Mono County Residents Encouraged to Host NeighborFEST

MONO COUNTY, Calif. (MAY 30, 2023) – The Mono County Health Department has announced the launch of NeighborFEST – the world’s BEST block party!  NeighborFEST is a community program that offers participants an easy-to-use playbook that helps them produce a block party with the goal of building strong neighborhoods in advance of emergency situations.  The Mono County Health Department is encouraging Mono County residents to consider serving as a Block Champion, and hosting a NeighborFEST event in their community.  The Mono County Health Department supports these events by providing preparedness and response resources that better equip local communities for emergencies and disasters. 

“NeighborFEST empowers local communities to come together, build relationships with neighbors, and develop a plan to protect lives and property,” said Brianne Chappell-McGovern, Mono County Emergency Preparedness.  “These relationships prove critical in times of emergency and disaster.”

With the ongoing challenge of storms, fires, flooding, and other weather-related incidents, NeighborFEST is designed to strengthen cohesiveness at the community level, and build resilience among citizens to respond to a disaster or extreme event. 

Residents interested in learning more about NeighborFEST or potentially signing up to be a Block Champion are encouraged to call (760) 924-1830 and speak with a Mono County Health Department staff member.  The NeighborFEST toolkit can be accessed here.

READY Mono

The Mono County Office of Emergency Management launched READY Mono (READY.Mono.ca.gov) in August 2022.  READY Mono is designed to provide residents and visitors with emergency readiness, response, and recovery resources, and share real-time information and critical updates before, during, and after an emergency or natural disaster. 

“READY Mono is a one-stop shop for timely, accurate information related to local emergencies,” said Director Chris Mokracek.  “Whether it be a wildfire, extreme weather event, or a global pandemic, READY Mono is the go-to resource for readiness, response, and recovery.”

Residents and visitors are encouraged to visit the READY Mono portal to:

• Sign Up for Emergency Alerts: Mono County utilizes a cloud-based, public alerting and residential safety tool that allows government agencies to send geo-targeted urgent alerts to subscribers.
• Enable Your Smartphone for IPAWS: The Integrated Public Alert & Warning System (IPAWS) is the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s integrated wireless emergency alert and warning system.
• Find Your Zone: Zonehaven is an interactive app-based software system that provides real-time updates on local emergencies to communicate with targeted communities as it relates to evacuation orders.

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