The Tabernacle Sun
The Tabernacle Township Committee recognized AmeriCorps NCCC Team Moose 2 at a council meeting on May 28.
AmeriCorps had partnered with Col. William C. Lowe and the Office of Emergency Management to help educate residents on what to do in the event of an emergency. The Office of Emergency Management was established to assist and provide services necessary to the safety of residents.
Beginning May 12, Team Moose 2 visited every residence in Tabernacle to distribute packets of information for families to use when preparing for an emergency. Included in the packet was a letter explaining how to enroll the household in the emergency notification system, as well as the recently proposed wildfire protection plan. The notification system is an automated directory that contacts residents by phone, alerting them of an emergency.
The team encouraged community members to prioritize making a family emergency preparedness plan. Individuals and families were also given a checklist of provisions to put in an emergency preparedness kit. Items include enough water for 72 hours, medications that are regularly taken, as well as blankets and flashlights.
Lowe said that awareness is the biggest key in preparing the community for an emergency.
“Education of the community is extremely important,” Lowe said. “This was an emergency preparedness exercise that will go a long way in benefitting our community in case of an emergency.”
The team was also tasked with recognizing residents with special needs who may need assistance in emergency situations. Township administrator Doug Cramer said the registry of those who need assistance grew from four to 50 after Team Moose’s awareness campaign.
Team Leader Rosslyn Jordan, Aunesti Dennard, Alicia Spack, Jaemia Pratt, Bryan Lundholm, Erik Vancleve and Ben Quimby make up the team. They stayed at the Tabernacle Emergency Services Building while completing the project. The team officially finished the exercise May 29 and departed on May 30.
In addition to going door to door, Team Moose 2 partnered with the Tabernacle Historical Society in the continued restoration of The Pepper-Knight House on Carranza Road. They also helped carry the flag in the township’s Memorial Day parade.
“The committee would like to take this opportunity to thank AmeriCorps NCCC Team Moose 2 and recognize their efforts in serving this community and its residents and wish them well as they continue future endeavors,” Mayor Stephen Lee said.
In other news:
The committee passed an ordinance that codifies all existing traffic ordinances. Parking regulations, speed limits, no passing zones and designated handicap zones are all listed under one ordinance, making enforcement by the state police much more streamlined. The traffic engineer and the committee reviewed both the new and existing ordinances before updating.
