Emergency Preparedness Committee

Emergency Preparedness Committee (EPC) City of Takoma Park Thursday, 28 January 2021 7-8.30 pm via ZOOM AGENDA Issue/ item Person Est. Time/ minutes --Hello again—Welcome 2021 Claudine 20 --EPC Member-share personal situation, briefly Schweber --City/ county information Ron Hardy Community issues/ concerns: ALL 25 --covid-19; --car thefts; --weather; --housing, food --? scams; --others Actions ALL 25 --Checklist distribution—where? --use of listservs; Takoma radio; news column; --contact with elderly, retirees --contact with Village TPk --disability community --languages: English, Spanish and? --other --Your community contacts: listserv, groups, etc ALL 15 --neighborhood groups --POSNA --Items for future discussion Next Meeting: 25 February 2021 Emergency preparedness links: Financial Preparedness----- https://www.ready.gov/financial-preparedness MADRA: Mid-Atlantic Disaster Recovery Association http://www.madra.org/ : quarterly & online MD Emergency Management Agency - http://www.mema.state.md.us/calendar/index.asp Emergency Preparedness https://www.ready.gov/ Federal Emergency Management Agency- http://training.fema.gov/is/crslist.asp?page=all Notes of EPC Meeting 28 Jan 2021 7-8.30 pm Participants: Mary Muchui, Buddy Daniels, Steve Schwartz, Kathleen Quinn, Chris Beck, Rebecca Chestnutt, Ron Hardy, Claudine Schweber (note-taker) Information and discussion: ◼ Covid update: insufficient vaccines in Montgomery county; masks are needed for homeless people; no indoor dining; concern re new strains of vaccine ◼ Covid testing: free Wed and Sat, 10am-5 pm; Recreation dept 7315 New Hampshire Ave. Walk-in service, no appointment, no medical info, no id Testing Helpline: 240-777-1755 ◼ Technology: problem→ info and registration for vaccine, etc often requires internet access but not everyone has this or computer access→problem, libraries & thus computers, not open: issue—how to provide information to these people and offer telephone contact ◼ Temporary internet ‘hot spots’: available from Montgomery County libraries. Must be 14 years old, have a library card, good for 1 time two weeks /no renewal. https://montgomerycountymd.gov/library/services/internet-to-go.html ◼ Text 911: now available in Maryland. Enables persons with speech or hearing disability to ask for help. –enter 911 in text ‘to’ section+ brief message https://conduitstreet.mdcounties.org/2020/08/19/maryland-launches-statewide-text-to-911- service/ ◼ Reminder: CARE program/ via Police Dept. for persons living alone—check in: https://takomaparkmd.gov/government/police/services-and-programs/caring-about-residents- everyday-care-2/ To Do: ◼ Distribute checklist flyers: downtown (Chris); working Takoma Village (Buddy); Food distribution places –need to identify (all who can); Lee Ave (Claudine)+ more locations— to be identified. Note: please recommend places for paper checklist distribution+ electronic → Spanish and English ◼ Disability issues follow up: Md Dept of Disabilities (Claudine); POSNA (Mary) ◼ Identify issues, topics for Feb Meeting→ 25 February