HARLEM, Manhattan (PIX11) — Beverly Smith stopped by a booth run by Mount Sinai’s trauma center to get more information about stopping the bleeding if someone is wounded.
On the other side of the room, Harlem Hospital brought a video game of sorts to teach people about fire extinguisher use, in additional to a display about pulling an incapacitated person to safety.
It was all part of the Emergency Preparedness Day event hosted by the emergency broadcast team at WHCR, the City College of New York’s radio station.
They brought together private groups and public resources such as the FDNY and New York City Emergency Management to help community members in the room and on a live stream plan and prepare for any situation.
“Our hope is that folks will become more aware of emergency preparedness as an issue,” said Stuart Reid of the WHCR emergency broadcast team.
“We are a public university, and that means we need to be a resource to the public, particularly around areas like emergency preparedness,” said Dr. Vincent Boudreau, the City College president.
Increasingly the event focuses on natural disasters — from floods to smoke caused by wildfires.
The Rev. Dr. Anesta Vannoy stepped people through the various items she keeps in her own go bag, including a radio, snacks, and a jacket, in case she needs to evacuate somewhere quickly.
Having copies of your important identifying papers and medicine is also crucial, residents learned.
The event has been held for the last decade, but it really picked up momentum and importance in recent years with the rise in flooding concerns, the COVID-19 pandemic and the increase in crime that came in tandem with the pandemic.
