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Resilience-Aloha Preparedness Expo 2014

Resilience-Aloha Preparedness Expo combines the concepts of disaster preparedness and sustainability into a fun, informative, hands-on event for individuals, families and neighborhood groups.
Media release
County Administrative Office

Posted

For Immediate Release: Monday, October 06, 2014

Sponsored by: County Administrative Office

Resilience-Aloha Community Event Combines Disaster Preparedness with Sustainability


On Saturday, October 18, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Beaverton School District and Mountain View Middle School will host Washington County's first ever resilience fair and preparedness expo. Called simply, Resilience-Aloha, the expo combines principles of disaster preparedness, like forming a family communications plan and creating an emergency supply kit, with sustainable practices such as bicycle transportation, gardening, food preservation, water collection, and use of solar power. The event is co-sponsored by the Beaverton School District, Tualatin Valley Water District and Washington County. Mountain View Middle School is located at 17500 SW Farmington Road, in the unincorporated community of Aloha.

Several community partners will be on hand, sharing strategies and skills to help individuals and families become more self-reliant and prepared for any disaster. With Oregon's vulnerability to a catastrophic Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake, special emphasis will be placed on preparations for earthquake and tsunami survival. The following community groups and allied agencies, among others, have agreed to participate:
  • OSU Extension Service: sustainable gardening & food preservation;
  • Washington County Emergency Management: "Take 5 To Survive"—five minute projects that help simplify preparedness;
  • Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue: fire prevention and suppression;
  • Washington County Sheriff's Office: "Map Your Neighborhood"—identifying neighborhood resources and making a plan to help each other in the event of a disaster;
  • Beaverton Community Emergency Response Team (CERT): through CERT basic training, citizens learn to manage utilities, put out small fires, provide basic medical first aid, and perform light search and rescue in a calm, safe, and efficient manner.
  • Washington County Public Health: "when toilets fail" and other tips for maintaining sanitation and preventing the spread of disease;
  • Washington County Building Services: how to retrofit a home for earthquake resistance;
  • NW Natural: how to shut off the gas valve and deal with gas line ruptures;
  • Rewild Portland: survival skills including how to create a friction fire;
  • Westside Transportation Alliance: innovative bicycle transportation—cargo bikes, trailers and foldable bikes;
  • Red Cross: how to assemble an emergency preparedness kit;
  • Washington County Consolidated Communications Agency: PublicAlerts emergency notification system and how to get signed up to receive alerts;
  • Washington County Animal Services: including pets in emergency preparedness planning; and
  • KUIK radio: where to turn for emergency information after a disaster.
According to Washington County Emergency Manager Steve Muir, "Bringing these topics together at a skill-sharing type event not only encourages citizens to be more prepared when infrastructure and critical supplies are interrupted indefinitely, but it also helps neighborhoods become better places to live in the long run. In the days and weeks after a catastrophic earthquake, emergency response crews will be greatly delayed. It will be critical to have individuals and families prepared to be self-sufficient during that time."

School principal, Claudia Ruf, welcomes Mountain View families, as well as the public, to attend Resilience-Aloha with the hope that people will see the need to begin planning and preparing together to face the challenges of a natural disaster. "Having lived in Chile, I'm very much aware of the dangers and hardships that come with earthquakes. I'm really pleased that we can open our doors at Mountain View for such an important event."

Morning and afternoon workshops will also be provided for those who would like more in-depth information about earthquakes and disaster preparedness in general. At 10:30 a.m., Multnomah County Vulnerable Populations Specialist, Alice Busch, will speak about the importance of a neighborhood-wide approach to disaster planning.At 12:30 p.m., Althea Rizzo, with Oregon Emergency Management, will discuss the Cascadia Subduction Zone threat and how a major earthquake might impact Washington County. The workshops will include interpretation services for those who prefer Spanish.



Media Contact:

Julie McCloud, Public & Govt. Affairs Assistant
503-846-8685
[email protected]