As a previous ORW Special Interest Group, about 30 women worked together to prepare ourselves and our members for natural disaster emergencies that could affect our community. A unique cooperative effort was developed to ensure individual success.
The “E-Prep” Group first divided into teams to research various preparedness topics. The teams then gave PowerPoint presentations on a full range of those topics to educate the whole E-Prep Group. An E-Prep Manual, with educational materials and action checklists on defensible space, home hardening, go bags, stay bags, and more, was also developed by the group. Next, the teams used their new knowledge and the action checklists to individually prepare for a disaster, with a supportive team providing guidance and encouragement for nearly a year.
The tremendous success of the E-Prep Manual for helping ORW members become better prepared for natural disasters had been noted by our larger community.
As a continuation of their original emergency preparation work, organizers of the first ORW E-Prep group began promoting the use of “Map Your Neighborhood” within the ORW community and the whole of Oakmont Village.
Map Your Neighborhood is a national program designed to save lives when an emergency or disaster strikes, based on the premise that the best resource in an emergency is most often your close neighbors.
As a followup to the E-Prep manual, the Oakmont Ready program was launched in which residents were given tips, via the weekly Oakmont newsletter, to guide them through specific areas of preparedness.
In 2023, Map Your Neighborhood was renamed to Meet Your Neighbors. This emergency preparation program is to help residents prepare for wildfire, evacuation, earthquake and other disasters. Learn more about the Oakmont MYN Program here.
The original E-Prep manual and the Oakmont Ready Tips have been incorporated into a new manual with 3 sections: New Resident Welcome Packet, Oakmont Ready Tips, Emergency Preparedness. This manual is available to all new and existing residents in hardcopy and in PDF format.
The MYN program now has the responsibility for the E-Prep manual and all questions should be directed to them: MYNOakmont@gmail.com