Marina del Rey : Disaster Team Training

People interested in becoming part of an earthquake and disaster preparedness team are invited to attend a meeting of the Marina del Rey Earthquake and Disaster Preparedness Committee on March 19 at 7 p.m. at Daniel Freeman Marina Hospital, 4650 Lincoln Blvd.

The committee, in conjunction with Daniel Freeman Hospitals and the American Red Cross, is forming Disaster Action Teams to serve Marina del Rey and other neighboring communities.

Participants will choose from courses offered by the American Red Cross in various aspects of disaster management, including shelter management, family assistance, health services, damage assessment and feeding operations.

Teams, consisting of four or five people, will share “on call” duties and will respond, if available, when and where a disaster occurs and the American Red Cross is needed. Each team will be knowledgeable in at least one aspect of disaster management.

People trained in disaster operations may be asked by the Red Cross to travel to disaster assignments in other states and, based on experience and training, other countries. In the past, team members have helped with disasters in Mexico, Puerto Rico, El Salvador and Colombia.