Germantown neighbor Alex McNeil (standing) interacting with some of the equipment passed around during the emergency preparedness workshop. (Photo: Pryce Jamison)

This story was produced as part of Next City’s joint Equitable Cities Reporting Fellowship with Resolve Philly’s Germantown Info Hub.

Germantown neighbor, Dominique London, is clear about how community accountability is essential for emergency preparedness and climate resilience.

“There is no large-scale disaster relief team coming; It’s important to recognize that you are the help that is coming,” she exclaimed. “It makes sense to start coming up with strategies when government responses are either too slow or nonexistent.”

As an educator on emergency preparedness skills throughout the past six years, London says most folks aren’t exactly ready and well-equipped. “America in general is a very exceptionalist society where we think things happen around us, but not to us,” she said.

Since January, London has been facilitating Germantown Residents Economic Alternatives Together (GREAT)’s emergency preparedness workshop series.

The series is designed to help community members in Germantown build readiness skills for emergencies as well as long-term climate resilience. It’s part of the Germantown Climate Resilience Planning Project, created through GREAT’s partnership with Drexel University’s Academy of Natural Sciences.

The workshops have focused on general emergency preparedness, food and water storage, and living through power outages — topics London says she selected through her own “lived experience” as well as the unique natural and built environment of Northwest Philadelphia.

“When there’s a storm of any breeze, a tree is falling,” she says. “And when there’s a fallen tree, you can always guarantee that there’s going to be a power outage.”

Germantown is no stranger to urban flash flooding: the old creeks and sewers that parts of the neighborhood were built upon often become overwhelmed during storms, and gentrification-driven development has increased the amount of impervious surfaces in the area. The city has been working for years to mitigate the impact of flooding through green stormwater infrastructure, discounted flood insurance, and other measures.

But GREAT, which has been working to improve neighborhood water resilience since 2023, wants residents to know they can take action to protect their own households, too. 

“Leave space for everyone to ask questions and share, and then take the information that I’ve given you and share what you’ve learned [with] the wider community,” London said to attendees during Feb. 10’s workshop.

That workshop focused on how residents can prepare and safely store an emergency stock of food and water in case they need to shelter in place. Attendees learned about pantry building, recordkeeping, identifying expiration dates, water filtration, pest protection, and other skills.

Nearly every attendee could point to at least one particular experience that had prompted them to join the session.

For Germantown resident Alex McNeil, it was the water pipe freezing in his home during the historically cold winter, shutting off use of his main bathroom, shower, and washing machine. 

“What happens if this does happen and I’m snowed in and can’t get out of the house?” McNeil says. “That [pipe break] is an example of what led me to be initially interested and continue to learn as much as possible.”

In each session, London shares information about specific equipment and product recommendations at various price points – including do-it-yourself options, when possible – to ensure accessibility.

The most recent workshop focused on identifying energy sources to prepare for power outages, power surges, electromagnetic pulses, solar flares, and blackouts. London passed around a generator, a portable stove, batteries, propane tanks, and other tools among attendees, explaining how to store and operate each piece of equipment safely.

“No one plans for disaster,” says attendee and Germantown resident, Sumunya Sumi. “But if we don’t take the steps to understand what we should prepare for … the disaster, the trauma, the conflicts are going to be that much greater.”

But Sumi adds that it’s important for attendees to realize that one workshop won’t make them an expert: “You’re not going to be able to do a split or touch your toes after one day of yoga class. It takes a number of sessions and practice.”

Beyond building skills and learning about preparedness equipment, McNeil says that one of the most valuable aspects of the workshop series has been deepening relationships among local community members.

“There isn’t a government entity that’s really going to save us or make a difference, whether it’s [addressing a lack] of water, power, or food, it’s about understanding that these solutions need to be local,” he says. “The neighborhood and community level is what’s going to sustain us in a time of crisis.”

It’s an idea that’s been borne out by research. A 2022 study in two Boston neighborhoods vulnerable to flooding and heat waves found that residents who were more connected with neighbors and local networks were more likely to know about resources and services that could help them.

“Being socially isolated while trying to deal with an extreme weather event can be deadly, particularly for those who are more susceptible to dying from extreme weather,” Rev. Vernon Walker, a co-author of the study, told Nexus Media News.

Since 2020, GREAT has been working to develop these networks through its Community Connectors program, which focuses on organizing problem-solving and proactive preparation work at the block- and building-level. This year, from April to October, the group will be facilitating efforts by hyperlocal groups of neighbors to protect against water and flood disruptions.

The next and final event of the emergency preparedness series on March 24 will be a “make-and-take” workshop on emergency medicine. 

“I’m going to bring in some herbs and some jars,” London says. “Folks are going to make their own blends based on their needs, and add the first item in their apothecary.”

Pryce Jamison is Germantown Info Hub’s community engagement reporter and a Next City Equitable Cities Reporting Fellow. He covers Germantown and Philadelphia, with reporting that includes features, news, solution-focused and community-focused stories.