This Emergency Preparedness web-book consists of three sections:
Portland’s worst-case hazard scenario is a Cascadia Megathrust Subduction Zone earthquake (magnitude 9+). If you’re prepared for that, you’re prepared for any kind of disaster. And there is no doubt that it’s coming.
The SW Emergency Preparedness Group consists of citizens working to create disaster-resistant communities by raising public awareness, working with our civic leaders, and educating citizens how to prepare for and respond to natural disasters.
While our group’s focus is SW Portland, disasters know no boundaries. We believe in working with neighboring groups and individuals. If there is sufficient interest and involvement, we might expand our charter.
By far the biggest hazard facing Portland and surrounding communities is a Cascadia Megathrust Subduction Zone earthquake (magnitude 9+). While a direct nuclear blast would be devastating, its range is limited. A Cascadia subduction zone earthquake would unleash far more energy, and devastate a much larger region (approximately 84,000 square miles in size – from southern Canada to northern California, from the Pacific Ocean to the Cascade Mountains).
A subduction zone megathrust earthquake is far more powerful than most earthquakes we hear about, and Cascadia is among the largest of this breed of earthquake. There have only been a few in recorded history which are anywhere on par with Cascadia. The December 26, 2004 Sumatra earthquake (which caused the Indian Ocean tsunami) is probably the closest one. That earthquake actually altered the earth’s gravitational field! We heard very little about the earthquake itself because it occurred away from a heavily populated large land mass. That will not be the case in Cascadia.
While we face a variety of threats, such as terrorism, accidents, and natural disasters, if you’re prepared for Cascadia, you’re prepared for almost any kind of disaster. And there is no doubt that Cascadia is coming. The only question is when?
This web-book is a living document. Our initial focus is Cascadia (as that is our worst-case scenario); in time we will include information on a wider range of hazards.
This page to contain data about the Cascadia Subduction Zone.
[This section is intended for information about personal/family preparedness. It will include information about first aid, what to do before an earthquake, what to do during an earthquake, what to do after an earthquake, family reunification plan, water purification, emergency kits, telephone use after a disaster, link to NET info, etc. Please add comments suggesting additional topics (comments to be deleted as information is added).]
Everybody should have an Emergency Preparedness Kit.
In California, they call this a 72-Hour kit because that is the typical time it takes for government and utilities to rebound after a typical California earthquake.
Here in Oregon, we face a different kind of earthquake. One which potentially will do a lot more damage, and devastate a much larger region (about 84,000 square miles west of the Cascades, from southern Canada to northern California). This is a disaster far larger in scope than hurricane Katrina. As was the case in New Orleans, we can reasonably expect to be on our own for much longer than 72 hours before outside help begins to trickle in (Portland will be just one of many cities affected by a Cascadia Megathrust Earthquake). At a minimum, we recommend 240-Hour kits (10 days). A 30-day kit is even better.
A 72-Hour kit should include everything you, your family and pets would need in order to spend 72 hours on your own. Scale that up for 240-Hour or 30-day kits. This is not always straightforward. For food, it is a simple matter of storing more. While it may not be practical to store a 30-day supply of water, having as large a reservoir as practical, along with the knowledge and means to collect rainwater, make a solar still, treat and filter water, etc. is invaluable in an emergency. You may find there are things you cannot easily do without for 30-days which you can easily omit for three days.
By now you may be thinking you’ll just evacuate the area if help doesn’t arrive soon. There will be no commercial air traffic in or out. Roads are likely to be impassible, and fuel will likely be limited to what you have in your tank. It’s a long walk east of the Cascades. It is unlikely evacuation will be feasible.
We will be adding additional content to these pages in the future with information specific to preparing for a Cascadia Megathrust Earthquake (and aftershocks). In the meantime, here are some resources on the web to get you started in creating your own Emergency Preparedness Kit:
If you can think of additional information or links which should be on this page, please post a comment. As this site is flushed out, we may incorporate your suggestions into the site (and subsequently remove the comment as that is done).
[This section is intended for information about community preparedness. It will include information about public education programs, working to build disaster shelters in every community, domes, Neighborhood Emergency Teams, seismic code upgrades, emergency communications, emergency IT (family reunification infrastructure), business continuity plans (important for communities that businesses survive), etc. Please add comments suggesting additional topics (comments to be deleted as information is added).]
