(Washington, DC)  The District of Columbia Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency (HSEMA) will conduct community emergency preparedness training and exercises over the next several weeks for residents of several Northeast and Southeast neighborhoods.  The exercises are intended to help residents learn how to prepare themselves and their families for natural or man-made emergencies and disasters and will provide an opportunity for residents, community leaders and emergency officials to discuss how they would work together in the event of an emergency.

The exercises are scheduled for 10 am, January 31, at Pennsylvania Avenue Baptist Church, 3000 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE; 10 am, Saturday, February 7, at Marshall Heights Community Development Organization, Inc., 3939 Benning Road, NE, and 9:30 am, Friday, February 20, at THEARC Community Room, 1901 Mississippi Avenue, SE.

Residents of the following neighborhoods should plan to attend one of the sessions:

Anacostia, Barry Farm, Bellevue, Benning, Benning Heights, Benning Ridge, Buena Vista, Burrville, Capitol View, Central NE, Congress Heights, Deanwood, Douglas, Dupont Park, Eastland Gardens, Fairfax  Village, Fairlawn, Fairmont Heights, Fort Dupont, Fort Stanton, Fort Davis, Fort Davis Park, Garfield Heights, Grant Park, Greenway, Hillcrest, Hillsdale, Kenilworth, Knox Hill, Lincoln Heights, Marshall Heights, Mayfair, Naylor Gardens, NE Boundary, Penn Branch, Randle Highlands, River Terrace, Sheridan, Shipley Terrace, Summit Park, Twining, Woodland and Washington Highlands.

To register to attend one of these sessions or for more information call (202) 338-7153, ext. 212.

Online registration also is available at http://www.dccommunitypreparedness.org/.  Special sessions for neighborhood groups of 50 or more people can be scheduled by contacting Kim McCall at (202) 481-3015 or by email at Kim.McCall@dc.gov.