Ready Your Neighborhood
Story and images courtesy Anthony Aguinaga, EMD
The City’s Emergency Management Dept. (EMD) has developed a program called Ready Your LA Neighborhood (RYLAN) to help your family and neighbors prepare for disasters.
RYLAN gives LA residents the steps to take immediately after a disaster, keeping you and your family safe. It provides the tools necessary to organize the neighborhood’s response plan within that first critical hour, reducing injuries, protecting property and saving lives.
EMD offers walkthroughs, orientations, workshops and drills. A walkthrough enables the Emergency Management Coordinator to assess the area and develop a comprehensive plan taking approximately one hour. Orientations are generally 15 to 20 minutes long and give the viewer a summarized version of what RYLAN offers. Workshops take a minimum of 90 minutes and go over the nine steps immediately after a disaster. They also identify a gathering site and care center, cover neighborhood skills and equipment inventory, roles and response teams, and complete a map/contact list.
Finally, EMD offers drills for those who have completed a workshop. Neighbors can practice what they learned by responding to lifelike scenarios. Those interested can register on our website (www.emergency.lacity.org), or call (213) 484-4800.
