Tag Archives: natural disasters

The Great Washington Shakeout: Joining the Seattle Emergency Hub Network in your Capitol Hill or Central District neighborhood another way to be prepared

Posted on by
Reply

This morning’s annual Great Washington Shakeout is a good day to think about how prepared you are for a major emergency in the neighborhood.

The day will include earthquake drills at workplaces, schools, and residential buildings across Seattle and the state.

You might also use it to get involved with the Seattle Emergency Hub Network in your Capitol Hill or Central District neighborhood.

The Hub Network, modeled after successful disaster preparedness initiatives in New Zealand, operates on the principle of community resilience. It comprises over 140 designated meeting points or Hubs strategically located throughout Seattle. These Hubs are situated in geologically safe areas away from potential building collapses and in spaces where people naturally congregate, such as parks, grocery stores, or condominiums. Continue reading →

Why you should help build out the Seattle Emergency Hub Network in your Capitol Hill or Central District neighborhood

Posted on by
Reply

(Image: Seattle Emergency Hub Network)

Homer Harris Park was recently the center of an exercise to help fine tune the abilities of neighbors to help neighbors in the Central District and across Capitol Hill in the event of a major catastrophe as part of a network of neighborhood hubs covering an increasing number of neighborhoods in Seattle.

If you look at the map of Seattle hubs and don’t see one in your area, don’t wait for someone else to build your community.

“You can start one if there’s a gap,” said Cindi Barker, one of the volunteer coordinators for the Hub Network and a Hub Captain for Morgan Junction Hub in West Seattle.

The Pacific Northwest, situated along the Cascadia Subduction Zone, faces the risk of a powerful earthquake. Recognizing the potential devastation of such an event, volunteers with the Seattle Emergency Hub Network are working to prepare Seattle residents for this looming threat.

The Hub Network: A Community-Driven Approach to Disaster Preparedness
The Hub Network, modeled after successful disaster preparedness initiatives in New Zealand, operates on the principle of community resilience. It comprises over 140 designated meeting points or Hubs strategically located throughout Seattle. These Hubs are situated in geologically safe areas away from potential building collapses and in spaces where people naturally congregate, such as parks, grocery stores, or condominiums. Continue reading →

This is a test of the North Capitol Hill Emergency Hub system — This is only a test

Posted on by

In an effort to bolster community resilience and preparedness, residents of Capitol Hill gathered for a neighborhood emergency drill Sunday organized by the North Capitol Hill Emergency Hub.

The event is part of volunteer-run efforts across the city trying to form a patchwork but still strong network of community plans and resources for how to keep neighborhoods safe and working when natural disasters and emergencies strike and people need to depend on each other.

The event, held in a Seventh Day Adventist Church’s parking lot at 13th and E Aloha, aimed to simulate the response to a major disaster when conventional communication channels might be down. Jessica Closson is the volunteer manager for the North Capitol Hill Hub.

“We are a group of neighbor volunteers who set up at our hub location and we practice how we would respond if there was a major disaster when all communications are down,” Closson said. “We have processes we are always trying to improve to make our response effective, so we practice and make sure we learn how to do the best job.” Continue reading →

North Capitol Hill Emergency Communication Hub to hold annual community emergency practice drill

Posted on by

A community group dedicated to helping Capitol Hill neighbors organize in the event of a major catastrophe will hold an emergency drill Sunday afternoon and is looking for volunteers.

The North Capitol Hill Emergency Communication Hub is part of a network of volunteer-run efforts around Seattle dedicated to emergency preparedness.

Sunday, the group will gather in the parking lot of the Seventh Day Adventist Church at 13th and Aloha to practice and spread the word about being ready for emergencies. Continue reading →

Drop, cover, and hold on — Today’s the day for your annual reminder of what to do when your get an earthquake alert in Seattle

Posted on by

Washington’s annual moment of earthquake preparedness takes place Thursday morning, October 21st, at 10:21 AM.

The state is again marking the third Thursday of October’s International ShakeOut Day with drills and awareness efforts. With the ongoing pandemic’s changes to the workday, this year’s training emphasizes how to safely get through a quake at home.

“If you’re continuing to work from home, take this opportunity to examine your environment for hazards and talk to family about where everyone would gather if your home was damaged and you were separated,” a statement from the Washington Emergency Management Division reads. “If you’re at a workplace or have kids in school, ask about what plans are in place for when an earthquake happens.” Continue reading →

City needs Emergency Preparedness volunteers for District 3

Posted on by

Seattle wants you to help prepare your neighbors for emergencies and natural disasters. The city’s Office of Emergency Management is putting out a call for volunteer Emergency Preparedness Public Educators in each of the city’s seven City Council districts:

Are you interested in helping your neighborhood and the Seattle community prepare for disasters? We are looking for community members within the seven Seattle Council Districts to serve as Emergency Preparedness Educators with the Seattle Office of Emergency Management (OEM). Our volunteer educators are trained to provide emergency preparedness education to Seattle’s diverse community through presentations, tabling events, neighborhood meetings, and special events. On any given day, our volunteers may give a presentation in a living room, an office building, at a community center, a condo building, an assisted living facility, or a neighborhood council. We are looking for flexible individuals who know their neighborhoods well and share our passion for educating the community about the importance of emergency and disaster preparedness. Join our growing team!

The city is looking for two volunteers in each district. Continue reading →

Plans for a solar microgrid at Capitol Hill community center will power building, through rain, shine… or disaster

Posted on by

Miller Community Center (Image: CHS)

Seattle’s community centers provide a lot of simple but important things to their neighborhoods including recreation and meeting space. But they could also help the city develop strength and resilience in a future of extreme weather and in emergencies like a giant earthquake.

Seattle City Light is partnering with Seattle Parks and Recreation to implement a first of its kind solar microgrid at Capitol Hill’s Miller Community Center.

The microgrid involves more than solar panels as a battery energy storage system and microgrid controls will also be installed.

The planned system will provide backup power storage necessary to keep the community center functioning during windstorms, power outages, and other emergency events.

“The project will empower a community to recover quickly from unplanned emergency events and gain technical knowledge on the installation and operation of a microgrid system,” Seattle City Light says about the project. “Analytics from the microgrid resiliency project will allow the City of Seattle to research and develop similar technologies.” Continue reading →