What does it mean to build a disaster-resistant community? It means raising citizen awareness of the dangers we face, the importance of preparing for disaster, knowledge of how to respond, and insisting that our elected officials do what they can to create a disaster-resistant infrastructure (e.g. building disaster-resistant fire stations and schools – which can serve as emergency shelters – in every community in our city, beefing up seismic building codes, etc.)
A prepared citizenry is the most important component of a disaster-resistant community! One need look no further than New Orleans in the wake of hurricane Katrina to see the effect an unprepared citizenry. Wholesale reliance on government to prepare for (or respond to) disaster can be a fatal mistake. Government planning is critical, but citizen preparation is essential. If every citizen is prepared to deal with disaster, our community will fare far better than if we rely on government alone.
It is important to understand that as bad as Katrina was, the devastation of a Cascadia subduction zone earthquake will be far, far worse. It will affect 84,000 square miles of the Pacific Northwest! “Don’t be scared, be prepared” is Alaska’s emergency preparedness motto. Wise words. It should be our motto too. We need to start planning and preparing now, today. Every one of us. Individual citizen, school principal, business owner, elected official, government agency, all of us.
Fire stations are critical to every community. They house our emergency responders: Emergency medical technicians and fire fighters. And schools house our future, including our future EMT’s and fire fighters. Shouldn’t both of these facilities be as disaster-resistant as possible?
Our current seismic standards are too lax (and give us a false sense of security). And certain big-money interests would like to keep things that way. Ironically, the most seismically resilient design, a monolithic dome, is more economical than conventional box-shaped buildings. It seems criminal to build critical facilities like fire stations and schools to lower standards when monolithic dome technology is so disaster-resistant, energy efficient and cost effective. Isn’t it time the taxpayer got their money’s worth for a change?
Links:
Portland is retrofitting fire stations and bridges to meet seismic code. While this might sound comforting, not all seismic standards are created equally. Portland’s “zone 3” seismic code standards are weaker than California’s “zone 4” standards, and even “zone 4” standards are not intended to withstand a sustained M9+ event, which we now know to expect from our Cascadia subduction zone.
It is also important to understand that seismic standards are intended only to protect lives by preventing total structural collapse; the building may not be safe or usable afterward. For earthquakes larger or longer than the seismic code zone anticipates, total collapse may occur. So a school or fire station built to meet Portland’s seismic code has no assurances it will remain standing nor protect life, much less remain functional and safe, after a Cascadia subduction zone megathrust earthquake.
But there is an economical way to construct buildings which can be expected to survive such tremendous forces. Conventional buildings contain many joints between walls, roof & foundation. During an earthquake these joints – called “moment connections” – are subjected to enormous stresses. If the stress is great enough or prolonged enough, the joint fails and the building collapses. Creating stronger joints can rapidly escalate construction costs, yet failure of the joint is still possible. A better and more economical approach is to reduce the number of moment connections in a building. A building without any would distribute seismic loads evenly across the entire structure. A thin-shelled one-piece (i.e. monolithic) dome made of steel- & fiber-reinforced concrete would have few, if any, consequential moment connections an earthquake could damage. This type of building has by far the best chance of surviving Portland’s greatest seismic threat. Amazingly, a large monolithic dome structure is less costly to build, heat or maintain than similar sized conventional structures.
Information on the web on how to cope with winter weather conditions…
Emergency Preparedness Web Group is a group of citizens dedicated to building a disaster resistant community and improving SW Portland’s level of emergency preparedness so that when disaster strikes, people know what to do and lives can be saved.
We are working to increase public awareness and readiness for unexpected events, from winter storms to our worst case scenario: a Cascadia subduction zone megathrust earthquake. We work with other citizens and with various levels of government. There are no residency nor NET-certification requirements. Earthquakes and other disasters respect no political boundaries nor training certification status.
Please consider becoming involved in our work here on the web, by volunteering, or by attending our meetings.
This web site is the new communications hub for our group. It allows us to work and share information continuously rather than just once a month at a meeting. It also serves to document our work. In 2007 we will begin to use our monthly meetings more as a venue for education and dissemination of information.
The SW Emergency Preparedness group has identified a number of goals:
Please note that this list always evolving; we may be working on projects not identified above.
Currently the Crime Prevention and Public Safety Committee has taken on the education portion of emergency preparedness. For more information contact Nancy Hand enchand@hotmail.com.
The Crime Prevention and Public Safety Committee meet on the first Monday at 7 PM in the Hamilton Room of the Multnomah Center (the old Multnomah School at 7688 SW Capitol Highway).