Ready Southeast Monthly Reports

November 2023

Our Southeast Neighbors disaster preparedness committee looks back at achievements in 2023 and forward to an exciting year ahead.

What we did together in 2023:

  • Conducted our neighborhood-wide springtime exercise — familiarized nearby neighbors with their closest emergency supplies boxes
  • Shared information about Lane County’s new emergency alert system
  • Recruited and trained 10 new Block Captains — including the managers at our SEN “rest stop”
  • Expanded our successful Second Sunday at Seven monthly radio check-ins
  • Supported a new group of nearby neighbors organizing on Spring Boulevard
  • Shared wildfire assessments with the Oregon Department of Forestry for potential fuel mitigation
  • Worked with City staff to obtain new neighborhood preparedness maps
  • Started reviewing the SEN Disaster Plan for potential updates
  • Produced preparedness stories for the Whole Community News

What we are looking forward to in 2024:

  • Heather Sielicki will start serving as Ready SE chair and Incident Commander
  • Carpooling together on the first Thursdays to attend CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) events
  • Organizing a discussion of wildfire and “home hardening” at SEN’s March general meeting
  • Conducting our neighborhood-wide springtime exercise – simulate blocked roads to practice finding new evacuation routes
  • Completing vegetation management work for 20+ Southeast Neighbors
  • Inviting more volunteers into Ready SE leadership roles
  • Applying for matching grants based on our work plan and disaster plan
  • Supporting preparedness in other neighborhoods through the Neighborhood Leaders Council

Our mission is to empower Southeast Eugene residents to create a resilient and supportive community, prepared for emergencies and disasters through collaboration, communication, practice, and community engagement.
Come join us!  Contact us by email at SENeighborsPrepared@gmail.com, or call (541) 972-3867.

October 2023

Exercise and Evaluation Program: 34 participants in the October Second Sunday at Seven (SSS) radio drill. Prepare neighborhood transportation communication exercise in support of all-city communication drill associated with Great Shake Out.

ICS Coordination Support: We helped the Spring Boulevard group of nearby neighbors get organized (brought together by 82-year-old Margot). It’s one of the larger groups with 28 households. Given the distance from one end of Spring Boulevard to the other, they’ve created a communications team and plan on having three or more neighbors with radios. Larry and David are working with the team leader to assume the AC role in Area 8. Prep for COAD Holiday Farm Fire consultant interview; share slide deck on COAD use of ICS structure during Recovers.org data interchange.

PIO Training & Practice. Produce two stories from SHiNA presentation on Sierra Anderson, new city emergency manager, and Cary Lieberman at Greenhill Humane Society. Attend UO / Lane County summit Oct 30-31 on long term recovery, reporting on the session with the new state director of Department of Emergency Management, praising new Deputy Director (and former Lane County Emergency Manager) Patence Winningham.

Time Bank: Presentation to River Road Community Organization (RRCO) board on time banks.

September 2023

ICS Coordination Support: David conducts Spring Boulevard Map Your Neighborhood meeting, using custom maps based on building layer available from city GIS site. Share supplemental information on AmeriCorps planning grant.

Exercise and Evaluation Program: Meet with Ready NW to discuss upcoming “bridge seismic safety” meeting with new city emergency manager Sierra Anderson and transportation planner Trish Sharma. Trish participated in mandatory evacuation drills in Netherlands and understands the value. Discuss transportation focus – blocked roads / power lines down – for October drill.

PIO Training & Practice. Prep for October all-city drill. Share proposal with Gerry Meenaghan about walking trail that can double as emergency vehicle egress for Pine Canyon. Also Center Way, Nectar Way, Whiteaker. Story about Patence Winningham. As follow up to other stories relating to the homelessness crisis, Heather Sielicki recommends a new state Planning Goal 20 related to homeless individuals and climate change refugees.

Time Bank: Discussions with Rep. Paul Holvey, Rep. Charlie Conrad at SEN picnic on proposed time bank legislation. Rep. Conrad does not want to create another agency or task force. Rep. Holvey is busy through October with his recall campaign.

August 2023

ICS Coordination Support: Prep for Spring Blvd Map Your Neighborhood meetings. Update disaster plan to change Good Sam to new site, add exercises related to each response described in the plan. Draft grant proposal for state AmeriCorps funding to build out neighborhood-proven pilot to stand up sustainable nearby neighbor teams. Would use AmeriCorps teams as resource teams in Operations.

Exercise and Evaluation Program: Promote Andy Davis radio communication practice exercise on Sept. 9. Research additional evaluation methods. Draft and pilot new post-meeting survey during transportation meeting. Start research on civil unrest / military coup tabletop discussion.

PIO Training & Practice. Follow up to Lahaina Maui tragedy: Facebook discussions of mandatory evacuation practice for cities. Discussion of sirens, redundant warning systems. Support River Road letter requesting more emergency planning support for neighborhoods. Share Wikipedia shift from copyright to Creative Commons. Ask about impact on neighborhood preparedness teams from PeaceHealth hospital closure.

Time Bank: Share draft time bank legislation based on public bank bill for state regulation of time banks and exchanges. Confirm no local time bank software providers conduct bank audits, including IT security audits.

July 2023

ICS Coordination Support – outreach / Map Your Neighborhood program: Distribute fire preparedness leaflets in Fox Hollow / Larkwood area. After hearing comments from the Chamber of Commerce, look at adapting FEMA lifelines / Emergency Support Functions to the current Lane County housing emergency. Continue acting as project manager for mediation efforts within local organizations.

Exercise and Evaluation program – Invite CERT leader Andy Davis to recommend scenarios for transportation network reporting exercise associated with October all-city field exercise. No Second Sunday radio exercise in August. Suggest new proposal for tabletop involving civil unrest after events this month in another nation: “The constitution had been suspended and all institutions of state dissolved.” What would be the local response?

PIO Training & Practice (Whole Community News) – Conduct regular weekly news team meetings. Discuss street news vendor / workforce project with social service partners, nonprofit, July NLC meeting. Continue to support FAN, Ready NW, other neighborhood PIOs in sharing realtime emergency alerts over social media. Continue outreach and training for neighborhood reporters.

Time Banks – Discussions with SEN, Churchill leaders about promoting time banks as a safe investment in our local community by ensuring that time banks are regulated and audited. Contact Oregon state senator and representative with request to support / carry legislation regulating time banks within Oregon. Goal is to open time banking to existing banks already regulated in Oregon.

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