Prepare Your Neighborhood
The Seattle Office of Emergency Management recognizes that individual city residents, neighborhoods, and communities will be vital to an effective response after a major disaster. As city services are stretched thin and some neighborhoods become isolated, the ability of neighbors to work together will be critical.
The Office of Emergency Management has undertaken several programs that aim to enhance the organizational capacity and skills of Seattle neighborhoods and ensure an effective response during a disaster.
Seattle Neighborhoods Actively Prepare
The City of Seattle has created the Seattle Neighborhoods Actively Prepare (SNAP) program to help your neighborhood get organized. We encourage people to not only prepare themselves and their families, but to talk to their neighbors about how they will work together to make sure everyone in the neighborhood is safe and cared for.
There is an online toolkit that provides practical step-by-step instructions on organizing as a neighborhood. The Seattle Office of Emergency Management can facilitate a discussion to help your neighborhood get organized. SNAP is a simple and flexible process that can be customized to meet the needs of your neighborhood.
Fill out the training request form to schedule a SNAP presentation.
Simply put, SNAP is a group of neighbors who have agreed to work together following a big disaster. Some neighborhoods like to have a very formal plan, with assigned roles and tasks, while other are more spontaneous, leaving specific assignments to the day of the disaster. There is no right or wrong way to organize. The way you do it really depends on the neighborhood "personality".
Regardless of how you organize there are some easy steps you can take to get everyone on the block thinking about disaster preparedness.
Becoming a SNAP neighborhood is an easy 3-step process. Seattle Office of Emergency Management is happy to help you at each step of the way. This online toolkit provides neighborhoods with everything needed to set up a meeting. See the link below to register for our Disaster Skills Workshop to further your knowledge of individual disaster response.
Phase 1. Meeting and Preparedness Discussion
- Meet neighbors and establish connections
- Learn what to do to be better prepared
- Learn how to stay safe during an earthquake and through COVID-19
- Know your top 3 response priorities after an earthquake
Resources
SNAP Presentation
SNAP Virtual Presenter's Guide
SNAP Virtual Resource Guide
Phase 2. Getting Organized
- Decide on a neighborhood coordinator(s)
- Determine the location of your neighborhood meeting place
- Determine roles and responsibilities of each individual
- Sign up on the NeighborLink Map
Our helpful Preparing with Neighbors participant's manual will guide you through Phase 2 and Phase 3 of the SNAP planning process.
Download here: Full Color Version | Low-Ink Version
*Each manual includes a Neighborhood Planning Form, a Household Information Form, and a Skills and Equipment Information Form to get you started. Tip sheets on Utility Control, Search and Rescue, and Damage Assessment are also included.
Phase 3. Getting Confident
Note: Disaster skills workshops are suspended through COVID-19. Please see the virtual resources below to learn more.
• Learn how to use a fire extinguisher
• Learn how to shut off gas when necessary
• Learn how to shut off water at the main valve
• Learn how to construct an emergency toilet
• Learn Light Search & Rescue skills
- Take a Training and Learn a Skill: Visit our Events Calendar to register for a Disaster Skills Workshop. We teach Disaster Skills Workshops in the following areas:
- Utility Control
- Basic Aid
- Water Storage & Purification
- Fire Extinguisher Use
- Light Search & Rescue
Community Emergency Hubs
What is a Community Emergency Hub?
Community Emergency Hubs are places where people gather after a disaster to help each other. Hubs serve as a central gathering place among neighbors in homes, apartments and condominiums, some who have organized using SNAP.
Currently there are 135 hubs designated throughout the city. Each hub reflects the unique character of the community they serve, and may look different from location to location.
Hub Resources
Hub Materials
Hub Funding
Small Sparks
The Department of Neighborhood's Small Sparks Fund provides awards up to $5,000 to support community members in becoming civically engaged. Projects can include neighborhood organizing, membership expansion or numerous other types of activities, including emergency preparedness. Small Sparks awards are given year-round!
Neighborhood Matching Fund
The Neighborhood Matching Fund (NMF) program provides neighborhood groups with City resources that enhance and strengthen their own neighborhoods. All projects are initiated, planned and implemented by community members in partnership with the City. Every award is matched by volunteer labor, donated materials, donated professional services or cash.
Learn about funding through the Department of Neighborhoods.
Video Training
Designate a Hub
Follow the three steps below to designate a Community Emergency Hub:
- Decide what locations in your community would be natural gathering places where people would go to after a major disaster. Examples include: parks, community gardens, faith-based centers, small business locations, or other public or community-oriented locations.
- Identify a primary contact for the Hub.
- Fill out the on-line form at: http://seattleemergencyhubs.org. Your personal or organizational contact information will be publicly available for other community members to see on the Seattle Emergency NeighborLink Map.