APPLE VALLEY in the news.

Laura Yuen writes, 'Recent immigration sweeps in the Twin Cities have left many Minnesotans wondering how they can help the immigrants in their lives. …

'“It feels like a dystopian world where everyone in my life is scared,” [Deqa Muhidin] said. “I am coping with it by saying we’re being led by someone who loves uncertainty, threatening people and feeding off chaos. This is a chaotic time, but this, too, shall pass.” …

'Muhidin knew she needed to explain the commotion to others on her block. She reached for her phone and found the contact that she had saved as “Rob Neighbor.” Briody, a 64-year-old white empty nester who tracks his steps on brisk walks around the neighborhood, was taken aback. He said his community is waking up to the fact ICE is everywhere.'

Yuen: ICE keeps knocking on her door. Her neighbor keeps standing watch.
https://www.startribune.com/yuen-ice-keeps-knocking-on-her-door-her-neighbor-keeps-standing-watch/601544361?utm_source=gift

#Minneapolis #uspol #CommunityPreparedness #Minnesota

Wildfire Community Preparedness Day 2025

Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen

Publication (Outlet/Website): The Good Men Project

Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2025/05/24

FireSmart™ Canada talks about Wildfire Community Preparedness Day (WCPD), a national initiative encouraging citizens to reduce wildfire risk and enhance community resilience. Since its inception, participation has grown from 29 applications in 2015 to 466 in 2025, with 404 awards granted. Supported by the Co-operators, the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR), and wildfire agencies, the program offers $500 grants for local projects like vegetation clearing and evacuation planning. FireSmart Canada promotes shared responsibility in wildfire risk reduction, emphasizing collaboration among neighbours to protect overlapping Home Ignition Zones and strengthen collective preparedness through community-based solutions.

Scott Douglas Jacobsen: What is the purpose of Wildfire Community Preparedness Day?

FireSmart™ Canada: Wildfire Community Preparedness Day (WCPD) is a national campaign that encourages citizens to take actions that will increase their home, neighbourhood and community’s resilience to wildfire. It’s a great first step in the FireSmart journey, aimed at educating participants and helping them take risk reduction actions in their community.
More information on WCPD can be found here – Wildfire Community Preparedness Day | FireSmart Canada

Jacobsen: How has this Day grown over the past decade?

FireSmart™ Canada: In 2025, FireSmart Canada awarded more recipients than ever before with 404 communities. The years ago, back in 2015,  we received 29 applications from only a few provinces. Over the past two years we’ve received and awarded applications from every province and two territories, with a record of 466 applications in 2025.

Jacobsen: How many community events were awarded in 2025 compared to 2024?

FireSmart™ Canada: In 2025, FireSmart Canada awarded more recipients than ever before with 404 awards. *In 2024, 378 neighbourhoods were awarded in 10 provinces and two territories, compared to 230 neighbourhoods in 2023 and 162 neighbourhoods in 2022.

*In 2024 this figure includes 97 communities that were also Neighborhood Recognition Participants. This would bring Prep Day recipients down to 281 in 2024. In 2025, these neighbourhoods were awarded through a separate incentive program and are not included in the final 404 count.

Jacobsen: What are the roles of Co-operators, ICLR, and wildland fire agencies?

FireSmart™ Canada: FireSmart™ Canada, in collaboration with the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR), Co-operators and the provincial and territorial wildfire agencies, support this annual event by offering the $500 award. ICLR and Co-operators are long standing sponsors, contributing funding towards this program. The provincial and territorial wildfire agencies also contribute towards the program to support the funding flowing towards the communities within their respective regions.

Program descriptions can be found at the bottom of this email.

Jacobsen: What specific activities do communities typically undertake during the Day?

FireSmart™ Canada: Anyone can participate in a project that reduces wildfire risk, increases resilience, and helps neighbourhoods become FireSmart. Projects can range from hour-long work sessions to full-day activities, or even weekend undertakings. Popular activities include community information sessions and BBQs, community vegetation clearing/removal, evacuation planning, and more!

Jacobsen: How does FireSmart Canada define “wildland fire resilience”?

FireSmart™ Canada: A wildland fire resilient community is a community that is prepared to live alongside fire and have mitigated their risk from it, by implementing FireSmart best practices and recommendations.

