HAPPENING NOW: What happens after a disaster, before help can arrive? West Seattle Emergency Hubs are practicing that
What would happen if a major earthquake struck, disrupting services and regular communication channels, with first responders spread too thin regionally to help? That’s what the Seattle Emergency Communication Hubs drill is practicing right now at the future Morgan Junction Park Addition site. This is not a traditional “earthquake drill” – neither “duck and cover” nor “pretend you’re injured and getting tended to.” Today’s drill, which includes three other sites around the city, simulates what would happen at a hub on the second day post-disaster, as volunteers help connect people with needs and people who can help. When we stopped by about an hour ago, more than 100 volunteers had already gone through an equal amount of “scenarios” – hypothesizing how to respond to things that might happen, even structure fires, which you and your neighbors might have to fight by yourselves, as firefighters might not b...