Recap of Disaster Council Meeting
The monthly Sonoma Disaster Council meeting was held on Thursday, June 5th. The major agenda item was a presentation by John Saguto, active volunteer with the local American Red Cross, who reviewed the overall role of the Red Cross and specifically how they respond and activate their resources in a disaster. In addition, Sonoma Valley Hospital provided a brief overview of their emergency operations plan, which includes performing two emergency drills per year. We also heard an update from the Public Information Subcommittee, and we are looking at ideas for spreading the word to get people motivated to prepare for disasters, through the use of (for example) informational flyers for utility bills, refrigerator magnets, and a disaster preparedness display and table at community events. Furthermore, we showed a display of sample emergency preparedness kits. The next Disaster Council meeting is July 10th and we will watch the Citizens Organized to Prepare for Emergencies (COPE) video from the City of Santa Rosa’s neighborhood-based preparedness program, for the purpose of starting a discussion regarding whether this type of program could be replicated in Sonoma Valley. The meetings are open to everyone.
Photo of American Red Cross Volunteer John Saguto (right) presenting in his "disaster uniform," or his Red Cross identification vest.
