The Huntsville Item, Huntsville, TX

Local News

Discussion

August 24, 2009

HPD to host pandemic training session

By Matthew Jackson

HUNTSVILLE — The Huntsville Police Department will host a pandemic preparation training session for members of its Neighborhood Watch groups Thursday at 6 p.m. at the police department.

Though the meeting is primarily geared toward Neighborhood Watch coordinators, participants in any Huntsville Neighborhood Watch group are also invited to attend.

The meeting will focus on how to prepare for a possible pandemic that could cripple government and emergency response infrastructure, and will offer preparation techniques and ideas for both households and neighborhoods as a whole.

According to Joe Thornton, Community Services Officer for the HPD, who is conducting the training session, the goal is to prepare local neighborhoods for the approaching flu season, and the possible threat of a swine flu wave.

“If that happens, there's certainly a chance that first responds could not get to a neighborhood quickly due to the chance of an overwhelming pandemic,” Thornton said. “If you're approaching that from a prevention standpoint, then it's good to get the whole neighborhood working together.

“If you've prepared for a pandemic, then you're prepared for most natural disasters.”

Thornton said much of the meeting will utilize material released by the Department of Homeland Security, and will be geared toward proper accumulation and management of resources in the event of a pandemic, both on a single and multi-home level.

Because waves of pandemics typically last between five and six weeks, Thornton said the training session will properly focus on storing and maintaining a stock of food, medication and sanitary protective gear such as gloves and masks for a long period of time.

The meeting will also include information on how to properly organize a neighborhood group in the event of a pandemic.

“If there is a high illness rate, there won't be deliveries to grocery stores or drug stores, so being prepared is very important,” Thornton said. “We're not trying to panic people. We just want to emphasize the importance of being prepared.”

Thornton said he hopes similar pandemic training programs can be organized in the near future. For more information, contact the HPD at (936) 291-5480.

Text Only
Local News