Pacific Northwest - Prepare Out Loud

That doesn't sound like a tourist attraction, does it? It still feels reasonable to talk about it in this space.

Tuesday night I attended the Hillsboro Prepare Out Loud presentation. Sponsored by the Red Cross, we talked about local earthquake history and that one is coming. We talked about the impact and things you would want to have ready in the aftermath. We talked about how people don't like talking about it and preparing for it, but how it is necessary.

If you follow my Sunday blog, you know I have spent time on earthquake preparedness before, and I probably will again. There are two things that make it seem worth talking about here on the travel blog.

One was a video on a woman who had been through training and was at the beach during a false alarm. Even though she knew she should immediately start heading to higher ground, she didn't because other people weren't and it made her feel like maybe she was wrong. Because it was a false alarm, that ended up not killing her, but do not rely on that saving you.

I hope to make it to the coast at least once this summer; some of you will probably spend more time there. We should all know what to do, and feel confident in our knowing it. That can save lives.

The other thing that seemed relevant was when the speaker pointed out that in this beautiful (volcanic and earthquake-constructed) Northwest landscape, we tend to camp a lot, and that can give us the materials we need after an earthquake.

I'm not really into camping, but some of you are; this fun recreational time can also be valuable preparation time. The multi-taskers out there will welcome this perspective.

Since I am not traveling much now, this blog is currently focusing more on what is right here. That is great, because I love this area. It is also an area that is overdue for an earthquake. It makes sense to know more about that. The Prepare Out Loud presentation was excellent and helpful.

Presentations are currently scheduled for Gresham (April 5th) and Newberg (April 9th) but they are making their way around. Keep an eye out.

For more information, see http://www.redcross.org/news/event/local/or/Prepare-Out-Loud.