“When the earthquake happens in Portland, it’s going to be like 1850 again,” said Bec Lawson, volunteer team leader of the Beaumont-Wilshire/Alameda Neighborhood Emergency Team (NET), when she spoke at our association’s Sept. 14 meeting. “When first responders are unable to get out and help people, your neighbors are going to be your best friends.”
Portland’s long-standing NETs program trains volunteer Portlanders to be prepared for citywide or regional emergencies — major storms, floods, fires, or, most notably, earthquakes — when firefighters, police, and rescue crews may be thwarted by impassable streets and bridges, inoperable communications networks, or overwhelming calls for help. In extreme cases, citizens need to be prepared to be self-sufficient for up to two weeks. That’s where NETs come in.
The 1,300 NET members in Portland receive extensive training from Portland Fire & Rescue and the city’s Bureau of Emergency Management about saving lives and property until professional responders can arrive “to do the most good for the most people in a big emergency,” Lawson explained. They are also responsible for providing emergency planning and training in their own neighborhoods.
As part of that educational function, Lawson shared her goal of starting a series of regularly scheduled informal meetings to offer advice on preparedness, pass along resources, encourage people to have block registries, and generally help Beaumont-Wilshire neighbors be ready for The Big One.
Stay tuned for more details about these gatherings in the new year. If you have questions for our NET team, email Lawson at bec@friendsofportlandnet.org.
BWNA board member Tim Gillespie was a public school teacher in the Portland area for almost four decades. A poet and essayist, he has lived with his family in Beaumont-Wilshire since 1979.