It took a while, but temperatures have dropped, and the leaves are following suit. If these leaves happen to fall near storm drains, it's best to clear them away to prevent stresses to our water treatment system. But if falling on turf or soil, leaves often serve a beneficial role to the ecosystem in which they fall. So consider whether it may be sensible for you to "leave the leaves" this fall :)

Author

Lincoln Thomas, Neighbors Ready! Newsletter Editor

When outside temperatures are extreme, the danger increases for heart attacks, strokes, and kidney failure. Older adults, young children and people with mental illness and chronic diseases are at high risk. Pregnant people should take extra care to stay cool and hydrated in hot weather.

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Washington County Oregon Public Alerts Program. If you live in Washington County Oregon, you can sign up to receive local alerts and messages directly to your phone and/or email. 

Heat domes and dry weather create ideal conditions for wildfires. In 2023, Oregon ranked #5 for the most acres burned in 2023. ​Now is the time to do everything you can to protect your family and home against the potentially devastating threat of wildfires. What can you do? Continue reading for more information.

Click image to download a checklist for creating a defensible space

​What can you do?  Protect your home by creating a defensible space: Consider installing fire-resistant materials where possible, including noncombustible decking materials, a fire rated-roof, safer windows and fire-resistant landscaping. Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM) has created a defensible space program to help Oregonians become better protected against wildfire. Check out this video and this checklist.  Develop an evacuation plan: Decide how your family will evacuate in the event of a fire. Check out our Emergency Plan page for more information or download our Family Emergency Plan worksheet.  Pack a go bag for every member of your family, including your pets. Check out our Go Bags & Emergency Supply Kits page for lists, information, and a video on what goes into your go bags and emergency kits.  Read your homeowners insurance policy: Most home insurance policies offer wildfire coverage, but if you live in a high-risk area, you may need to purchase additional coverage. Check out this article for what to look for in your policy.

Click to download the Oregon Defensible Space checklist.

Author

Karen Ronning-Hall is a Disaster Preparedness Evangelist, living in beautiful Portland, Oregon, with hubby Bill, daughter Geneva, Bean dog, Thumper kitty, Terry the turtle, and Theo the Bearded Dragon lizard.

I was pleased to find that our hoursehold's two colanders could be inverted and nested to hold our saucepan over some tealight flames. This worked, but I've since decided that it’s simpler to just put a cooling rack and pot over some tealights in an oven-safe container (fourth image shown). This last setup gets the pot slightly closer to the flames, and gives space for a few more tealights. If the tealights are too far from the pot, they could be raised slighly (perhaps with some foil-lined cardboard, ala Provident Prepper). If they are so close that the bottom of the pot smothers them, then use a taller oven-safe container. What kind of tealight stove can you assemble from what you already have? Feel free to send us pictures!

Small collander holding tealights Soup warming up on top of the large collander while the small collander holds lit tealights below Large collander covering the small collander A simpler stove. Tealights not shown, but they would sit under the pot, in the oven-safe glass container.

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Author

Lincoln Thomas, Newsletter Editor & Board Member, Neighbors Ready!

This is the fourth in a series of blogs on recipes that you can easily prepare in a disaster or emergency without power. Foraging Basics Wild edible foods are often more nutritious than those found in the grocery store. They’re fresher, they need no cultivation/care, and they grow in soil that is often more fertile and teeming with life, because it has not been continuously farmed and repeatedly tilled. When you’re left with only shelf-stable foods after a disaster, you’ll likely be grateful for the gift of fresh wild greens and berries.

This book is available at our Washington County Library in the Portland OR area

Disclaimers! Proceed with Caution Before starting your foraging adventure, please heed some standard foraging disclaimers: 1. Consider if you need permission before harvesting a plant - whose land are you on? If a neighbor has an abundance of invasive (but tasty) garlic mustard, they might be pleased to meet you, and to hear your offer to relieve them of some of it. If you’re in an Oregon State Park, you’re allowed to gather up to one gallon of edible plants per day for personal consumption. However, in THPRD, foraging is not permitted. ​2. ​Be very sure that you’ve correctly identified the plant in question as an edible plant.  3. Once you’re positive that the plant (and specific part that you’ve harvested) is edible... ​Consume only a very small amount the first time you harvest. We limit our consumption just in case we have an allergy to it. Example: Even though wheat bread is edible for most folks, individuals might have a negative reaction to it. So proceed with caution the first time to see if it agrees with your stomach!

