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Safety group launches Web site, hotline
By MELIA BOWIE, Times Staff Writer NEW TAMPA -- A local safety group hopes a new Web site and an information hotline will serve as a lifeline to neighbors seeking information during a natural disaster or emergency. "Right now we're a little hyper-enthusiastic about the Web site," said Lois Haas, who co-chairs the New Tampa Emergency Preparedness Council. The volunteer organization initially launched a draft of the site, www.newtampaprepare.com, three months ago but recently updated its appearance and format. Posted information includes upcoming meeting dates, shelter locations, storm descriptions, links to national sites and more. "It will be a constantly current thing," said Haas. Organizers also plan to add a page dealing with "any emergency you can think of and what to do before, during and after whether it be a hurricane, a fire or a tornado," she said. Community forums and an online bulletin board also are in the works. Along with the Web site, a 24-hour hotline is being installed by the group, which was formed more than a year ago as an offshoot of a traffic committee. AT&T donated the line, said members, who plan to review its use next month. A recording now accepts messages and incoming calls for information. The New Tampa Community Response Team voice line is 878-5019. The nonprofit, which has garnered about $1,500 in donated funds from the New Tampa Community Council and the USAA insurance company, is seeking a corporate sponsor. In-kind donations from the city have enabled the group to print brochures, which soon will appear online. Lauded as one of the most comprehensive neighborhood efforts of its kind, the group made a brief presentation before the City Council on Sept. 19. "Within the city they're the most active in developing an emergency preparedness plan," said Kern Wilson, Tampa's emergency management coordinator. "They want to do a lot and there is a lot that they could do." The local organization already has trained and graduated a class of 17 Community Emergency Response Team volunteers. And upcoming projects include a public meeting on school security and emergency issues with Dave Friedberg, the school district's security chief. Dates for that meeting and the next CERT training course are expected at the preparedness committee's Oct. 23 meeting. It is set for 7 p.m. in the Pebble Creek Community Center at 18715 Bent Tree Lane. -- Staff writer Melia Bowie can be reached at 269-5312.
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