Description
Community-based organizations are often the first responders during emergencies. Improved coordination with local government can greatly improve community preparedness overall. King County will work across agencies and with residents to develop and expand community engagement efforts to lead and inform emergency preparedness and severe weather response. This includes exploring strategies and/or opportunities for partnership to:
- Involve homeless service providers more directly in preparedness planning and coordination of emergency service delivery;
- Establish a regular forum that includes people with lived experience to provide feedback on climate preparedness and response, lead strategies to mitigate climate injustice, and ensure equitable distribution of severe weather supplies; and
- Create a communication infrastructure for information sharing between service providers, which can also be used during climate events to get real time data on what agencies are operational, what resources are available or needed, and coordinate efforts to support people experiencing homelessness.