Emergency Preparedness Basics

Here's important information so we're all prepared and SAFE in an emergency.

LO has a wonderful volunteer team called Prep LO with a very practical website you'll want to save as well as an email you may want to subscribe to.

The key information they want us all to know is: each household should be 2 weeks ready.

That means each household (people and pets) can survive without electricity, water, gas, the internet, cell coverage, phones for 2 weeks.

In the last ice storm I realized I was dependent on Google to answer questions and I couldn't access Google. And now I wouldn't be able to access AI. So it's important to have emergency information printed out and to know where to find it easily. And it's important that each household is prepared to make it through a disaster.

Here's what PrepLO shared:

"When a major emergency strikes, whether it’s winter ice storms, summer wildfires, or a long-predicted regional earthquake, the reality is that our local emergency systems and first responders will be initially stretched to their limits. Survival and resilience start right at home, on our own streets, and in our neighborhoods.

Here in Lake Oswego, we are working together with Clackamas County and the State of Oregon to build a culture of readiness. The state challenges every household to meet the “Be 2 Weeks Ready” standard, having enough food, water, and self-sufficiency to thrive for 14 days without public utilities or outside assistance.

If two weeks sounds overwhelming, don't worry, you don’t have to do it all today. You can build up to it step-by-step. Clackamas County’s “Be ClackGO Prepared!” campaign outlines three immediate, bite-sized actions you can take right now to jumpstart your Be 2 Weeks Ready action plan.

Here is how the county's three steps fit perfectly into your broader state preparedness strategy:

1. Sign Up for Alerts at the Clackamas County PublicAlerts Notification System

You can’t survive a two-week disaster if you don’t know what’s coming. By opting into regional public alerts, you guarantee that you will receive evacuation notices and critical safety updates immediately.

2. Know Your Routes by accessing the evacuation planning routes for Lake Oswego.

Part of Oregon's Be 2 Weeks Ready protocol is developing and practicing a Household Communication and Emergency Plan. Knowing your routes means you can establish safe meeting places for your family if you are separated, fulfilling a massive piece of your state-level planning puzzle before a disaster even happens.

3. Build Your GO Kit by using this checklist.

By building a mobile 3-day GO kit first, you already have your most critical supplies gathered and ready to be supplemented for longer-term shelter-in-place scenarios. This is your baseline. The state's Be 2 Weeks Ready program expands on this kit over time, encouraging you to step-by-step accumulate 14 days' worth of non-perishable food and water."

With the wildfires happening and a looming threat of a big earthquake, let's take the time now to get ourselves ready. People who camp will have an easier time. The rest of us will need to figure out what we need to buy to be ready. I thought these online flyers were helpful so I'm sharing them here.