The Cupertino Courier

PDC gives a new twist to disaster preparedness

By Justin Berton

On a clear night in the calm of El Niño's wrath, a group of Cupertino neighborhood leaders met Feb. 10 to learn how to organize their neighbors in times of natural disaster.

They didn't map out evacuation routes or plan how to sandbag their properties, however.

Instead, the group learned leadership skills through dialogue and active listening, as facilitated by Barnett Pearce of the Public Dialogue Consortium.

"A leader can conduct a symphony only by listening to the group," Pearce said.

Twenty-seven citizens attended the second of three meetings in the leadership training sponsored by the Neighborhood Preparedness Program and the PDC.

Susan DeFoy, former president of the Fairway 7 Home Owners Association, said the leadership skills will help her association in the near future.

The association, which consists of 15 homes that overlook the seventh fairway of the Deep Cliff Golf Course, is attempting to build a storage center to house disaster-relief supplies. The issue is yet to go to the board, but it has created a difference of opinions.

"Sometimes it's hard to do things as a cohesive group," DeFoy said, noting the training will help her to better facilitate agreements between association members.

Debates among neighbors can get heated--that's why the group practiced holding meetings at which each voice gets heard and tempers stay cool.

The leaders held small mock neighborhood meetings and role-played various situations that undermine constructive dialogue.

"Creating relationships in the neighborhood builds a feeling of trust," said Shawn Spano, a facilitator from the PDC.

"Nobody thinks preparing for an emergency is a bad idea. It's getting people to participate in the process [that's difficult]," he said.

The PDC has been an active participant in using dialogue to unite the Cupertino community.

The nonprofit group of teachers and researchers has facilitated workshops on diversity and communication in the past.

For the emergency preparedness meetings, the PDC has focused on training leaders in the neighborhoods to unite their neighbors.

"[The meeting] has helped people understand their neighbors better," said Marie Moore, Cupertino's emergency services coordinator.

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