Oregonians Encouraged To Be Ready For Disaster

The state of Oregon recently launched a new “Be Two Weeks Ready” toolkit as part of Preparedness Month, to encourage people to be ready for any disaster.  Oregon Department of Emergency Management’s Kayla Thompson acknowledges it’s scary to consider needing to shelter in place, or evacuate.

“I want people to feel empowered and not frightened," she pointed out.  Thompson added the original motivation for OEM’s new “Be Two Weeks Ready” online toolkit was to help Oregonians prepare for a Cascadia earthquake.

“In the event that they are stuck in their home, so they can be self-sufficient, because response from first responders will be delayed," Thompson said.  "But everything in there also applies to - we talk about the go bag; that applies during wildfire season. Having to shelter in place; that applies to the ice storm season. Having that extra water supply; maybe your area gets put on a boil water notice.” 

Thompson encourages Oregonians to be aware of the potential disasters in your region, sign up for emergency alerts, and talk with family and neighbors about response plans.  The new toolkit is available online.  Visit the Department of Emergency Management’s Website to learn more.

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