ABOUT

OVER 30 YEARS IN DEVELOPMENT

Our History

LuAn K Johnson creates a program for Sunnyvale, CA to reconnect neighbors. Using disaster preparedness as the vehicle, she created SNAP, the basis for what we now know as MYN.

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1986

In 1986 LuAn K Johnson was hired by the City of Sunnyvale Public Safety’s newly created Emergency Management Division tasked with creating a program to reconnect neighbors. The program she developed focused on connecting people but used disaster preparedness as the vehicle. This became the initial structure for what eventually became MYN and was called SNAP (Sunnyvale Neighborhoods Actively Prepare).

At 5:04 pm on October 17, 1989 the Loma Prieta earthquake struck, giving SNAP a real-life test. Sunnyvale neighbors responded to gas leaks, small fires, children who were home alone, elderly who did not want to be alone, widespread power outages, broken chimneys and collapsed porches, minor cuts, and jangled nerves. SNAP’s quick response earned it the National League of Cities award for Innovation. 

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1989

On October 12, the Loma Prieta earthquake struck the Bay Area, giving the program a real-life test. 

LuAn K Johnson established SPAN in Seattle, Washington to help fund further studies at the University of Washington.

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1990

In 1990, LuAn K Johnson left Sunnyvale for Seattle, Washington and the University of Washington to study risk communication, crisis decision making, instructional design, fear appeals,and protection motivation theory. In order to help fund school, she established SPAN (Strengthening Preparedness Among Neighbors). 

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Early Washington clients were Kitsap County, Pierce County, and City of Bellevue. Oregon clients included Linn-Benton County and City of Gresham. Canadian clients included cities of Vancouver and Victoria. 

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1993

Hired by the City of Seattle Emergency Management, LuAn blended her experience from SNAP and SPAN, with the strong empirical foundation from her own research, and created SDART (Seattle Disaster & Response Teams).

On February 28, 2001 the Nisqually earthquake tested the resilience of SDART neighborhoods.

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2001

On February 28, 2001 the Nisqually earthquake tested the resilience of SDART neighborhoods. 460 neighborhoods (92% of SDART neighborhoods) responded, using the 9-Step Response Plan, that had been learned and practiced through a series of exercises. Early clients were cities and counties in Washington, Oregon and Canada.

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MYN is adopted by jurisdictions such as the State of Washington,the City of Los Angeles, and the City of Long Beach in order to provide the residents with an emergency preparedness offering.

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Individuals had two ways to procure the MYN system; to be a part of the jurisdiction that had contracted to include MYN to their constituents, or to seek out materials from a jurisdiction that already provided them. 

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2004

MYN is rolled out by SPAN, now a non-profit, making it inclusive and accessible. Over the next 15 years, MYN is adopted across the US. 

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LuAn was hired as Public Education Program Manager for Washington State Emergency Management. While there, she created MYN (Map Your Neighborhood).

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2005

Unlike previous iterations, MYN now included an instructional DVD featuring LuAn conducting a neighborhood meeting and guiding a neighborhood through the process of learning the 9-Step Response Plan and creating Maps, Contact Lists and Skills & Equipment Inventories.  MYN also directs the creation of a map of the locations of natural gas and propane tank shut-off valves, identifying which neighbors have specific response skills and equipment, and creating a contact list which highlights neighbors who have specific needs, such as a disability.

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Demand from various governmental, non-profit and independent organizations led to Washington State’s request that LuAn take on all inquiries from outside the state as demand continued to grow. It also became clear that in order to meet demand, and to change the face of disaster preparedness worldwide, a for-profit business model was needed. Prep Connect was formed. This was when the realization that through the formation of Prep Connect as a for-profit company, MYN would be able to not only meet the demand but to change the face of disaster preparedness worldwide. 

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2018

Demand for the program continued to grow. During this time it became clear that in order to meet that demand and to change the face of disaster preparedness worldwide a new model was needed, thus, Prep Connect was formed.