Fundraiser for a Maple Leaf Emergency Hub
Donation protected
Just like our homes need to be prepared, our communities need to be ready for emergency events as well. What will Maple Leaf do when disaster hits? Inaccessible roads, destroyed homes, trapped neighbor, no power or water? Maple Leaf can come together to support each other in a time of crisis by connecting with each other at an established Emergency Hub location.
What is an Emergency Hub?
An Emergency Hub is a predetermined location where neighbors and community members can gather after a major disaster to exchange information and resources among themselves without relying on assistance from City services. These Emergency Hubs serve as a central gathering place after a disaster for neighbors to help each other.
Our Maple Leaf neighborhood already has one officially designated Emergency Hub location at the Maple Leaf Reservoir Park. To better serve the neighborhood, the Maple Leaf Community Council is working to get a second official designated Hub at the Maple Leaf Community Garden on 5th Ave and 103rd Street. Maple Leaf residents will manage a crisis with a ‘neighbors supporting neighbors’ approach, and the Emergency Hub will be the central point where neighbors can get connected.
These Emergency Hub locations are made stronger and more effective when they also contain an “emergency kit” – a box of supplies called an Emergency Hub In A Box. These boxes help communities more effectively communicate after a disaster hits. However our neighborhood currently does not have one of these secured boxes filled with materials. The Maple Leaf Community Council is looking to change that.
The box will not contain actual emergency supplies; rather it will contain supplies that help with information sharing and communication. So following a major disaster, the Hub in a Box will facilitate people getting connected with things they need. For instance, the neighbor with no water will get connected to another neighbor who has a full rain barrel. The neighbor whose family member is trapped behind a tree will be connected to another neighbor who has a gas powered chainsaw. The neighbor who has a family member injured is connected to the neighbor who is a nurse or doctor. The focus is community information sharing and helping each other help themselves, instead of waiting for first responders. Which is great because in the event of a major disaster, it is estimated that it will likely take over a week to 2 weeks before emergency responders would arrive to the Maple Leaf area. That’s a long time after a massive event to wait for help when you really need it.
Many neighborhoods around Seattle are starting to get their Hub in a Box in place. But these boxes are quite expensive. Each box (we’re hoping for 2!) will cost around $700 (and that's just for the box!) plus around $700 each to fill them with a suite of supplies that the Seattle Emergency Communication Hubs program suggests we fill it with: canopy, tables, chairs, megaphone, batteries, white board and markers, lanterns, tarps, hard hats, duct tape, clip boards, whistles, ham radios, crank radios … you get the picture). The more money we can raise, the more complete our box will be and the more likely we can purchase and fill 2 boxes. Please note: The box will NOT contain food or medical supplies, nor will it be an emergency shelter site.
What is an Emergency Hub?
An Emergency Hub is a predetermined location where neighbors and community members can gather after a major disaster to exchange information and resources among themselves without relying on assistance from City services. These Emergency Hubs serve as a central gathering place after a disaster for neighbors to help each other.
Our Maple Leaf neighborhood already has one officially designated Emergency Hub location at the Maple Leaf Reservoir Park. To better serve the neighborhood, the Maple Leaf Community Council is working to get a second official designated Hub at the Maple Leaf Community Garden on 5th Ave and 103rd Street. Maple Leaf residents will manage a crisis with a ‘neighbors supporting neighbors’ approach, and the Emergency Hub will be the central point where neighbors can get connected.
These Emergency Hub locations are made stronger and more effective when they also contain an “emergency kit” – a box of supplies called an Emergency Hub In A Box. These boxes help communities more effectively communicate after a disaster hits. However our neighborhood currently does not have one of these secured boxes filled with materials. The Maple Leaf Community Council is looking to change that.
The box will not contain actual emergency supplies; rather it will contain supplies that help with information sharing and communication. So following a major disaster, the Hub in a Box will facilitate people getting connected with things they need. For instance, the neighbor with no water will get connected to another neighbor who has a full rain barrel. The neighbor whose family member is trapped behind a tree will be connected to another neighbor who has a gas powered chainsaw. The neighbor who has a family member injured is connected to the neighbor who is a nurse or doctor. The focus is community information sharing and helping each other help themselves, instead of waiting for first responders. Which is great because in the event of a major disaster, it is estimated that it will likely take over a week to 2 weeks before emergency responders would arrive to the Maple Leaf area. That’s a long time after a massive event to wait for help when you really need it.
Many neighborhoods around Seattle are starting to get their Hub in a Box in place. But these boxes are quite expensive. Each box (we’re hoping for 2!) will cost around $700 (and that's just for the box!) plus around $700 each to fill them with a suite of supplies that the Seattle Emergency Communication Hubs program suggests we fill it with: canopy, tables, chairs, megaphone, batteries, white board and markers, lanterns, tarps, hard hats, duct tape, clip boards, whistles, ham radios, crank radios … you get the picture). The more money we can raise, the more complete our box will be and the more likely we can purchase and fill 2 boxes. Please note: The box will NOT contain food or medical supplies, nor will it be an emergency shelter site.
Organizer
Maple Leaf Community Council
Organizer
Seattle, WA