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BARNSTABLE COUNTY
AMERICORPS CAPE COD
DISASTER PREPAREDNESS & RESPONSE
GO-MODE on-call Bourne House members would be needed to assist in
opening the MACC (Multi Agency Coordination Center).
Code Red! We all stood frozen, pondering what to put in The team at the MACC acts as a communications hub for
our “Go Bags”. We had been trained and had discussions on organizations responding to weather emergencies, while also
shelter operations, but I don’t think any of us ever thought organizing resources and deciding whether to open shelters.
that we would actually have the opportunity to open a After sheltering, it was refreshing to see how the MACC
shelter. With all of the news about Juno floating around, it operated and gain a different perspective on the sheltering
was hard to determine how long we would be sheltering. process.
Each member was deployed to one of seven locations the
night before the storm. My team and I arrived at Sandwich
High School where we helped set up cots in the dormitory
and cafeteria area. That first night we only received two
elderly clients, but Carly, fellow Bourne House member, and I
shared stories and laughs with both women before they went
to sleep. Throughout the rest of the evening Carly and I
stayed awake in case more clients arrived. In the morning we
switched with two other members from our house and then
slept, while more community members arrived. By the
middle of the storm, we had about 30 clients all-together, and
by the end everyone had gotten to know each other. We were
constantly in motion, making sure our clients were
comfortable and well-fed. Overall, the sheltering process was
really eye-opening and it was great to see everyone come
together during a period of unpredictability and unease.
Flash forward a few weeks—we received word that we
were in code orange, the indicator that we were on-call in case
shelters needed to be opened. Since it was a holiday weekend,
many members had gone home, leaving those of us on-call
crossing our fingers. Friday night we were informed that all The minute our alert system changes to orange or red, we
shift into what I like to call “Go-Mode”: ready for action. After
seeing several sides of the sheltering process, I feel much more
prepared and ready in case we are redeployed. Snow this
year on the Cape reached record highs, and it was amazing to
see the community come together to pitch in. It has been a
pleasure getting to be a part of such a flexible and resilient
group of people; but I think we will all be happy to see the
alert system stay on green (no risk) for the rest of the year.
~Emily Meshumar, Bourne House Member
14
AMERICORPS CAPE COD
DISASTER PREPAREDNESS & RESPONSE
GO-MODE on-call Bourne House members would be needed to assist in
opening the MACC (Multi Agency Coordination Center).
Code Red! We all stood frozen, pondering what to put in The team at the MACC acts as a communications hub for
our “Go Bags”. We had been trained and had discussions on organizations responding to weather emergencies, while also
shelter operations, but I don’t think any of us ever thought organizing resources and deciding whether to open shelters.
that we would actually have the opportunity to open a After sheltering, it was refreshing to see how the MACC
shelter. With all of the news about Juno floating around, it operated and gain a different perspective on the sheltering
was hard to determine how long we would be sheltering. process.
Each member was deployed to one of seven locations the
night before the storm. My team and I arrived at Sandwich
High School where we helped set up cots in the dormitory
and cafeteria area. That first night we only received two
elderly clients, but Carly, fellow Bourne House member, and I
shared stories and laughs with both women before they went
to sleep. Throughout the rest of the evening Carly and I
stayed awake in case more clients arrived. In the morning we
switched with two other members from our house and then
slept, while more community members arrived. By the
middle of the storm, we had about 30 clients all-together, and
by the end everyone had gotten to know each other. We were
constantly in motion, making sure our clients were
comfortable and well-fed. Overall, the sheltering process was
really eye-opening and it was great to see everyone come
together during a period of unpredictability and unease.
Flash forward a few weeks—we received word that we
were in code orange, the indicator that we were on-call in case
shelters needed to be opened. Since it was a holiday weekend,
many members had gone home, leaving those of us on-call
crossing our fingers. Friday night we were informed that all The minute our alert system changes to orange or red, we
shift into what I like to call “Go-Mode”: ready for action. After
seeing several sides of the sheltering process, I feel much more
prepared and ready in case we are redeployed. Snow this
year on the Cape reached record highs, and it was amazing to
see the community come together to pitch in. It has been a
pleasure getting to be a part of such a flexible and resilient
group of people; but I think we will all be happy to see the
alert system stay on green (no risk) for the rest of the year.
~Emily Meshumar, Bourne House Member
14
