About Resilience
Resilience PDX is an event to connect Portlanders who want to acquire or share knowledge and skills about disaster preparedness. Geologists suggest we are due for a major earthquake in this region, and better preparedness can save lives and minimize impacts of a disaster. The more we are prepared, the faster we will be able to recover and return to ‘normalcy’. At this event, we will showcase the various groups around Portland that can serve as resources for the community before, during, and after a major emergency. There will also be a number of skills workshops, where experts will share knowledge to help you prepare for and recover from a disaster. All for free! Come learn and get connected. The final schedule will be posted by the end of May.
The following workshops will be offered:
- Earthquake-Proofing your Home
- Preparing a Comprehensive Household Kit
- Food Storage/Preservation
- Clean and Potable Water
- Home Energy
- Managing Pee and Poop
- Individual Resilience
- Organizing your Neighbors
- Bicycle Cargo Demonstration
- Social Media and Other Technologies in Disasters
- Putting Out Fires
The expected attendees include : Multnomah County Emergency Management, City of Portland Bureau of Emergency Management, Multnomah County Environmental Health, Earthquake Tech, Seismic NW, Oregon Red Cross, Oregon Food Bank, PREP, PHLUSH, Cloacina, Terra Firma, Portland Preparedness Center, Metrofiets, Portland Parks, Trackers Earth, PortlandNET, Betsy Shand, and more!
Who is Behind This?
This event is a not-for-profit venture undertaken by the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods (NECN). Arif Khan, who has managed disaster preparedness and response projects in Asia and Africa for the past six years volunteered to help NECN identify ways to reduce the risks of disaster for the residents and business owners of Northeast Portland. He contacted various agencies and groups that were working in disaster preparedness and found that great work was being done by public agencies, community groups, and businesses. However, there was no effort to link-up the various efforts. So, he proposed a project to identify and map the resources, and he recruited a team of four extremely talented Portland State University Urban Planning Masters students to take on this important project, which will culminate in June. This event on June 2nd is an outgrowth of that project and will bring together the individuals and groups that were involved, along with countless others from across the Portland area. The Steering Committee for this event includes: Patty Reuter (City of Portland), Steve Bullock (Multnomah County), Alice Lasher Busch, Rafael Gutierrez, and Liz Bryant (PREP).
Why
Disasters are often destructive and tragic. But as observed in many places in the world, disasters can also bring people together. It is through disasters that we are reminded of our shared humanity, regardless of our political or religious affiliations. While we don’t want a disaster to strike Portland, we must accept the reality of the risks that face our region and this planet. It is our vision that through preparedness, we can build upon Portland’s key strength, which is its cooperative culture of sustainability, and thus bring out the best of people, and a better future. Starting now!