Blockwatch and Preparedness

  To promote a safer and more connected community, the Mirrormont Community Association (MCA) is providing information on Blockwatch and Disaster Preparedness.

Since we live in a geographically spread-out and secluded neighborhood, a Blockwatch is a great way for neighbors to meet each other and help protect their street from events like vandalism, theft, power outages and winter storms that we periodically experience in Mirrormont.

Getting Started

The MCA recommends that you start a Blockwatch on your street. To get started, we ask that you volunteer to meet your neighbors that live on your block and share basic contact information with them. A “block” typically consists of the 5-10 houses located closest to your home. The contact information (Name, Address, Phone Numbers, and E-Mail addresses) is then only shared amongst the other neighbors that live on the immediate block, to maintain privacy. Once the contact list has been compiled, neighbors are then asked to keep their eyes and ears open for any unusual behavior in the neighborhood and contact the police for anything suspicious. The Blockwatch acts in a monitoring and reporting capacity, while enforcement is left to the police.

Preparedness

In a localized emergency, we can rely on police and other professional emergency responders. In a catastrophic disaster, emergency responders will be overwhelmed at first and support will fall on neighbors helping neighbors. The Blockwatch is a great support platform for the neighborhood that can also be expanded to include Disaster Preparedness. The city of Issaquah also provides “Community Emergency Response Team” (CERT) training to local citizens, to help prepare and support their neighbors in a disaster through a program call “Map Your Neighborhood” (MYN).

CERT Training & MYN

There are a few Mirrormont neighbors that have already taken CERT and MYN training and are available to assist those that are interested in learning how to organize their block’s needs/skills/supplies for Disaster Preparedness. You can also take CERT training yourself. The next CERT training begins September 24^th, 2009. For more information, see http://new.issaquahcitizencorps.com (or http://issaquahcitizencorps.com).

E-mail: Blockwatch@mirrormont.org for more info on how you can get started.

-MAKE NEW CONNECTIONS-           -LEARN NEW SKILLS-

-SUPPORT YOUR NEIGHBORS-  -LEAD BY EXAMPLE-