Level 2
Your block
The regional plan calls this the Right Hand — Left Hand Response Plan. It's built so that every household in the stake gets checked on quickly, even if there are casualties, and without asking anyone to cover more than four houses.
Right hand, left hand
What every resident does
Members and non-members alike- Make sure your own family is safe.
- Check on the neighbors to your right, to your left, and across the street.
- Put your signal card, flag, or marker in a front window or somewhere obvious from the street.
- Report to your block captain as soon as you can, at the neighborhood staging area. If the block captain isn't available, report to a ministering brother or sister, to any ward leader at the ward command post, or to a temporary block captain the neighbors appoint on the spot.
- If a neighbor's house has no flag or marker on it, assume the family inside needs assistance.
Block captains
During an emergency- Make sure your own family is safe.
- Check the status of the neighbors on your block. As soon as you can, check every family on the block who hasn't already contacted you.
- Team up with neighbors to secure the neighborhood — safety and medical concerns first. Turn off running water only to prevent flooding; natural gas only if a leak is smelled or detected; electricity only if there's a dangerous condition. Otherwise leave utilities alone.
- Report family status for your neighborhood group to the bishop's command post or staging area as soon as possible. Include each family's physical health and the structural condition of each home.
- Report needs to the command post or staging area on the assigned FRS channel. If radio fails, send two people together to the ward command center, carrying the report in writing.
- Report any further significant changes as they happen.
- If your area has to evacuate, account for every neighbor. Ask families to tell you if they decide to leave the area.
Our block organization
Mapleton 14th WardThe ward is divided into three blocks so that help is organized before it is needed. Each block has a captain who coordinates with the families in that area. The map below shows the current boundaries.
Not sure which block you are in? Find your street on the map above — it is the authoritative boundary.
- Block 1
- Captain to add
- Block 2
- Captain to add
- Block 3
- Captain to add
What a block captain does
- Knows the families in their block
- Identifies those with special needs, and those with useful skills
- Coordinates communication during an emergency
- Helps assess damage and needs afterward
- Reports status to the ward emergency preparedness coordinator
Know your neighbors
The most useful part of the block system is the relationships built before anything happens.
- Introduce yourself to the neighbors on your street
- Exchange contact information
- Share skills and resources you could offer in an emergency
- Identify neighbors who may need extra help — elderly, disabled, or with young children
- Take part in ward and neighborhood activities
Before anything happens
Block captains are asked to hold a block party or block meeting at least once a year — to define where the neighborhood staging area is (often the block captain's own home or yard), to walk neighbors through what to do, and to hand out signal cards and the emergency response survey.
Ministering brothers and sisters do the same four steps as everyone else, and then check on the families they're assigned to, reporting needs to a quorum or Relief Society leader, a member of the bishopric, or the block captain.