Jacobsen: What is the significance of community participation in wildfire preparedness?

FireSmart™ Canada: The FireSmart program helps reduce wildfire risks to homes, neighbourhoods, critical infrastructure, and vital natural resources. This is a shared responsibility between us all. Individuals, communities, governments, and private sector organizations all have a part to play.
As many neighbourhoods across the country are densely populated, it is very likely that properties will have overlapping Home Ignition Zones. When neighbours have overlapping zones, they then share a heightened risk of ignition during a wildland fire. In these cases, it is crucial that they work together to reduce their shared risk. Neighbours can enhance the resilience of their individual properties and that of the entire neighbourhood by working together to reduce risk and remove potential hazards in their overlapping zones.

Jacobsen: How does the ICLR contribute to disaster loss prevention and community resilience in Canada?

FireSmart™ Canada: Please contact ICLR for more information: info@iclr.org

About FireSmartTM Canada
FireSmart Canada™ is a program committed to helping Canadians reduce their wildland fire risk and become resilient to wildland fire through community-based solutions. Through publications, programs, outreach training, and workshops, FireSmart Canada provides tools for Canadians to be pro-active in preparing their homes, properties and neighborhoods for the threat of wildland fire. FireSmart Canada operates under a mandate from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, and is supported by federal, provincial, and territorial wildland fire management agencies and partners with municipal governments and the private sector. For more information visit www.firesmartcanada.ca. 

About Co-operators
Proudly Canadian since 1945, Co-operators is a leading financial services co-operative, offering multi-line insurance and investment products, services, and personalized advice to help Canadians build their financial strength and security. With more than $71 billion in assets under administration, Co-operators is well known for its community involvement and its commitment to sustainability. Currently a carbon neutral organization, Co-operators is committed to net-zero emissions in its operations and investments by 2040, and 2050, respectively. Co-operators is recognized as one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers and ranked as one of Corporate Knights’ Best 50 Corporate Citizens in Canada. www.cooperators.ca 

About ICLR
Established in 1998 by Canada’s property and casualty insurers, ICLR is an independent, not-for-profit research institute based in Toronto and at the University of Western Ontario in London, Canada. ICLR is a centre of excellence for disaster loss prevention research and education. ICLR’s research staff is internationally recognized for pioneering work in a number of fields including wind and seismic engineering, atmospheric sciences, water resources engineering and economics. Multi-disciplined research is a foundation for ICLR’s work to build communities more resilient to disasters. Visit www.iclr.org

Last updated May 3, 2025. These terms govern all In Sight Publishing content—past, present, and future—and supersede any prior notices. In Sight Publishing by Scott Douglas Jacobsen is licensed under a Creative Commons BY‑NC‑ND 4.0; © In Sight Publishing by Scott Douglas Jacobsen 2012–Present. All trademarks, performances, databases & branding are owned by their rights holders; no use without permission. Unauthorized copying, modification, framing or public communication is prohibited. External links are not endorsed. Cookies & tracking require consent, and data processing complies with PIPEDA & GDPR; no data from children < 13 (COPPA). Content meets WCAG 2.1 AA under the Accessible Canada Act & is preserved in open archival formats with backups. Excerpts & links require full credit & hyperlink; limited quoting under fair-dealing & fair-use. All content is informational; no liability for errors or omissions: Feedback welcome, and verified errors corrected promptly. For permissions or DMCA notices, email: scott.jacobsen2025@gmail.com. Site use is governed by BC laws; content is “as‑is,” liability limited, users indemnify us; moral, performers’ & database sui generis rights reserved.

#communityPreparedness #emergencyPlanning #fireSafety #resilienceBuilding #wildfireAwareness

Some pointers from "The Eye of Every Storm - #Anarchist Response to Hurricane Helene"

#CrimethInc, 2024-11-13

"At the end of September 2024, western North Carolina and the surrounding states experienced 30 inches of rainfall over two days when an unnamed storm collided with Hurricane Helene over the mountains of Southern Appalachia. The resulting catastrophe laid waste to the entire region. At a time when #misinformation, rising #authoritarianism, and disasters exacerbated by industrially-produced climate change are creating a feedback loop of escalating crisis, it’s crucial to understand #DisasterResponse as an integral part of community defense and strategize about how this can play a part in movements for liberation. In the following reflection, a local anarchist involved in longstanding disaster response efforts in #Appalachia recounts the lessons that they have learned over the past six weeks and offers advice about how to prepare for the disasters to come.

