Plans must not be placed on a shelf to collect dust. It is important to set a date to review, revise (if needed) and exercise the plan annually. Use the following 5 Steps to keep your neighborhood prepared.
- Increase opportunities for contact among neighborhood residents. Knowing your neighbors better will increase trust and relationships. It will also produce the desired results of your action plan. Some activities could be a block party, a neighborhood treasure hunt, movie night, a running club, etc.
- Conduct quarterly meetings or whenever possible. Not only does this increase contact with your neighbors, but can provide valuable preparedness training to the community. Review the Facilitators Guide (PDF) for meeting topics.
- Set a date to review the plan annually and make changes to the leaders and team members, if needed. Pick a day of the year that can be easily remembered. It could be the first of the year when people change the batteries in their smoke detectors, or the first day of spring.
- After the plan has been reviewed, exercise it!
- Celebrate your neighborhood success and repeat.