Volunteers encourage neighbors to be prepared

Volunteers from local service organizations, Boy Scout Troop 139 and interested citizens canvassed 800 in the Sisters Country on Saturday to talk to their neighbors about emergency preparedness.

The outreach was an effort by a grassroots movement called "Sisters Country: Prepared and Ready," whose mission is to encourage individuals and families to have plans and supplies for coping with emergencies from wildfire to severe weather to a major earthquake that could isolate the area.

Volunteers handed out informational literature and provided "safety tubes" which residents could use as the start of an emergency kit. Smoke alarms were provided through Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District for households that don't have a working smoke detector.

Volunteers found that most folks have some plans for evacuation, but few households are fully prepared to "shelter in place" in the event of an emergency. The standard recommendation is for households to have enough food and water stored to make it though 72 hours. A heat source that doesn't rely on electricity or gas (such as a woodstove) is also recommended.

The preparedness campaign will continue in September with a disaster-preparedness fair on Saturday, September 18, at the Village Green. There will be exhibits and activities related to emergency preparedness, vendors of supplies and information available about the types of emergencies people could face in Sisters Country and the best means of preparing for them.

Local merchants are also planning displays of items needed for emergency kits to make putting one together easy and convenient.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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