10:59 am | Aug 31, 2009
On Driftwood: It’s neighbor for neighbor
On Saturday, residents on Seal Beach’s Driftwood Avenue gathered to talk about how they could all work together during a crisis.
They swapped phone numbers and e-mail addresses. They picked up tips from disaster experts. And then everyone pitched in for a lunchtime potluck on the street. “What a success!” says Lani Beggs.
Lani organized Driftwood’s first N4N — Neighbor for Neighbor — event with her husband, Dave, and friends Wink Chase and Pattie Laird.
She shares this report:
Todd DeVoe, the Emergency Services Coordinator for the Seal Beach Police Department, was present, along with a fire extinguisher company that offered to check all of the neighbors fire extinguishers. A Gas Company representative demonstrated how to turn off your gas in an emergency and offered important tips in case of an emergency. An Earthquake/Disaster preparedness rep was also available to answer questions and let everyone know what they need to store for emergencies.
The meet and greet was a great way for all of the neighbors to meet each other on such a long street (59 homes). We also were able to gather information to make a Driftwood Phone directory and obtain household information to check on others who would need priority assistance in case of an emergency (elderly, disabled, etc.).
We encourage other Seal Beach neighbors to come together and provide these important tools and information to other neighbors.
The Driftwood group has set up an e-mail group and is offering to share information with other Seal Beach neighbors who want to get organized. The address is: driftwoodn4n@yahoo.com.
For more information about the city’s emergency preparedness programs, contact Todd Devoe at tdevoe@ci.seal-beach.ca.us.
Learn more about the West Orange County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), a community-oriented disaster preparation program for residents of Los Alamitos, Seal Beach, Buena Park, La Palma and Westminster.
Photos: Top (left to right) Lani Beggs, Wink Chase, Pattie Laird and Todd DeVoe; Below: Neighbors gather on Driftwood Avenue for a lunchtime potluck during Saturday’s “Neighbor for Neighbor” event.
Posted by donna | emergencies, neighbors, seal beach
