By Molly Bull, Senior Communications Manager, Microsoft Disaster Response

If you’ve ever been to Portland, Oregon, you likely witnessed not only a city of roses, but a city of cyclists. 

Portlanders seem to be as likely to have a bicycle as they would a pet.  So it’s no wonder that bicycles have become one of the key ways the city has rallied around preparedness efforts.  This past July at Portland’s Disaster Relief Trial’s third annual event, supported by FEMA Corps team Blue 5 with FEMA Region X, participants showcased how bikes can support the transportation of supplies in response to a natural disaster.

Cargo bikes are just one of the solutions the city has identified for disaster preparedness.

Like supplies such as food and water, access to information is essential during emergencies.  Managed by the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management (PBEM) a program called Basic Earthquake Emergency Communications Node, or BEECN (pronounced “Beacon”), provides places Portlanders can go to report severe damage or injury, or ask for emergency assistance, if phone lines and usual methods of communication are down.  There are 48 site locations throughout Portland each with an equipment cache and assigned volunteers trained to deploy within 24 to 48 hours following an earthquake. 

Basic Earthquake Emergency Communication Node (BEECN) sites. Search by zip code.

The program originated in 2012 when former Mayor of Portland, Sam Adams, was inspired by community preparedness programs he’d seen in the greater Seattle area.   

“The program came together quickly,” says Jeremy Van Keuren, NET Program Specialist for PBEM.  “Earthquakes are an imminent hazard in the Pacific Northwest, and building the BEECN program directly serves our community by helping people send and receive critical information from designated sites in their neighborhoods during emergencies when landlines and services are disrupted.  Following an earthquake, it will likely take a long time to get utilities going again so people should familiarize themselves with the BEECNs in their local area.” 

He adds, “Portlanders should also be sure to plan for 2 weeks’ worth of personal emergency supplies.  Resources like food, water, and medical services won’t be found at BEECN sites as they are intended as communication points only.”

Here is the way the BEECNs work:

1. Each site has an equipment cache associated with it which trained volunteers will deploy.

2. Volunteers use a handheld UHF (ultrahigh frequency) radio to talk with an amateur radio operator (also called ham radio operator) at the nearest fire station.

3. The amateur radio operator will then relay messages to the city’s Emergency Coordination Center (ECC).

Source: Portland Basic Earthquake Emergency Communications Node (BEECN) Guidelines.

Message traffic is intended to be two-way. This means that the ECC can send response and resource information to neighborhoods through BEECNs, while neighborhoods can talk with local government to report damage or injuries and request help.

The equipment and supplies in each of the 48 BEECN sites is checked at least once a month, and 3 exercises are run annually.  The next exercise is planned for mid-October and program owners are always looking for volunteers.

"The training can typically be done in an hour or less," says Dan Douthit, Public Information Officer for PBEM.  “We’ll train new volunteers on the deployment and use of BEECN equipment.  No prior radio operation experience is required – we’ll equip you with what you need to know.”

Click the short video above for a 3-minute BEECN overview.

The Portland BEECN program is a great example of community-focused preparedness planning, utilizing local resources and recognizing the challenges that may be posed by the geography.  In recognition of National Preparedness Month, we wanted to share initiatives like BEECN and West Seattle Emergency Communication Hubs (previous post), which illustrate the importance of information in time of emergency. 

Be sure to update and test your personal preparedness plan this month, and find out if there are neighborhood or community plans in your area.  #NatlPrep

By Molly Bull, Senior Communications Manager and Harmony Mabrey, Senior Operations Manager – Microsoft Disaster Response

Access to information is critical in time of emergency to help connect people with resources and minimize further hazards, damage, and confusion. 

Communities around the world are organizing neighborhood and localized group initiatives for information and resource sharing to build local preparedness together. We would like to share some interesting examples of these activities to inform and hopefully inspire ideas for preparedness in your community. 

Recently, our Senior Operations Manager, Harmony Mabrey, spoke with Deborah Greer and Karen Berge from West Seattle Be Prepared, a volunteer organization that leads the West Seattle Emergency Communication Hubs. The program serves as an important resource for West Seattle residents by establishing community meeting points and communication plans for sharing information in time of disaster. 

So, what are the West Seattle Emergency Communication Hubs?

Essentially, they are locations around West Seattle that have been designated by neighborhood leaders and volunteers as community gathering sites if a major disaster makes it impossible to get information and help in the usual ways. The locations are easy to find and familiar to most people in each neighborhood.  Today, all hub locations are outdoors because many buildings may be unsafe following an earthquake or similar type of disaster, however if in the future buildings have been checked for damage and deemed safe, they will very likely be used as shelters.

The purpose of these gathering places is to have a “low tech” way of connecting neighbors if regular “high tech” methods of communication become unavailable.

