Cascadia Preparedness

  Emergency Advisory Radio Stations provide information in a 3 to 5-mile radius by broadcasting on a set AM frequencies. These stations are set up by local municipalities to provide emergency information to their communities. These radio stations may be fixed stations (often installed at municipal buildings such as an emergency operations center or city hall), or portable stations that can be set-up in a disaster area to provide information to that specific area. Unlike the NOAA NWR Service , Emergency Advisory Radio does not broadcast continuously, rather these stations are only activated when there is a local event adversely affecting the public. Emergency Advisory Radio allows local officials to provide information in a specific limited area. Emergency Advisory Radio Stations in Oregon and Washington include:  OREGON       Ashland - 1700 kHz (fixed ALERT AM station)     Baker County - 530 kHz (fixed Information Station components) ...

  The REACT Emergency Communications training and certification program will provide the public service community with trained radio operators who will have a consistent level of expertise in Emergency Communications no matter where they live. Parts of this course are similar to the Emergency Communications program developed for amateur radio operators by the ARRL, but the REACT course includes material for radio operators in other radio services. Both courses teach the same procedures for emergency and public service communications. Radio operators who complete the program from either organization will have demonstrated the knowledge and skills needed to provide effective communications support to emergency service agencies. The ARRL program focuses specifically on amateur radio while the REACT program covers amateur radio, Citizens Band, the General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS), the popular Family Radio Service (FRS), and the Multi-Use Radio Service (MURS). Some of the material i...

Forget about the world coming to an end. Imagine the power grid getting knocked out for two weeks. That’s two weeks without refrigerated food and, in most places, two weeks without water, as most modern plumbing systems need electricity to operate. Do you know how to survive if the power grid goes down? For most Americans, the answer is likely no. However, power outage survival is a real concern. In fact, many have speculated that North Korea wants a nuclear weapon – not to incinerate Seattle, but to detonate the device in low orbit and knock out the American power grid. Worst of all, America doesn’t seem to be doing much to prepare for this likely attack. If you’re going to prepare for one disaster, a medium- to long-term power outage is the one. America’s power grid is woefully inadequate, outdated and ill-prepared for an attack or even a natural disaster. Whether it comes in the form of an EMP from North Korea or Chinese hackers or any other source, the power grid isn’t something th...

If you read many articles about disaster preparedness, you will come across the "SHTF" types who hype end-of-the-world disasters, and common among these disasters is an EMP or electromagnetic pulse that destroys all electronics. While this type of hype makes for good apocalypse fiction, it is too often just that Fiction! Even if an EMP could have the effects described in so many fiction novels, the probability of an EMP is extremely unlikely. Yes, the threat of an EMP is real, but don't fall for the hype found in the latest prepper fiction novel. The following article, provides a common sense discussion of EMP. The EMP Threat Is Real, but It Shouldn't Keep You up at Night by: Scott Stewart VP of Tactical Analysis, Stratfor (April 9, 2019) https://worldview.stratfor.com/article/emp-threat-real-it-shouldnt-keep-you-night U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order March 26 [2019] outlining the administration's policy pertaining to the threat of an electrom...

The 2020 FEMA National Household Survey found that only 48% of American households have disaster preparedness plans. This statistic underscores a common belief by many; that their families and homes are immune from the impacts of a disaster, and so they fail to make plans until it is too late. However, the fact is that every community, every neighborhood is vulnerable to experiencing severe weather. So ultimately, how well you prepare for a disaster today can significantly influence your ability to recover tomorrow. Waiting until moments before a disaster strikes is too late, as evidenced by long lines at gas stations, empty shelves at supermarkets, and miles of congested traffic before a storm. Preparations do not have to be expensive or time consuming, and small efforts can save lives. I urge you to consider taking these small steps: Make a Plan –Your family may not be together if a disaster strikes, so it is important to know which types of disasters could affect your area. Know h...

When we think about preparedness, we often think about how to survive in the immediate aftermath of a disaster, i.e., 'be two weeks ready'. This type of planning is essential. If you don't make it through the immediate aftermath of a disaster, well... you won't have to deal with long-term uncertainties. As we have seen with the COVID pandemic, an event can disrupt our lives for months or even years. In "Surviving The Economic Collapse" Fernando Aguirre wrote " Crisis or not, no matter what happens you still have to go on with your life. People expect some radical changes after SHTF, but in most cases as soon as the minimum amount of order is restored you’ll have to get back to work or school and do all the things you already do, only that you’ll have to take some extra precautions to stay safe and avoid trouble. " But getting back to work or school may not mean getting back to normal. Psychological and emotional stress, worry and anxiety can be diffi...