Okay so today started like any other Tuesday, grabbed my coffee and opened the laptop to check local news. Damn near spilled the coffee everywhere when I saw the headlines popping off about multiple shootings happening right here in Indianapolis. Like, what the hell?
First thing I did? Panic-texted my sister who lives near Broad Ripple to make sure she locked her doors. Felt that knot in my stomach tightening, you know? Then it hit me – I’ve been through this drill before with other cities. Why not put together something useful right now for our neighbors?
How This Safety Guide Came Together
Started smashing keys like crazy:
- Opened four browser tabs with different sources – police scanners, local news, neighborhood Facebook groups
- Scribbled notes on a yellow legal pad with timestamps as updates rolled in
- Called downtown Mike who runs the bodega near the courthouse to get ground-level info
The noise was overwhelming at first. Half the stuff on social media turned out fake. Had to keep hitting refresh on IMPD’s official page for actual facts. Around 10:30am they finally released the affected zones map and boom – that became the backbone of the guide.
Putting Meat On The Bones
Knew people needed practical stuff, not just scary headlines. Dug through my old emergency prep folders and pulled out:
- The shelter-in-place checklist we used during that chemical spill scare last year
- Text alert templates for neighborhood watch groups
- That redacted escape route map from the fire department workshop
Added new stuff too – like where the active police checkpoints were moving, which ERs had less crowding. Almost screwed up big time when I nearly shared outdated hospital info until Jenny from Methodist ER messaged me corrections.
Finished around 2pm hitting publish after triple-checking every single detail. Refreshed the page like fifty times waiting for comments. First reply came from Ms. Henderson in Batesville thanking me for the pharmacy hours update – guess her insulin couldn’t wait.
Honestly? Doing this today made me realize how chaotic info gets during crises. Next time I’m setting up a verification team beforehand. This solo cowboy act just burns you out.