Living here on South Whidbey seems to be the life, but what would people do if Whidbey had an emergency?

Lynn Sterbenz, the emergency preparedness consultant to the city of Langley, has poured lots of energy into providing answers in the past year. As a result the Langley Community Emergency Shelter is taking shape just in time for National Preparedness Month, created by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The Langley team’s goal for this annual September event is to spark awareness about emergencies and to be prepared if one were to ever occur.

“The Langley Community Emergency Shelter team plans to recruit, train and sustain their network of volunteers and to organize volunteers so that the shelter runs safely and smoothly and that no one individual becomes overburdened,” Sterbenz explained.

South Whidbey’s active involvement has brought together three Langley churches with the city of Langley and developed the Langley Community Emergency Shelter, a consortium of agencies that came together in 2007 to develop and provide a much-needed service to the Langley community and surrounding areas during emergencies or disasters. The partnership consists of representatives from the Langley Christian and Missionary Alliance Church, the Langley United Methodist Church, St. Hubert Catholic Church and the city of Langley.

Periodically, the team meets to discuss a plan that details how an emergency shelter would be developed, activated and operated in Langley.

“It is very important that a leadership group of volunteers divide the main responsibilities of running a shelter,” Sterbenz said.

“Ideally, that group would be composed of a shelter coordinator, a food coordinator, a supplies coordinator and a volunteer coordinator. We hope to recruit volunteers from each of the partnering churchs’ congregations, as well as citizens of Langley and surrounding areas.”

A few simple steps and some regular planning and practicing will go a long way toward responding to and recovering from a wide range of emergencies. The Langley Community Emergency Shelter team is doing just that, Sterbenz said.

Activating a shelter in a small, rural city on an island presents unique challenges and strengths, she added.

“Each of the four agencies involved in the consortium have different strengths and assets to bring to the table,” Sterbenz said. “Together they are able to combine the necessary resources and support they need to produce an emergency team.”

The Langley Community Emergency Shelter needs volunteers. The team will begin its shelter operations training this fall and is seeking interested people to train in many different aspects, including shelter management, food and water storage, first aid/CPR and other essential skills.

To find out more, contact Sterbenz at sterbenz@whidbey.com or 360-929-6132.