"The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimated that Hurricane Helene poured 40 trillion gallons of water on the region. This caused an estimated 1800 landslides; it damaged over 160 municipal water and sewer systems, at least 6000 miles of roads, more than 1000 bridges and culverts, and an estimated 126,000 homes. There have been over 230 confirmed deaths across six states with many still missing.

"The entire region was completely cut off from the outside world for a day or more, with all major roads shut down by landslides, collapsed bridges, and downed trees. Water, power, internet and cell service all went down within hours of the hurricane arriving, and remained down for days or, in some areas, weeks. There are still communities that will likely not have electricity for another three months because the roads that the power company would use no longer exist. Six weeks into this disaster, there are still tens of thousands of people who lack access to drinkable water. Not only have thousands of homes been wiped off the map—in many cases, the land they rested on no longer exists. Massive landslides have scoured canyons 30 feet deep, exposing bedrock that has not seen the light of day for tens of thousands of years. The torrential floods moved so much earth and caused so many rivers to change course that scientists have designated the hurricane a 'geological event.'

"In response, a beautiful web of mutual aid networks has emerged, saving countless lives by bringing in #EssentialSupplies, providing #MedicalCare, setting up neighborhood #WaterDistribution centers, #SolarChargingStations, #SatelliteInternetHubs, free #kitchens, free #childcare, and more. Name a need and there are folks out here who have self-organized to meet it. We share these lessons we have learned in hopes of helping others to prepare for similar situations, aiming to increase our capacity to build autonomous infrastructure for the long haul.

Start Preparing Now

"There is no time like the present to get organized.

"Our mutual aid group has been around for almost eight years. Within 72 hours of the floodwaters receding, we had a functioning mutual aid hub and were mobilizing folks to check on missing people and #ChainsawCrews to cut people out of their homes and open up roads. We were only able to do these things because we had already put in the work in our community to build the trust and relationships that are so vital in times of crisis.

"While we are a small group, we have an extensive network of friends and allies that has grown throughout years of smaller-scale mutual aid and organizing efforts. The best way to prepare for a disaster is not to stockpile supplies, but to build trust in your community and nurture a healthy web of relationships. The best way to accomplish this is to start doing mutual aid projects in your community before an acute crisis arises. This will give you practice operating as a group and organizing logistics, and it will also connect you with others you wouldn’t otherwise meet and show them that they can count on you. Because of the work we had already put in, when the crisis hit, people turned to us and spread the word that we are a good group to funnel supplies and money through. You can only build that kind of reputation by putting in the work now.

Communications

"One of the biggest initial challenges we faced was that most means of communication went offline for between 24 hours and several weeks, depending on where you lived. That includes #landlines, #CellPhones, and internet. We can’t stress enough the importance of having multiple back-up options in place to be ready for a situation like this. First of all, make sure you have a place and time established in advance where folks know they can find each other in the event of a disaster. This is probably a good idea even if communications don’t go offline—nothing beats face-to-face communication.

"Satellite internet was invaluable during the first couple of weeks. For some particularly hard-hit communities, it remains the only means of communication six weeks into this disaster. Unfortunately, #Starlink, which is owned by the white supremacist Elon Musk, has proven to be the most useful and the easiest to set up in a disaster scenario. We know from past experience that he is eager to suppress social movements that use his companies’ services. There are other companies that provide satellite internet, but it tends to be slower, with significant data limits. These are generally not mobile systems and would be challenging to set up in the middle of a disaster.

"Don’t forget that you will need a source of electricity such as a generator or solar power to make satellite internet work.

"Radios, especially ham radios, are another important means of communication that should be arranged in advance with people who already know how to use them. Our mountainous terrain limits the distance that radios can broadcast, but it would still have been helpful if we had possessed ham radios.

