Trying to sort through information on my “Cluttered Desk” I found a notice for a class I took in Civil Defense at the School I graduated from, many years ago. The class was about how to defend the city in the event of an Atomic attack, including what to do when finding an unexploded bomb from World War Two.
The class included identifying local places for citizens to go in case of war, disasters, catastrophes, and upheavals. We were shown designated Civil Defense buildings for citizens to go for protection. We had to wear armbands identifying us as Civil Defense Officers.
After remembering those early morning classes, I thought about the Southside, an old part of Peoria; a community in which I live. Where are notifications, instructions, and directions to the nearest Civil Defense location? Maybe the things we learned in those classes are obsolete today. However, citizens still have a need to know Civil Defense information and locations.
I attended a recent meeting and a popular instructor was not able to answer my question: where do Southside citizens go in the event of war, or any other kind of disaster? He said at the time, “Nowhere.”
I was stunned with his answer! I called him at a later time and his answer to my question had changed; his answer was; go to the Red Cross Building, Police Department, Fire Department, these departments, and the Red Cross cover the entire city of Peoria including the South Side.
I’m still baffled; we live under nuclear threat, never ending wars, hate groups civil disobedience, weather disasters, and mass shootings. My question remains; where do we on the South side go, if disaster hits?
The Traveler Weekly 