BEECN there, done that!

we have a life

And a brain.

I don't necessarily have a problem with this...

but...what was wrong with just going to your nearest Fire Station for help? Or Police Station or Hospital? Now there's a whole new layer of communications?

Are the BEECN radios interoperable with the existing Police/Fire network? Or are they separate radios, on separate frequencies?

Erik H. makes a good poiint about why not go to a Fire Station or Hospital, or Police Station. Most have been seismic proofed, they have several communication systems, medical aid equipment, and other resources. Why would I want to go to a tent in the playfield in front of a school that was built in 1903 without no seismic upgrades like the old Terwilliger School on SW Corbett? This is common sense question that deserves a common sense answer, instead of creating a whole new system of emergency preparedness.

Where do you think many people went in lower and central Manhatten after 9/11? They went to fire and police stations if they needed some assistance if they couldn't find it elsewhere.

If only the city had some big tract of land on the west side, close in, to dedicate to earthquake response. . . .

Did you miss how citizens can sign up for emergency alerts (which may be useful for updating the info on the fridge) because you didn't make fun of that part.

This mailer just reinforced what I already suspected: they know that if such an event occurred, the existing police, fire, and emergency medical response infrastructure will be overwhelmed, you won't be able to get anywhere on whatever part of the transportation infrastructure is surviving, and we're stuck here in place to figure out how to survive on our own.

Me, I've just committed to updating my now-lapsed first aid and CPR emergency training certifications. Because someone may need it, and it will be up to us to look out for each other.

If I'm not too busy, how much does that sitting in the tent with a walkie/talkie pay? Does it include PERS and do I have to speak Spanish?

Well Jack, living down here in the valley the earthquake potential is close to zero. I guess if there was a big one the river bottom soil here might liquefy and suck us down.

But everyone should have a SHTF kit. If you just prepare for the zombie attacks you should be in good shape for any other emergency.

Realistically in the case of a major event most people will be on their own for at least 72 hours and maybe longer depending on location.

Emergency services are going to be responding to emergencies, people injured, trapped, etc.

The suggestions for emergency kits are all over the Internet and most are pretty good. Food, Water and shelter are the most important. You might also want one of those collapsing shovels (entrenching tools) Their very handy for cat holes for waste and can be used as a weapon against any roving bands of city inspectors. (You know they're going to want a permit for that tent and cat hold)

I will forever savor the day the Sammy Slop Bucket arrived at my doorstep, and I promptly deposited it in the trash. F-YOU, SAM.

When I took the Neighborhood Emergency Team training a good 20 years ago the PFB made it clear that in the event of "the big one" we would be on our own for 3 to 5 days at least.
That there would be little capability to respond. Even Station 14 asked that my team come bring chain saws to cut the trees away if they fell as the firetrucks did not carry any at that time.
So build your emergency kit, food, water, a way to cook. Even a small tent, and be ready to fend for yourselves for a while.

Hey tankfixer, I was in the 2nd NET training group back then. They (Rachel Jacky and the PFB) did a really great job and I was happy to receive top notch training to possibly help in an emergency. Then Rachel left and City Hall eventually brought in some (no hyperbole) fascist jerkoff that tried to transform NET (and POEM) into a paramilitary organization. For their precious TOPOFF trial they wanted NET to practice being couriers distributing Cipro across the town.
I politely asked that my name be removed from their files. Yeah, they broke a good city. Broke it real good.

We throw your b.s. mailers into the landfill garbage.
YUP
(our tax dollars at work, sickening)

In the event of a catastrophic earthquake, will the City waive collection of parking fees for 3 to 5 days?

Old Zeb, we might have been in the same class ! It was good training, especially the practical exercise where you had a group of people you didn't know and you had to clear the fire tower in the dark with only a couple of flashlights. Too bad things have gone downhill.
We worked the wind storm in the fall of 1995, babysat a downed power line until the power company showed up.
I had to step away from NET due to my work demands. I'd be expected to report in if the big one hits and don't think it's fair to a team of volunteers to not be there when needed.
When I retire in a couple of years I may see about getting our neighborhood team going again.

To Sam the Scam:
Why spend our tax $ setting up radio relay stations - that may take 24 hours to become operational and won't have any emergency supplies. And there is no indication that these people will have had any valid training.
Have you ever heard of Ham Radio Operators? They practice this kind of thing every year and they are good at it. I know that, because I have been with them when they were doing it. They do it because they care about the community and expect no $ for doing it. They have the mobile equipment and some emergency supplies and training.
So, keep it up Sam, but leave Char-lie some room to screw us, ok?

Portlanders have been living with a disaster for the last four years: Sammyboy and his cohort The Hose Guy also known as the Sam-Rand twins.

Red, the NET program will be helpful in a catastrophic emergency, regardless of my rant about the clowns that have messed with it. The training is excellent, relevant, and local. It is still a vital program and I'd encourage ALL readers to check it out -- providing you have a high gag threshold for the way FEMA and Homeland Security have muscled in on a wonderful local program.
If you have a high enough level of emotional maturity -- which I lack -- you'll be able to look past the BS and get top notch training that will help your family and your neighbors even in minor emergencies.

B.P. Red: Portland suffers from "not invented here" syndrome...also "envy" syndrome.

REACT is a long established, well recognized organization. That's precisely why Portland won't use what already exists - Portland thinks it can reinvent a good wheel, reinvent it better, throw in some sustainability and environmentalism for good measure, watch it fail, then watch San Francisco, Seattle, or Amsterdam do it better, and then complain that we can't just do what those cities do.

Meanwhile, there's a bunch of ham radio operators that can do the job in two hours if they were asked - but they'll be politely turned down in favor of the city's multi-million dollar untested system that will probably crap out.

The la-di-da, "the government will protect me" drones are going to be in for a rude awakening if the big one hits.

Don't depend on you bright and shiny smart phones. Remember they overloaded the cell systems on the last 6 point something quake we had some years ago and at the Clack town center shooting.

You toy wont be worth it's weight in plastic.