Following in the footsteps of other neighborhoods, a group of Ballardites have banded together to create Ballard’s disaster plan. The group consists of people involved with the Ballard District Council, Swedish Ballard, the liveaboard association, the industrial association and the chamber.
Rita Weinstein is one of those spearheading the group. She created the website, Ballard Prepares, as the infrastructure for Ballard’s disaster plan. “This will include first aid and other training, resources assessment of neighborhoods, and setting up and staffing communications hubs,” she tells us. The planning is still in its infancy but the folks involved are well on their way. Catherine Weatbrook, the president of the Ballard District Council, tells us that they have already determined a half dozen hubs for the neighborhood to congregate at and are now verifying that these spots are usable in the case of a disaster — that they aren’t over gas lines, they can get a radio signal, etc.
Weatbrook says that they will be looking for volunteers and resources in the near future. All that information will be posted on their website.