When the bad thing happens, you want your Neighborhood Network TCEP’s dynamic Neighborhood Network (NN) Team, consisting of TCEP Board members Linnea and Adam, Crysty on IT, thée and Shira in Communications, Catherine McClenahan, Andrea and David on Coordinator Recruitment, and at-large members Mariko and TCEP Board member James, is just getting started and working on lots of ideas to help reinvigorate existing networks and organize new ones to prepare for the inevitable emergencies residents face in our beautiful canyon community. What Is A Neighborhood Network? A Neighborhood Network is a group of residents in a geographically close area who have agreed to share contact information, special skills, and equipment so everyone can stay informed and help support each other in the event of a disaster, such as a wildfire, earthquake, or flood. The NN Team is actively working to recruit coordinators, partly by “bootstrapping� coverage from existing networks to areas immediately nearby. Catherine McClenahan, a team member and coordinator for her long-running and robust Mesa NN, is also spearheading an effort to work with Topanga realtors to provide a “Welcome Pack� to all new residents inviting them to join their local NN. Because every neighborhood in the Canyon is unique with individual privacy concerns, residents customize their NN structure to work for them. For instance, members of the team are reaching out to “non-traditional neighborhoods,� i.e., people with social connections rather than geographical proximity, such as the Sages, or “temporal neighborhoods,� such as local schools. Because people aren’t static and locations change over the course of a day, the goal is to provide overlapping coverage and increased security for all. Want to join a neighborhood network? We’ll let you know if there’s an active NN in your neighborhood. Don’t have a neighborhood network? We’ll help you start one. For more information, contact the Neighborhood Network Team at nn@tcep.org.