On Feb. 21, Santa Maria Listos program officials planned to graduate their first class before the Santa Maria City Council at its evening meeting.
Listos, which is the Spanish word for “ready,” is an emergency preparedness program that began in 2009. It’s designed to help people with limited English-speaking capabilities. Several city staffers and locals discovered that the Latino community in Santa Maria didn’t have the same access to disaster preparedness programs as did the rest of the city.
With this realization in mind, a Spanish curriculum was developed and distributed to teach class members the important aspects of preparing for a disaster.
Listos graduates participated in a 12-hour class, taught for three hours a week for four consecutive weeks at various locations in the community, including churches, backyards, parking lots, and in people’s driveways. Listos program manager Gracie Juerta said they teach at different locations because it makes the program more accessible for community members.
Listos class members are taught to be aware of vulnerabilities in their respective communities; what to do to prepare for disaster, develop a family plan, prepare a disaster kit, and to recognize people who are in need of immediate medical attention.
In the fourth week, class members explored disaster psychology and how to help meet people’s emotional needs. However, Juerta said there’s more to the program than just disaster training.
“The program teaches people how to organize themselves into teams, and how to work together as a neighborhood,” she explained.
The Listos program also partnered with the Santa Maria Fire Department to teach people how to shut off utilities and use a fire extinguisher.
Juerta said one of the things she found to be enlightening was that some of the Santa Maria firefighters feel they can do their jobs better now, and they’re more prepared to work with the Latino community in a disaster situation.
“The firefighters were able to work with this community in a non-emergency situation and establish a better relationship,” she said.
Of the 200 Listos members, 10 individuals have undergone further training to become Listos instructors in their community after graduation.
“This is an extraordinary group of people who want to be able to share what they have learned with their family, friends, and the city at large,” Juerta said.
This article appears in Feb 23 – Mar 1, 2012.
