A community of care came together Friday morning—assembling kits filled with essentials to help the community weather natural disasters. It’s all part of the Micronesia Climate Change Alliance’s latest initiative. 

From typhoons to floods, being prepared during a natural disaster can make all the difference—but not everyone has access to essential resources.  MCCA launching its Ready, Set Prep initiative today—building rapid response kits at Kurason I Sengsong to help the community stay ready when disaster strikes. 

Cami Diaz Egurrola, the director of communications for MCCA, said, "“With disaster happening more intensely and more frequently, MCCA really wants to make sure our community is prepared with household resources and educational information about how to best prepare for climate disasters.”

Egurrola says the idea came from a community needs assessment—a conversation with residents that helped identify what people truly need when emergencies happen. From a cooler bag to a rechargeable solar light, a flashlight, and even a deck of playing cards—these kits provide both practical tools and comfort during long days of uncertainty, like those experienced after Typhoon Mawar.

The kits will remain at MCCA’s resource hub for distribution during the next climate disaster. “We have identified certain communities within the island of Guahan where we can distribute these kits—so, one of our primary focus areas is a community in our northern part of the island in Yigo. So, we have worked with Gil Baza and the Zero Down community, and we have a really good relationship with those community members, and we’ve established certain routes to distribute in those areas," she shared.

She adds this is just the beginning—with plans to expand the initiative to address other crises, like the recent water contamination in Yigo.  “Our intention is to extend these kits to have water filtration or water tablets to help folks have access to clean water. Because water justice is climate justice. And so, we want to make sure our communities are safe so we can care for each other, our families, and our wider island community," she said.

At the heart of it all is community. Volunteers from Americorps and local residents joined forces to assemble the kits—many of whom worked with MCCA during Mawar.  “That’s where I feel our island culture and our island community really shines–is when we need help, there is a level of reciprocity that is unmatched within our island culture, and we’re definitely seeing that today," said Egurrola.

For those who want to lend a hand or join the movement, visit mccalliance.org.