Tacoma, and the Pacific Northwest are vulnerable to a range of natural disasters including earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, flooding, tsunamis, and landslides. The frequency and severity of these events, as well as prolonged heatwaves, winter storms, and harmful air quality related to wildfires, are projected to continue increasing. It’s important that we educate ourselves about the risks, become more prepared to respond, and plan ahead to make our communities more resilient.
350 Tacoma and Native Daily Network were selected to complete project with the Office of Emergency Management, City of Tacoma, and City of Seattle, to gather community input about Disaster Resilience Hubs and emergency preparedness.
Disaster Resilience Survey
Please help us gather information about what communities in Tacoma want and need in times of catastrophic disasters, and from resiliency hubs during non-emergency times.
We are focused on gathering information from communities that are more likely to be disproportionately impacted by natural disasters and extreme weather, including youth, elders, people who identify as LGBTQIA+, Black, Indigenous, Hispanic/Latinx, Asian, immigrants, refugees, people who speak English as a second language, who are living with a low household income, who are living with three or more generations in one home, living with more than one family in one home, living with disabilities, experiencing unhoused conditions, or only have a GED or High School Diploma.
Responses are anonymous. Take the survey today!
Resilience hubs are community-led, trusted gathering spaces that connect people to place-based, culturally informed resources and services. Hubs provide refuge and access to resources year-round, during emergency and non-emergency scenarios.
Do you know a good building or location for a Resilience Hub? Do you know organizations that provide mutual aid, emergency response, or other social services that might be able to provide support during and after disasters or extreme weather?
Let us know in the survey or by emailing 350tacoma@gmail.com
Upcoming Resilience Events
Community Resilience Open House Resource Fair
Community Resilience Open House Resource Fair on Sun 8/24!
3pm – 5pm at the Puyallup Tribal Housing Authority Gym 6245 21st St NE, Tacoma
Meet organizations and agencies currently providing community services important for both emergency and non-emergency times, learn about the findings gathered through community discussions and surveys, contribute to the Imagining Resilience collaborative art and more!
Free raffle prizes, giveaways from tabling orgs, food, and activities. All ages welcome!
Knowing more about these organizations and services means knowing where to turn during and after emergencies and in times of extreme heat and cold.
If you’re part of an organization that offers resources to the community and are interested in tabling at the Open House let us know. Fill out this form!
Resources
Check out the website for the Tacoma Office of Emergency Management where you can subscribe to the city’s Emergency Notification System, access a bunch of resources to help you better prepare for disasters, sign up for the free, community-based, all-volunteer program the Tacoma Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), see current air quality levels and more!
Stop The Bleed Training: With 3 quick actions, you can be trained to save a life. The number 1 cause of preventable death after injury is bleeding. That’s why we want to train you how to stop the bleed. This site offers access to online courses or info on available local courses. https://www.stopthebleed.org/training/
In May, we held a Community Disaster Prep event in collaboration with the Office of Emergency Management. Information was shared about what to pack in a go bag, items to have at home in case you need to shelter in place, ways to prepare if you have pets, areas that will be unsafe during certain events like tsunamis and volcanic eruptions, and ways to get trained a volunteer that helps when disasters strike and more. The slides from the presentation can be found here.
In June we partnered with the Office of Emergency Management and the R.I.S.E. Center of Hilltop for a Disaster Skills Training. This training touched on what to expect during different disasters and how to stay safe during threats like downed power lines, possible gas leaks and other hazards. The slides from this presentation can be found here.
As a way to Imagine Resilience in Tacoma, we began a collaborative community art project. We were joined by local artist Saiyare Refaei to facilitate the art project.
Using pictures and words to help us imagine the ways a resilience hub could benefit our community during extreme weather, natural disasters and during non-emergency times helped some great ideas emerge. We also used art to discuss what we should pack in go bags, what threats we face, and where we might turn to for help, shelter and services.
The art will be displayed at the August Open House event, where people can continue to add to the project.
