every resident in Willowbend will receive a visit by the Disaster and Preparedness Response Team. You will be invited to participate in an updating of our Neighborhood disaster information. The visitors will also provide new information to update your disaster plan for your family and pets. You will have an opportunity to show your support for the application of grants for further training and for Emergency/Safety equipment for Willowbend. Please receive your Willowbend volunteer visitor in the spirit of neighbor helping neighbor.

TV Channel 19 and Emergency Services Today

This is a brief outline of information provided by Channel 19 (8:00 pm Friday, Feb 9th and Tuesday, Feb. 13th and 8:00 am on Saturday, Feb 10th.) If you need additional information on any of the topics presented, please log on to the county web site or call the number mentioned in the outline.

Emergency Services Today

Public Safety Communications Center

• Open 24 x 7.
• Includes 911 number dispatch centers for “Emergency” only calls.
• Use the 861-5000 telephone number, 6:30 am to 5:00 pm, Mon – Fri, for all other calls.
• This number can connect you to many information sources, answer questions, and can open Sarasota County work orders (and tracking numbers) for pot holes, grass mowing, or any county-covered item.

Emergency Management Services ( EMS )

• Preparedness focus on what the public needs to do in an emergency.
• Public should use the www.scgov.net web site and the “All Hazards Preparedness” link. Site lists Sarasota county shelters as well as items that the public needs in a shelter.
• Supports emergency first responders and the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program.

Liaison to other resources and agencies. Accept ideas and suggestions from the public.

• Issues publications, and holds seminars.

Fire Department

• Main focus is on fire suppression.

Staffed with certified paramedics as approximately one-half of the calls are medical related.

• Currently 26 Sarasota County stations with three temporary facilities.
• Involved with public education - kitchens fires are #1 cause of homes fires.
• Adding ambulances and staff, and rebuilding old stations.

Beach and Pool Life Guards

• Support four Sarasota County pools (two open year round).
• Support six beaches with certified life guards.
• Involved with life saving, public education and prevention issues.
• Unmanned beaches have no towers nor life guards.

Disaster Preparedness and Response Committee

Activity Report

Over the months of July, August and September, a number of activities related to disaster preparedness have taken place to implement the plan as passed by the Board in June. The majority of the DPR committee has not been present in our community as some are seasonal residents, others have taken extended vacations and one is employed short term in another state.

Among steps taken to implement the DPR plan are:

1. The division of Willowbend into 6 neighborhood zones and the appointment of 20 volunteers as zone leaders.
2. The distribution of paper copies of the plan to all residents present in Willowbend by zone leaders. These leaders, when requested, advised residents on how to secure their exteriors during hurricanes; they noted persons that might need assistance as well as those who agreed to give assistance to neighbors to install hurricane shutters. A list of equipment that residents are willing to load has been assembled including generators, medical equipment, boats and construction tools. Around 170 households were visited. Approximately 105 copies were mailed to those not present.
3. The recruiting and training of the first class of Community Emergency Response Team members by the Nokomis Fire Department. Training dates were spread out from early August through mid October, based on the availability of instructors and of the training facility. Each student paid $42.50 for instructional supplies. First aid supplies and emergency equipment in a CERT backpack were provided from the DPR budget. Trainees contributed additional supplies for these kits including work gloves, boxes of latex gloves to protect against infection, bandages and emergency medical supplies; other donors gave an easel, a white board, erasable ink pens and an eraser, office supplies, body tags, stakes and tape and shelving for the storage area. A number of other items are being loaned for the training exercise.
4. CPR training was offered by the Nokomis Fire Department (at no cost) to CERT trainees and their families. Twenty-three persons completed this training
5. CERT trainees in the first CERT training program, selected the following persons for leadership. John McAward as Incident Commander, Ed Schonegg and Deborah Simpkins as Deputy Incident Commanders, Sandie Caldwell as Assistant to the Incident Commander, Jan Kulback as Search and Rescue Team Leader, Ed Kulback as Fire Suppression Team Leader and Jim Cannon as Medical Team Leader.

New Weather Web Site

Mary Rainey has recently discovered a weather forecast site worth checking out at www.weatherunderground.com/US/FL/Osprey.html. This nicely augments the weather link on our Home Page.

May 1, 2006

• Identification of homes with residents willing to help and needing help. Our survey, which is due May 1, asks for location of dangerous but common household chemicals, equipment that could be loaned as needed such as chain saws, households with generators willing to store medications in their refrigerators, households with medical equipment that is no longer in use such as crutches and wheelchairs. If you have not yet returned your survey and need a copy please click on this link. To date 70 of your neighbors have responded.
• Development and distribution of our Disaster Preparedness and Response Plan to our Board of Directors. Responses from the Board on hard copy are due back to Mary Rainey by May 12.
• Division of our community into six neighborhood zones and assembling of a core of Citizen Emergency Response Team (CERT) and phone volunteers in each zone. This involves approximately 60 persons.
• Holding of our first public presentation on hurricane preparedness by County Emergency Management Services staff, Ann Miller. Eighteen residents attended.
• Acceptance of our budget by the Board of Directors allowing us to purchase office supplies, pay for mailings and purchase start up first aid and rescue equipment. We are testing a two-way battery powered phone system for communication during disaster relief efforts.

If you are interested in volunteering in this area here are some opportunities:

• Neighborhood phone volunteers
• Out of state "Point of Contact" phone volunteers
• Volunteers to enroll in Pet First Aid as well as First Aid/CPR classes
• Volunteers to enroll in CERT Training
• Core planning committee members with computer skills
• Research support person on shutter protection
• Year round residents to act as alternate leaders of the Emergency Action Team (EAT); this group sets up the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and directs the emergency response from the Recreational Center.

Other opportunities will be posted here as we identify them. If any of these jobs interest you please contact Lucy Crist.