Operations & Management

Members of the JEPP Committee have devoted many hours to the development the Joyce Emergency Shelter's operational procedures, protocols, manuals, job bins, and job/task card, providing carefully considered instructions for those who may eventually open the JES. The task has involved considerable research, lengthy discussions, and the creation of multiple drafts. The effort has drawn from expert advice and the results have been customized to meet the unique post-disaster needs anticipated for the Joyce Operational Area.

Click this boldface heading to access the Joyce Emergency Shelter Operations Manual. The document will be passed out at meetings held to educate community leaders about the shelter. It contains basic information about opening and operating the Joyce Emergency Shelter. Anyone, including those who don't have background information on the workings of the shelter, should be able to get the shelter open with the information provided in this overview.

Click this boldfaced heading to access the Joyce Emergency Shelter Staff Sanitation Protocol document: A Staff Guide. The document provides general guidelines and specific procedures intended to ensure the safest practices for cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting the shelter during its operational phase. It is aimed at limiting the transmission of disease and viruses in the shelter environment. It's important to remember that the Joyce Emergency Shelter (JES) is a temporary community facility whose operational goal is to achieve the best-case outcome for the health and safety of its residents. While it may have limitations because staff is all volunteer personnel, we hope this document will provide the information needed to proceed safely and confidently. The document was primarily written for the Sanitation Manager and Crew who will be working at the Joyce Emergency Shelter. Realizing these volunteers may or may not have a background in medical or sanitation fields, JEPP endeavored to write this in lay terms. Volunteers must establish and maintain a hygienic environment by following the recommendations found in this document.

Click this boldface heading to access the Joyce Emergency Shelter Water Trailer Instructions. JEPP built two mobile water filtration units to provide potable water for the shelter and volunteers. They will provide purified drinking and cooking/cleaning water for up to 300 people. The trailer is parked in the JEPP storage shed behind the Joyce Bible Church. The installed water filters cleaned and sanitized the water so well that the systems passed all inspections and tests when Crescent Water District sent samples to the health department. When used according to the steps outlined here, samples will be clean enough for drinking. Captioned photos included.

Click this boldfaced heading to access Joyce Emergency Shelter Indoor Toilet and Portable Toilet Set-Up and Procedures, document, which addresses various sanitation and waste disposal issues. The Joyce Emergency Shelter faces an uncertain future in the event of a Cascadia earthquake. The existing plumbing and septic system will likely be damaged, and there may be delays in getting the necessary supplies and skilled workers on site to replace it with temporary measures. If plumbing and septic systems fail, there is a considerable risk of the spread of communicable diseases from contaminated water and a lack of sanitation and hygiene. A flexible approach to toilet systems will allow emergency shelter volunteers to implement the most appropriate sanitation facilities to meet the health and safety needs of the shelter residents in an emergency. Three Porta-Potties have been purchased by JEPP. They can be modified in different ways and moved about to meet both immediate and long-term shelter sanitation needs, and will improve hygiene at the emergency shelter. This flexible solution for human waste disposal was designed by JEPP volunteers to address these concerns and prevent the spread of communicable diseases if or when (as expected in the aftermath of a megaquake) existing septic systems are destroyed.