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Many of my pro-choice, pro gay marriage republican friends have had to go along for the ride with the agenda of religious conservatives for YEARS. It will be interesting to see if evangelicals will buck up and take their turn not getting everything they want.

Ethan Jewett

posted 5 years, 4 months ago
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Just a couple of things to add. This Saturday is the anniversary o the last Cascadia Earthquake in 1700 (just Google "Cascadia Earthquake wiki" to get the full story). We know the date of the last one because its tsunami killed people all the way across the Pacific in Japan, where records were being kept.

Also, the previous manager of Portland's NET program, Rachel Jacky left Portland a couple of years ago and is now the national head of these programs (usually known as CERT) at FEMA. She would be another good resource.

posted 5 years, 4 months ago
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Californians aside, it sure seems like I see an amazing number of cars with out-of-state plates. I just picked up eggs at the market this morning and as I left a family with Virginia plates were extricating kids from car seats, looking very much like residents. Is it possible that our culture and quality of life will continue to lure people even against the backdrop of a possible recession? Could this benefit our economy?

posted 5 years, 4 months ago
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I have never been a fan of Marketplace, I would often turn the radio off until Oregon Considered or ATC comes on . . . so i was excited to have Marketplace moved.

That said, this is hardly the place for your comment. besides, look at it another way . . . I shouldered the terrible yoke of Marketplace at 4:30 for years, now you can buck up and take your turn. Thanks in advance.

Ethan

posted 5 years, 4 months ago
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The recent floods reminded me that disasters, as far as the media is concerned, are really only news AFTER they happen. Amid the stories of woe and the usual kudos for organizations like Red Cross, there is seldom an in depth introspection about people's own preparedness (or lack thereof). I fear that the normal coverage, which focuses on the cavalry charging in to help, gives the wider public the wrong idea. In some of the larger disasters we face here in the NW, particularly the very real subduction earthquake exposure, the disaster area and level of destruction will preclude a fast response for the vast majority of citizens. The media is not alone in this focus oversight, Portland itself has scores of personnel at ONI tasked with community issues such as graffiti and crime, but only one person working to prepare households and neighborhoods.

We need to have an honest discussion about personal responsibility. In most urban disasters, 80 percent of victims are rescued by neighbors, not professionals. No community can afford to have enough resources on hand, so that is not the answer, we are. I'd love to hear from folks affected by the recent floods, how their preparations worked or did not work. Did they even really know they were in a flood plain? Did they have a 72-hour kit, a plan, and did it work?

Organizations like the Red Cross need to be involved in this discussion. Their understandable focus on the mission at hand, and the fundraising needs they have, may overshadow the cautionary tale they should do more to promote (they have slick preparedness booklets, but they are not a "talking point"). I would also tap Lawrence Behmer, the City's (Portland) Neighborhood Emergency Team coordinator, and someone who lived through the Anchorage or Mexico City earthquakes (also subduction events) to round out your panel.

posted 5 years, 5 months ago
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