Emergency Managers in the San Juan Islands in Washington State who have been following the Woodstock, Vermont Flood Crisis as a result of Hurricane Irene have been working this week to help update a map they created of Woodstock for us with all reports of activity.
Woodstock Early Bird has not had to time to update it or to post to it (manage it) until now but thanks San Juan County Emergency Management for their contribution!
The San Juan Islands, another popular and beautiful tourist destination like Woodstock, Vermont, has many potential disaster issue parallels.
They are observing our situation and using it to help educate their own residents to learn the importance of emergency preparedness (Issues such as having emergency water, food, hazmat response, flooding plans, volunteer coordination, FEMA funding and so forth). Here is their present for us, not quite wrapped up in a pretty bow, but pretty close:
http://woodstockflood2011.crowdmap.com/
Check it out. Great Template for Organizing. Volunteers may want to use this or start one up of their own.
And below a letter to San Juan County, Washington residents as they look to Vermont from 3,000 miles away:
Press Release
For immediate release
Contact info:
Dave Halloran
Assistant Director
San County/Friday Harbor
Dept. of Emergency Management
370-0587
Goodnight Irene
Like the folk song, Hurricane Irene has left many tales of woe in it’s path of destruction. Emergency Managers frequently use these as examples and cautionary tales, and this is another plea to readers to prepare their homes and neighborhoods for a disaster such as an earthquake.
What is different this time is that I am asking readers to look at a blog from Woodstock, Vermont. The editor of the Woodstock Early Bird blog (www.woodstockearlybird.com) has been chronicling events in the small town in central Vermont since the onset of the storm. The blog has ended up being a primary source of local news and information for those in the area. Woodstock residents have suffered damaging flooding, hazmat incidents, loss of their public water supply, power outages, road damage leaving areas completely isolated and more. It’s not just stories of damage, now there are cleanup parties and community suppers as residents pull together to bounce back from the flooding. Just like islanders, Vermonters are a hardy bunch.
So yes, this is a cautionary tale and a plea. Take some time to review your own preparedness. We can learn from the experience and story of this small town in Vermont. If you are starting from square one, here is your first step: store one gallon of water for each person and pet in your household per day for one week (7 gallons per person and pet). See the San Juan County and Town of Friday Harbor Department of Emergency Management website for more preparedness information at sanjuandem.net/prepare or call 370-0587 for assistance and information in preparing your family and neighborhood. Preparedness is a cornerstone of building a disaster resistant community – and yes, it’s the island way!
Links:
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Julia Carlisle
Woodstock Early Bird 
Posted by Maren on September 1, 2011 at 20:48
What a fantastic map. Your community efforts are very impressive. Good luck, Woodstock!!
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