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Listeners might be interested to know that Portland and NW Oregon are light years ahead of Vancouver in preparedness. As many as half of Vancouver's fire stations have been flagged as being at great  risk in any sizeable quake (not just an M9).

Unlike Portland, Vancouver (and its entire region) are without fireboat capabilities to replace broken water utilities for firefighting and other uses after an earthquake.

Vancouver's current fire/rescue staffing is half of the national standard- it is barely able to manage on a normal day, and, given the above, it would eseentially disappear as an entity in the hours after a large event.

For decades, Vancouver has understaffed and underfunded its emergency services, and unabashedly relied on Portland to supplement its many shortcomings. We all know that when the entire region has been affected by a large event, this practice will not be possible, and I dread the chaos that will result.

Finally, Washinton has nothing like the excellent planning and education provided by the OR Dept. of Geology (DOGAMI) for geologic hazards. Vancouver is lucky to be in the Portland metro area to "take advantage" of this service as well!

posted 2 years, 2 months ago
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