Disasters and emergencies can happen anywhere, and without warning. In Oregon, we deal with wildfires, floods, heat domes, ice and snowstorms. Then there is the ever-present threat of a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake. It’s important for everyone to know what to do and how to care for one another.
This is why Governor Tina Kotek has officially proclaimed September as Preparedness Month in Oregon, which is inline with FEMA’s National Preparedness Month.
The Oregon Department of Emergency Management (OEM) will observe preparedness month by launching a new community-based initiative designed to help individuals and their communities prepare for emergencies and practice their skills as a group. The Be 2 Weeks Ready Toolkit is a step-by-step guide to community resiliency.
The digital version of the kit is available at Oregon.gov/OEM and is offered in English, Spanish, Russian, Chinese and Vietnamese, with American Sign Language videos coming soon.
“As director of OEM, it’s a top priority for me to help people living in Oregon be ready for disasters,” Erin McMahon, said. “The Be 2 Weeks Ready program helps foster a culture of preparedness within established community groups such as faith-based organizations, neighborhood associations, local 4-H clubs, schools and workplaces.”
When a disaster strikes, you are the help until help arrives. Oregon state employees who are interested in becoming a Be 2 Weeks Ready a program coordinator or want to find a program near them can email community.preparedness@oem.oregon.gov.
Another way to build resiliency in the workplace is to become a part of a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and learn basic disaster response skills.
There are four types of CERT programs: Community, Workplace, Campus, Teen. Each program is supported by a sponsoring organization. A sponsoring organization can be any government agency, such as a fire department, emergency management agency or city council.
CERT is a FEMA-sponsored program that educates and trains volunteers in disaster preparedness. This program, established in all 50 states, offers a consistent platform to create teams that professional responders can rely on during disaster situations.
There are more than 50 active CERT programs in Oregon. People can find contact information for teams in their area on the Oregon Department of Emergency Management website.
By working together, workplaces can enhance their collective resilience and ensure everyone is equipped to handle emergencies.
It’s important to note that being two weeks ready doesn’t have to be expensive or happen all at once. There are a lot of effective and low-cost to no-cost actions your community can take today to be ready for tomorrow. You can find more details about these on FEMA’s preparedness site Ready.gov, but here are a few:
- Visit ORAlert.gov to sign up or update your contact information to receive local emergency alerts.
- Enable Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) on your mobile phone.
- Understand Oregon’s evacuation levels and know the evacuation routes in your area.
- Familiarize yourself with TripCheck.com.
- Make go bags with survival essentials for every member of your family, including pets.
- Store copies of important information or documents in a password-protected online drive or on a flash drive in a waterproof container in your go bag.
Also, look to your local leaders for additional tips on how your community is preparing. Connect with your local emergency management office, sheriff’s office, or Tribal police and follow them on social media to stay up to date during quickly changing emergencies.
In the end, OEM aims to help people to feel empowered, not frightened, when thinking about how they will respond in an emergency. This new Be 2 Weeks Ready Toolkit will help them build meaningful connections with one another that will lead to better outcomes for everyone when disaster strikes.
To receive announcements and updates about the Be 2 Weeks Ready program, click here.
