By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
If the tsunami siren went off, would you have the presence of mind to do more than gather up your family, and maybe a cell phone, and head for high ground?
Maybe. But at least one high-schooler would like to help Sitkans be better prepared.
“After the last evacuation, it was pretty clear most Sitkans don’t have a 14-day kit ready,” said Taya Warren, 16, a junior at Mt. Edgecumbe High School. “If something happens, they couldn’t be ready to sustain their families without help from the city or state.”
Taya Warren, at the Lynnwood, Wash., FEMA office. (Photo provided)
So when she was asked if she was interested in a position on the Youth Preparedness Council for Region 10 of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, she said yes.
And she was pleased to hear she’d been selected as one of two Alaskan teens for the nine-member council, representing Alaska, Washington, Oregon and Idaho. The group met recently at the FEMA Region 10 office in Lynnwood, Wash.
“My favorite part was meeting all the other council members from all the other states,” she said.
Taya, who lives in Sitka, is a certified Emergency Trauma Technician and is also certified in basic life support. At the fire department, she has helped out as a volunteer patient at the fire hall mass casualty drills.
Fire Chief Dave Miller said he nominated Taya after receiving a call from the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, asking for nominees for the council.
“They said, ‘we need to have a young person who would be beneficial to helping out the community and Sitka, and Alaska,’” the chief said. “‘And we need to know that name tonight.’ I ran through my list at who would be great at it, and we have a lot of great kids in Sitka. I know Taya very well, and I know she’s interested in doing great things.”
She and Blake Rogers of Big Lake were selected from Alaska, joining three members of the youth preparedness team from Washington state, two from Idaho and two from Oregon.
The YPC was founded to bring together young leaders from across the U.S. interested in supporting and promoting disaster preparedness in their communities.
In a statement recognizing the young Alaska volunteers, Alaska DHSEM Director Mike Sutton said:
“We are proud to recognize these young leaders for their dedication to service and commitment to helping communities become more prepared for emergencies. As advocates, council members are able to engage their peers across the region in fostering a true culture of preparedness.”
Taya said there’s a lot to do when it comes to preparedness in the event of a disaster. She recalled one of the recent tsunami warnings and the evacuation to the designated shelters on high ground.
“We (the community) weren’t prepared at all,” she said. “All people had was their purse or backpack, a phone and charger. No one is really ready at all. Everyone just picks up and leaves.”
The kids on the council talked at their meeting about what they could do in their own communities and states to help get youths involved, and spread the word about being prepared, in the event of a disaster. Taya is planning to start her work on her own turf, at Mt. Edgecumbe High School, where presentations are scheduled for October.
FEMA said the kids were selected “based on their dedication to public service, community involvement and the potential to expand the impact of youth preparedness in their community.”
Miller said he saw a few advantages to nominating Taya, as a Mt. Edgecumbe High School student.
“I thought she’d be good, and could cover about 120 communities at one school – that’s a big plus,” Miller said. He said he also knew Taya would have the support of her father, SFD senior engineer Craig Warren, who’s also involved in local emergency preparedness.
September is National Preparedness Month, when FEMA “reminds us that we all must prepare ourselves and our families now and throughout the year.”
