News from PREP

I have heard recently that some people who live on the Point don’t really know what Point Roberts Emergency Preparedness (PREP) is and what it does, so I wanted to address that issue as well as give a bit of an update on what PREP has been up to lately.

PREP, above all, is a 501C3 nonprofit organization in the state of Washington. Its stated purpose is to educate the residents of Point Roberts on the need to prepare for emergencies. As such, we provide educational brochures and pamphlets as well as training classes for all kinds of emergencies including earthquakes, wildland fires, tsunamis, windstorms and other natural disasters.

We also aid in the preparation for emergencies community wide. Part of the preparation includes identifying what locations can serve as shelters for people displaced from their homes, as well as the storage of supplies needed for these people. It also includes having volunteers to help open the shelters and pass out food and bedding if needed and providing power stations to charge cell phones and radios as well as connectivity to internet for personal communication needs.

PREP also offers good communications with a higher level of assistance through ham radios and communications towers in the event that phone lines and cell phones are no longer working. 

One of the projects that we are currently working on is the Tower Project. This project came about because of the major windstorm in December 2018. During this storm power was out to most of the Point due to downed trees as well as major damage to many homes on the Point. Cell phone reception remained up for most of the Point, but when attempting to use the ham radio antenna located at the community center, it was discovered that the wind had blown it over. PREP stepped up to purchase and erect a communications tower that could withstand a major windstorm and be available when needed. Due to Covid, this project was slowed down but still moved forward with the acquisition of the tower and equipment needed to function. It was slowed again with a shortage of concrete on the Point due to a strike, but this project has started moving ahead recently with help from two local contractors who have stepped up in a big way to finish installing the base for the tower. A big thanks to Anthony Stephani and Eric Johnson for their work in helping to get this done.

Projects that were completed this year included:

• Wildland fire training and wildland fire assessments for individual homes on the Point. This was conducted by Whatcom and Skagit Conservation Districts with assistance from PREP.

• Emergency Response Training conducted by fire chief Christopher Carleton at the fire hall.

• Disaster Airlift Response Team (DART) Fly in training at Lighthouse Park, where we landed two float planes filled with over 500 lbs. of food that was donated to the Point Roberts Food Bank. Thanks to Ross Bradie for his leadership and the fire department for all their assistance!

• Communications project to get wireless freely available at various locations around the Point in event of Emergency. Thanks to Mark Robbins for his efforts on this project.

Projects that are coming up for the rest of the year are:

• Finishing the Tower Project at the fire hall. This involves successfully connecting it to the PREP/CERT trailer.

• Joke Telling Contest to be held at the community center on Saturday, August 19 at 7 p.m. We all need a little humor in our lives!

• Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training to be held in September. This training is to prepare individuals on how they can assist the community in the event of an actual emergency and involves 24 hours of training over a two-weekend period. If you would like to participate, we would love to have you join us!

• New web page for PREP.

For more info, email Prepgroup17@gmail.com.