BOTHELL, Wash. – Two teens from Alaska have been selected to be part of the inaugural Region 10 Youth Preparedness Council (YPC), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM) announced Wednesday. The YPC currently has nine members representing the four states of FEMA Region 10 – Alaska, Washington, Oregon and Idaho.
The 2018 Alaska selectees are Blake Rogers of Big Lake and Taya Warren of Sitka.
FEMA created the National YPC in 2012 to bring together young leaders from across the nation who are interested in supporting and promoting disaster preparedness in their communities. By developing and implementing disaster preparedness projects to fit their communities’ needs, YPC members help build a culture of preparedness and develop habits early. Each year, young people in grades 8-11 apply to be part of FEMA’s National YPC. This year marks the kickoff of Region 10’s council, coinciding with FEMA’s National Preparedness Month (September) and Back to School safety campaigns throughout the Region.
“In order for communities to become more resilient in responding and recovering from emergencies and disasters, we must find opportunities to build local capacity and a more inclusive culture of preparedness across the region, starting with empowering youth to lead amongst their peers, neighborhoods and networks,” said FEMA Region 10 Federal Preparedness Coordinator Scott Zaffram. “I am excited at the prospect of these brilliant youth being invited to the table, representing their states and working side-by-side with emergency management officials, elected officials and citizens in finding the best approach at motivating people to take action and to actively prepare for rainy days.”
Region 10 selected the nine members based on their dedication to public service, community involvement and potential to expand the impact of youth preparedness in their community. Members of the Region 10 YPC will give a voice to the young people who could be impacted by disasters in the region.
The remaining 2018 FEMA Region 10 selectees are:
- Gabrielle Karber of Vancouver, Washington
- Teagan Grabish of Blaine, Washington
- Ritusha Samal of Redmond, Washington
- Shruthi Ananth of Portland, Oregon
- Gokul Srinivasan of Salem, Oregon
- DevRee-Jayden “DJ” Rapp of Meridian, Idaho
- Amber Blake of Meridian, Idaho
“We are proud to recognize these young leaders for their dedication to service and commitment to helping communities become more prepared for emergencies,” said Alaska DHSEM Director Mike Sutton. “As advocates, council members are able to engage their peers across the region in fostering a true culture of preparedness.”
Warren and Rogers are certified emergency trauma technicians for the state. Warren is also certified in basic life support and has participated in multiple mass casualty incident exercises. Rogers recently completed the Anchorage Police Department Youth Academy and has been through over 30 hours of Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training in basic disaster response skills, which includes fire safety, search and rescue, team organization and disaster medical operations.
“I’m impressed with the knowledge and energy that these young adults bring to the FEMA Region 10 YPC and we are proud to work alongside them,” Zaffram said. “Additionally, we are pleased to announce that two National YPC representatives from Washington, Lathan Chatfield and Nicole Muñoz-Casalduc, will serve as mentors to our newly appointed council members.”
The council reflects FEMA’s commitment to involve America’s youth in preparedness-related activities. It also provides an avenue to engage young people by taking into account their perspectives, feedback and opinions. Council members will meet with FEMA Region 10 staff throughout their term to provide input on strategies, initiatives and projects and will also facilitate their introduction to state and local emergency managers.
Council members participated in the recent inaugural Region 10 YPC meeting at the FEMA office in Bothell. The meeting gave members the opportunity to share their preparedness ideas with state and federal partners, plan their culmination project and meet with FEMA Individual and Community Preparedness staff who will serve as their mentors.
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FEMA's mission is helping people before, during, and after disasters.