Building Resilience by Building Community

Earlier this year, California Volunteers, Office of the Governor selected the Block Leader program to run Neighbor to Neighbor, a pilot program focused on emergency preparedness and resilience.

Do you want to learn how you can stay safe, save money, and prepare for emergencies?

The Cupertino Block Leader program is a way to connect with your neighbors and build a safer, happier, more resilient Cupertino. Work with your community on what matters to you – staying safe in case of disaster. 

You and your neighbors could be eligible- do you live in the priority area (inside the red boundary)? 

How was the priority area selected?

The guidelines of the grant required the Office of Emergency Management to focus on a census tract that has a higher risk, based on FEMA risk analysis. We also noticed that the area had fewer Block Leaders per residence than other census tracts in the City. Based on these two factors, the priority area was selected for an expansion of the Block Leader program, and increased education about emergency preparedness. 

What does the program look like?

A Block Leader (or multiple co-leaders) works with the City to organize emergency preparedness workshops, and a session to build a go bag. 

Every year, Block Leaders hold some kind of community gathering - the pilot uses these workshops and sessions to fulfill that requirement. 

What if I don't live in the priority area?

All Block Leaders are welcome to organize emergency preparedness trainings for their neighborhood. There is a limited number of go bags available for Cupertino residents.