During a serious emergency, information-sharing within and between individual West Seattle neighborhoods is important.  If West Seattle becomes isolated because of damage to either roads or bridges, having central gathering places will aid people in sharing resources, and having predetermined locations will allow each neighborhood to more quickly collect information regarding scope of damage.  It will also help police and fire departments respond in a more organized manner given that their resources will likely be limited.  

The hubs roughly began in 2006 and now total twelve locations throughout West Seattle, an area just south of metropolitan Seattle extending westward over the Puget Sound. Citywide there are now more than 50 hubs. They were established in direct response to instructions from the city and county officials who tell us that neighborhoods may need to be self-sufficient for 3 to 7 days following a major disaster. 

Citywide Disaster Drill, 5/17/14: West Seattle hubs at Ercolini Park

Several drills and exercises are run each year to test the West Seattle hubs’ equipment which includes GMRS radios (general mobile radio service) – used to communicate hub-to-hub – and repeaters which  amplify the signals across the city enabling communication with the Seattle Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at the Office of Emergency Management downtown.  Ham operators at the EOC can then relay GMRS communications to first responders.

“The idea is to practice communicating between hubs and communicating with the Emergency Operations Centers citywide including agencies such as King County Police, King County Fire Department, the Red Cross, and others,” says Deborah Greer of West Seattle Be Prepared.  “Practicing protocol to manage the traffic and recognize difficulties that will likely arise is important to address head-on before a disaster because these hubs will serve as amplifiers to get key information out to emergency managers in a real situation.”

Both Ham and GMRS radio operators, who are program  volunteers, also check in weekly which helps build community across the Seattle area and ensures that the people who will be called upon during an emergency are able to operate the equipment and that it is configured properly. 

 
West Seattle Emergency Hub supplies

Running exercises is important not only for testing protocol, but it also serves as a way to raise awareness of the hubs by getting the word out to the community and keeping volunteer engagement up.  Group leaders are also looking to use block watch and established groups to foster community preparedness.  Another program focus is to help individuals get personally prepared so that local neighborhoods will be more resilient if and when disaster happens.

To learn more visit http://westseattlebeprepared.org/.  

Follow the blog at http://westseattlebeprepared.wordpress.com/.

By Molly Bull, Senior Communications Manager, Microsoft Disaster Response

If you had 5 minutes to evacuate your home do you know what you would take with you?  Who would you contact?  Where would you go?

We are just about a week into National Preparedness Month and already a number of informative articles, social media posts, and even contests have been published providing many great ideas and resources for building, or updating, your preparedness plan.  There are a number of tips on the federal website, www.ready.gov/september, and be sure to join the conversation on Twitter!  (#NatlPrep)

It is likely that the technologies you rely upon and use in your everyday life can also help you prepare now.  Microsoft has a few solutions we would like to share with you in case you find them helpful to include in your plan.  We wanted to kick off with a short video we put together to offer some general ideas for family emergency planning.

What does your preparedness plan look like today?

I find a good way to test a plan is to think through real-life scenarios I might encounter should I find myself in the middle of a disaster.  Here are some considerations and technology tools you may want to include in your own personal preparedness plan.

“How can I broadly reach my friends and family to let them know whether I’m okay or need help?”

 HelpBridge is a free mobile app (Windows, Android, iOS) designed to connect people with loved ones by sending a single message to a pre-selected contact group.  Whether a daily situation, such as a flat tire, or in response to a natural disaster, the app uses email, texting, Twitter and Facebook to let others know whether you need help, or are okay. Providing your GPS coordinates is an option, too.  HelpBridge also provides ways people can help others through donations, text-to-give, and volunteer opportunities. 

“How can I communicate with my friends and family if I don’t have access to my landline, or if my mobile phone calls aren’t going through?”

During disasters communication networks can sometimes become overwhelmed and Skype can be a valuable tool for making video and voice calls to other Skype users.  You can also instant message or share files.  Part of my personal preparedness plan includes the Skype mobile app so my emergency contacts and I can Skype through our smart phones in case we can’t access our computers.    

“How can I protect and access important documents during an emergency?”

You can set up a OneDrive account, which can be accessed from any computer or mobile device with connectivity.  Store things like birth certificates, insurance documents, and other essential files and make them searchable in a digital notebook like OneNote.  This is also a great option for storing personal mementos and photos.

There are a couple other documents you might want to consider personalizing and saving to the cloud.  Here you can find an Excel template that can get you started on creating a family preparedness plan, or if you’re a business owner, there is a Word template that can help you capture employee emergency information. 

“How can I reliably store my medical information?”

HealthVault helps you gather, store, and share important health information for you and your family by creating an emergency profile. Here you can manage and track your family’s medical contacts, allergies, medication, immunizations, and health conditions. Through the site your medical providers can securely log in and see a full picture of your history and medical needs.

Also remember that social media can be a helpful way to get updates during a disaster.  If you haven’t already, you may want to look to see if your local government has a Twitter account or other method that they use to push information to citizens during disasters.

www.microsoft.com/disasterresponse   
@msftresponse