Getting Organized

"Grassroots disaster relief is no longer the exclusive province of church groups and small bands of autonomous mutual aid groups. The notion has gone mainstream since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, when so many people discovered that their neighbors were all they had to count on. At this point, well-organized and well-resourced groups of every stripe are prepared to mobilize quickly—from reactionary right-leaning groups like the Cajun Navy and to networks of volunteer helicopter pilots, not to mention radical groups like Mutual Aid Disaster Relief. Beyond these specific groups, more people understand how to self-organize now. Within three to five days of the flood waters receding, you couldn’t drive more than ten minutes without running into a #DIY #ReliefHub or water station in someone’s front yard, church, or gas station parking lot. It would not be an overstatement to say that within a week, western North Carolina had the highest concentration of four-wheelers, all-terrain vehicles, and dirt bikes in the world, as people poured in from all over the South and beyond to help with search and rescue and to get supplies out to cut-off communities.

"Most of these hubs were truly #grassroots, with no formal organization behind them. This is an overwhelmingly positive development, but it does not come without challenges. The chief problems were redundancy of effort and lack of coordination between relief hubs, road clearing crews, and people doing #SupplyRuns, search and rescue, and wellness checks. The sooner you can develop relationships and good communication systems with other hubs, the better, so you won’t have to be constantly reinventing the wheel.

"Creating an intake system for incoming volunteers and arranging for people to coordinate them is a huge piece of the puzzle. We had to turn away many offers of help in the first few weeks because we didn’t have a good system in place for fielding newcomers, especially those from out of town, nor could we guarantee that we could plug them into a project on any given day if they just showed up, despite the fact that there was always a mountain of work to do. Connecting volunteers to communities and individual homes that need medical care, mucking, gutting, and repairs requires an enormous amount of legwork on your part, not to mention building trust between you and the residents. You would do well to have someone in your group that has a deep love of spreadsheets."

Full article:
https://crimethinc.com/2024/11/13/after-the-hurricane-anarchist-disaster-response-in-appalachia
#MutualAid #ClimateChange #Preparedness #BuildingCommunity #CommunityPreparedness #CommunityDefense #Polycrisis #HamRadios

Of the many things I'm glad I was already doing, today I am thinking about working with friends to get ourselves and our relatives and pals onto Signal in 2011 or 2012.

And my coping-with-the-hellscape task for this week is to sign up for a CSA box from local farms. The best time to stabilize local agriculture was decades ago but the second best time is always now.

#AlwaysBePrepping #CommunityPreparedness #LocalAgriculture

Given the #hellscape, what is one thing you're glad you are already doing and one thing you want to start?

(Only the parts that are safe to discuss in public, of course.)

#CommunityPreparedness #privacy #SurveillanceCapitalism #climate #fascism #CovidIsNotOver #austerity #BePrepared

This article outlines does a good job of arguing for the need and utility of tools like #meshtastic #tak and #mqtt without knowing they’re available.

https://dnyuz.com/2024/10/05/the-troubling-quiet-of-north-carolinas-cell-service-outages/

Relief workers could waste less time on duplicate efforts and get assistance to those that need it. Communities could communicate without cellular coverage. It’s community resilience and communication redundancy.
https://meshtastic.org/docs/software/integrations/integrations-atak-plugin/

#communitypreparedness #OffGridComms #nc #asheville #climatechange

RT @ECDC_EU: Ready for another #ECDConAir podcast episode?
This time we sat down with #ECDC's expert Svetla Tsolova to talk about #CommunityPreparedness.

Give it a listen on:
@anchor ⚓️ - https://anchor.fm/ecdc/episodes/Episode-24---Svetla-Tsolova---How-Do-We-Prepare-Communities-e1mdu73?%24web_only=true&_branch_match_id=link-1087683268222094756
@YouTube ▶️ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tm01q3gsl38&feature=youtu.be
@Spotify 🎧 - ht…

🐦🔗: https://nitter.eu/EMA_News/status/1559445938938191873

Ready for another #ECDConAir podcast episode?
This time we sat down with #ECDC's expert Svetla Tsolova to talk about #CommunityPreparedness.

Give it a listen on:
@anchor ⚓️ - https://bit.ly/3AjK8AT
@YouTube ▶️ - https://youtu.be/tm01q3gsl38
@Spotify 🎧 - https://spoti.fi/3QCMgJu

🐦🔗: https://nitter.eu/ECDC_EU/status/1559137729396588544