Our Partners in Preparation

We’re in the heart of our “blue sky” season, where our disaster response commitments are relatively infrequent and a lot of our time is spent on preparedness and organizing. 

Much of this work involves connecting with our partners in the emergency response field and with youth-facing organizations and entities such as schools and offices of education. This work deals with ensuring the larger disaster response ecosystem accounts for the needs of kids and families by building out plans and allocating resources to ensure continuity of care when schools and childcare networks are disrupted. 

But there’s also a host of great information about individual preparedness and what families can do to be prepared individually. We know from talking to families who’ve had kids at camp that having a plan for when disaster hits is incredibly important, and there are a wealth of resources that can help lay out best practices. 

The California Offices of Emergency Services’ Listos program has a trove of handy guides – both written and video – that lay out what you and families in your community can do to be better prepared in case of a disaster. If you head over to their Resource Hub, you can find some terrific info that will help with preparedness.

Our friends at the Boys and Girls Club of the North Valley – along with our collaborator Dr. Lindsey Nenadal of Chico State University – also recently came out with an incredible, in-depth playbook on how to support children, youth and families impacted by wildfire. The guide highlights the importance of planning and how it is a necessity for communities to provide a safe place for kids and families to go during and after wildfires. There’s a ton of amazing information, ideas and planning tools that can be put to use by both individuals and emergency management professionals and we recommend you check it out. 

Lastly, our very own Emergency Preparedness Coordinator Jacqueline Nushi has a few tips of her own gleaned from a career spent in the industry. She said the biggest thing kids and families can do to be ready when disaster strikes is to “Have a Plan.” Sign up for your area alerts, be informed, and stay informed. Plan where you will go if evacuation is needed. Pack a “Go Bag,” for yourselves, kids, even your pets. If sheltering in place is necessary, pack your stay box with food and water for all of your family members including your pets. Meet your neighbors and ensure they too are prepared, this will keep your family safe as you won’t need to take the time to stop to help your neighbor. Finally, when an evacuation alert is imminent, DO NOT HESITATE, GO.

These may seem simple – and we know that we’re guilty of overlooking the forest for the trees on occasion – but we’re taking the time during our offseason to try and remind ourselves that paying attention to the small things can make a big difference. 

With gratitude,
Mikey

Bulletin Board:

• We’re hiring! Project:Camp is looking for a part-time Development Manager to help us with our fundraising efforts. We’re looking for someone with 3-5 years of development experience to work three days a week. There are more details at projectcamp.co/jobs and applicants can submit a resume and cover letter to jobs@projectcamp.co.

• We’re thrilled to announce the support of the Ahmanson Foundation, whose vote of confidence in the work we do has put wind in our sails at the beginning of 2023. We know there’s many deserving organizations doing incredible work, and we feel lucky to have a new supporter the caliber of Ahmanson.

• Our Founder and Executive Director Mikey Latner was on the IAEM Region 3 podcast recently talking about the work we do and the importance of ensuring the wellbeing of children and families during disasters. Give it a listen if you have the chance. It can be found on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get your podcasts from!