By David Klotz, special to the Blog
An earthquake happens. You’re lucky in that you and your family are unhurt, but your power, your gas, and maybe even running water are all out. What do you do next? Living in the Northwest we take it for granted that “The Big One” is going to happen, it’s just a matter of when. But how many people actually get ready for this inevitability? One local organization is doing what they can to help the individual and the community be ready.
The Phinney Emergency Hub is just one of a network of neighborhood, and importantly volunteer-run, hubs dedicated to being ready to act when disaster strikes. Hubs don’t replace emergency responders, instead they help bridge the gap before responders can arrive. The city of Seattle describes hubs as “…places where people gather after a disaster to help each other. Hubs serve as a central gathering place among neighbors in homes, apartments and condominiums….” All of this began in the late ‘aughts during a West Seattle power outage. Cindi Barker was instrumental in getting the first hub organized in the aftermath of the blackout. A major driver was the realization, after talking to local emergency services, that they would have their hands full in a “real” emergency. Now there are dozens of hubs city-wide, of varying size.
The Phinney Hub itself went through fits and starts. Jim Durand, the current organizer, says that he and Jack Herndon inherited the hub in 2016. Growth was slow, and then COVID hit putting a stop to most activities. By 2022 it was moribund. But in early 2023 Cindi Barker and Ann Forrest, the co-captains of the city-wide hub organization suggested a meeting with the Phinney Neighborhood Association. This was the beginning of a partnership that has allowed the Hub to leverage the resources of the PNA by designating the parking lot as the gathering spot during an emergency, as well as placing a storage locker of supplies and step-by-step activation instructions that will allow the Hub to operate when the need arrives.
It wasn’t until 2025 that the Hub’s growth really started to take off. That was when several tabling programs started, outside Ken’s Market and at the Farmers’ Market, attracted a number of “amazing people” as Durand calls them. The mailing list blew up to over 200, and 15 to 20 volunteers stepped up to be active participants in the organization. Taking advantage of this momentum, the Hub then put on the “Ridge Quake” drill in September at the PNA parking lot which allowed the community to both learn about what the Hub was, and see how it would work when the inevitable disaster does strike. “When neighbors come to a drill,” Durand says, “they really get it.”
When activated after a disaster the Hub will act as a central location for people to gather, convey information, and figure out how and where to help. First and foremost of course, take care of yourself and your family. After that, head to the Hub location at the PNA parking lot where volunteers will staff information, resource, and volunteer stations, matching needs with skills and available resources. “One thing Ann [Forrest] emphasizes,” Durand says, “is that time and again during a disaster people want to help.” One of the primary functions of all the emergency hubs is to provide a mechanism to let people do that, and direct that energy in the best way possible.
Running parallel to this purpose is the Phinney Emergency Hubs goal to help people prepare in their homes. The Hub provides information and support for people to take action inside their residence to get it as ready as possible to safely ride out a disaster. This can be things like making sure you have a supply of fresh water, knowing where your gas shutoff is and how to actually turn it off, and making sure dangers that might be right in front of you are taken care of. “Go lie in your bed and see what might fall on it during an earthquake,” Durand suggests.
The Hub will be putting on a “Urban Survival Skills Fair” on March 22nd from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM at the PNA. Come by to learn about these and other post-disaster skills that can keep you and your family safe.
For those looking to get even more involved, the Hub is in the early stages of spinning up four committees:
- Operations: The scope of this committee is the physical aspects, mechanics, and operations of the Hub.
- Process: This committee will review and assess the processes used at each station.
- Household Prep: This committee steers the home preparedness efforts.
- Outreach: This committee is tasked with developing ways to engage with Phinney neighbors
Durand wants to make it clear that anyone can sit in on these or any other Hub meetings if they want to find out more. For questions about these, or anything Hub related, you can email [email protected].