(Syracuse, NY – May 16, 2013) The Central New York Chapter of the American Red Cross is asking Onondaga County residents who have not taken the Community Resilience Strategy survey to visit www.cnyprepare.org and complete the survey by May 31.
The Red Cross, Onondaga County Department of Emergency Management, Onondaga County Health Department, and Food Bank of Central New York have partnered to create a Community Resilience Strategy that aims to make Onondaga County better prepared in the event of a disaster.
The survey, which takes about 10 minutes to complete, is part of Phase I of the strategy. In Phase I, the partners are identifying the county’s disaster preparedness strengths and weaknesses through meetings, town hall discussions, and surveys for the general public. The survey at www.cnyprepare.org asks residents questions about their level of preparedness, and their answers will help the partners identify and fill the critical gaps that currently exist in the county’s disaster preparedness strategies.
The Red Cross is urging residents in the western and southern areas of the county (Jordan, Elbridge, Skaneateles, Marietta, Tully, Lafayette and Fabius) to take the survey because responses from those areas have been light and the partners want fair representation from the entire county.
Onondaga County has traditionally not been susceptible to high-profile disasters such as hurricanes. But with Hurricane Irene and Superstorm Sandy causing massive flooding in the state in the past two years, Central New York is now as vulnerable to natural disasters as other areas. And Onondaga County also needs to be prepared at all times for man-made disasters such as chemical spills and nuclear accidents.
National Grid is the presenting sponsor of the Community Resilience Strategy and has contributed $150,000 for implementation of the program.
For more information about the Community Resilience Strategy or to schedule an interview with one of the officials from the partnering agencies, contact Matt Michael at (315) 234-2220, (315) 719-3701 (mobile) or matt.michael@redcross.org.