--- title: Hosting a Neighborhood Emergency Preparedness Meeting description: How to organize your block for disaster readiness, from first phone call to follow-up. category: safety tags: [emergency-preparedness, neighborhood, community, disaster-planning] version: "1.0" updated: 2026-09-09 sources: - name: Preparing for Disaster (FEMA) url: https://www.fema.gov/pdf/library/pfd.pdf - name: Individuals and Communities | FEMA.gov url: https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/individuals-communities - name: Getting Organized Using SNAP: Host Planning Guide and Agenda (Seattle Office of Emergency Management) url: https://www.seattle.gov/documents/departments/emergency/preparedness/snap/gettingorganized/phase%202%20packet%20-%20getting%20organized%20-%20update%2002-01-2011.pdf - name: Map Your Neighborhood – Santa Cruz County CERT url: https://santacruzcountycert.org/resources/myn/ - name: Map Your Neighborhood – JEPP url: https://jeppgroup.org/how-to-contribute/map-your-neighborhood/ - name: Washington State Emergency Management Division – Map Your Neighborhood guide url: https://mil.wa.gov/asset/5dbc4d5ff2af3 --- Getting your street or block together before disaster hits is one of the most useful things a neighbor can do — it's how people end up with a plan for who checks on the elderly couple next door, where everyone meets if phones are down, and who has the chainsaw. You don't need special training to run this; you just need a date, a few flyers, and about two hours. Here's how to go from first phone call to follow-up. ## Before You Set a Date - [ ] Check if your city or county already runs a program `{essential}` Many fire departments and emergency management offices offer free "Map Your Neighborhood" or similar kits with workbooks and discussion guides, so you're not building the meeting from scratch. - [ ] Keep the group a manageable size Map Your Neighborhood is implemented through an interactive meeting with 10–20 neighbors in one of their homes, small enough for real conversation. - [ ] Pick a location before you invite anyone `{when: group-wont-fit-in-a-home}` A living room works for a small block; borrow a community room or church hall for a bigger group. - [ ] Request any official materials early `{essential}` Be prepared to give your name, address, phone number, meeting date, and the number of neighbors you are inviting, and allow about two weeks for processing and mailing or arrange to pick up the materials. - [ ] Invite a rep from the fire department, police, or Red Cross if one's available locally Some will attend or help run part of the session for free. ## Inviting Your Neighbors - [ ] Go door to door with a personal invite where you can It gets far more people than a flyer alone. - [ ] Leave a written reminder after each personal invite A written reminder is left with each neighbor after a personal invitation has been made, so the date doesn't get forgotten. - [ ] Track who you've invited with a sign-up roster A Sign Up Roster Template helps the block facilitator or leader track the packets they distribute. - [ ] Post signs on the block a day or two before the meeting Directs people to the right door or room. - [ ] Ask each household quietly in advance whether anyone needs mobility help or has medical equipment on hand `{when: unfamiliar-with-neighbors}` So you can flag it during the meeting. ## Setting Up the Room - [ ] Arrange chairs so people can see and talk to each other, not sit in rows facing a screen Arrange the room so that people can easily talk with each other. - [ ] Get materials organized and ready to hand out before anyone arrives Packets, sign-in sheet, blank block map. - [ ] Test any facilitator video or DVD ahead of time if your program uses one `{when: session-depends-on-video}` `{essential}` A dead battery or scratched disc can sink the whole meeting. ## Running the Meeting - [ ] Open with a quick round of introductions Start with name and where you live, and any preparedness tip or helpful hint learned along the way, which breaks the ice fast. - [ ] State the purpose up front The purpose is to map the neighborhood and identify the locations of the meeting site, first aid station, and shelter/care site, and to organize who will do what tasks. - [ ] Remind everyone that household prep comes first `{essential}` Personal and family preparedness is the foundation for the rest of the planning process. A neighborhood plan can't cover for someone with no water, meds, or plan of their own. - [ ] Walk through the immediate post-disaster steps together These are the first 9 steps to take immediately following a disaster to secure your home and protect your neighborhood, since it's hard to think clearly following disaster and these steps help people quickly and safely take actions that minimize damage and protect lives. - [ ] Fill in the map and lists on the spot rather than taking blank forms home The handout contains the 9-step response plan, a skill and equipment inventory, and a neighborhood map and contact list. - [ ] Set up a "Help/OK" sign system so neighbors can signal status from their door without going house to house `{when: neighbors-with-mobility-limits}` `{essential}` It's often the fastest way rescuers or neighbors learn who needs checking on first. - [ ] Note who has useful skills or gear on the block First aid training, radio, generator, chainsaw — so people know what's available without guessing. - [ ] Confirm the neighborhood meeting point (and first aid/shelter site if you're doing the fuller version) and mark it on the map - [ ] Set a realistic ask for follow-up You don't need the whole street actively involved for the plan to work; a couple of committed volunteers keeps things moving. ## After the Meeting - [ ] Report back to your local emergency office that the meeting happened `{essential}` It's important to reconnect with your local office and let them know you have organized your neighbors, so they know you've taken steps to help each other and can add your block to their mapping/tracking system. This is often how your block gets folded into official response planning. - [ ] Send back any evaluation forms if your program included them A Program Evaluation lets the block facilitator or leader report to the city, county, or state emergency management office. - [ ] Deliver packets to anyone who signed up but missed the meeting Use your roster to track who's still owed one. - [ ] Keep your own copy of the map and contact list somewhere you can find it in the dark Go-bag, glovebox, or by the front door. - [ ] Revisit the list once a year to update contacts and mark new neighbors `{when: high-turnover-block}` People move and numbers change.