"Consume only a Very Small Amount the first time you harvest."

Foraged green salad ingredients Dandelion leaves - very nutritious, but not a favorite of many, as they are usually bitter. Gather a small number of relatively clean, younger leaves. If you have the patience of a few weeks, dandelion leaves can be grown in a “blanched” fashion by depriving them of sunlight (just cover them with an inverted plant nursery pot. This process reduces their bitterness, and may also keep them cleaner. Blanching is a common growing practice that can mollify the flavor of cultivated plants like endive, radicchio, and rhubarb. If you use this process with dandelions, you may choose to include a larger number of leaves in your salads. Lamb’s quarters - very nutritious, much more tasty than dandelion, though not as widespread. As Alan Bergo mentions, it needs disturbed soil to thrive. Many consider it a weed, but if you want to let it multiply, harvest only the tips (these are the most tender anyway).  Lemon balm - this perennial mint relative can become a bit weedy if the seed heads are left to develop. The flavor is nice and lemony, but the leaves may be a touch fuzzy for some. A handful of leaves in a salad are nice, and a lot of them can be used to make pesto when you have access to a food processor and electricity. Miner’s lettuce - This Portland Plant List native is my favorite of the suggested ingredients here. Its leaves are sweeter and more succulent than spinach, and it grows easily through the winter and early spring. I planted them in my yard years ago, and so they grow by themselves as an abundant spring annual. The early leaves are simple, succulent, and heart-shaped. The later leaves grow in a distinctive pointed circle that completely surrounds each stem, with tiny white flowers in the middle. As the name implies, this plant was eaten by gold rush miners, and its vitamin C often warded off scurvy. Of course, this plant was known and cherished MUCH earlier by native peoples - one of their names for it is Rooreh. Sheep sorrel - This miniature relative of French Sorrel (mentioned in Day 3’s post) is quite similar - the leaves are smaller, and in a more pronounced arrowhead shape. Both bring a nice tartness to a salad.

Dandelion leaves can be blanched by covering them with an inverted pot to reduce bitterness (Image by Lincoln Thomas) Lamb's quarters are nutritious and tasty in a salad Lemon balm, a perennial mint, has a lemony flavor Miner's lettuce, a native NW annual, is abundant in early spring Sheep sorrel is adds tartness to a salad

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Author

Lincoln Thomas, Newsletter Editor & Board Member, Neighbors Ready!

This is the third in a series of blogs on recipes that you can easily prepare in a disaster or emergency without power. After 2 days, we probably can’t count on our perishable foods being any good. PB&J and cheese sandwiches will be fine until the bread is gone or goes moldy, so using those up would be my first choice. But then we can start playing with our canned foods, herbs, spices, oils, and vinegars to create some tasty salads and soups.

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Author

Lincoln Thomas, Newsletter Editor, Neighbors Ready!

This is the second in a series of blogs on recipes that you can easily prepare in a disaster or emergency without power.  In this blog, you'll learn how to cook a cheese sandwich with a tealight-candle emergency stove.  Day 2 - Food Use and Storage By Day 2 of a power outage, we hope you’ve used up your highly perishable refrigerated items (see Day 1 Blog). If not, and if night-time lows are dropping into the 30s, you may be able improvise a way (think coolers and ice packs) to harvest that cold in the early morning and keep some food in the safe zone for another day (under 40 F).  ​   If it’s not cold enough outside, maybe your freezer goods are still cold enough, and you can move refrigerated perishables in there. This may involve trade-offs: are you saving refrigerated perishables at the expense of what is in the freezer? Also, each time you open the freezer door lowers the temperature inside, so it's best to avoid opening the door. Whether these trade-offs are worth it is entirely your call.    If you have a generator or solar battery, then you may consider using some of your power to run your fridge, preserving your perishables.

Check out this video on how to use Tealight candles to cook in an emergency from The Provident Prepper Tealight candles can burn for as long as 3-6 hours releasing approximately 100 BTUs; click to learn more. A cooler can extend the life of your perishable foods in a power outage.

​If you’ve devised a way to heat a pan, you can grill a cheese sandwich. If your cooking method involves more than a small flame (as does propane, wood, white gas, etc.) then cooking should be done outside or with adequate ventilation so that carbon monoxide doesn’t accumulate. You could also use tealight candles to heat a pan - this is safe to do inside, because the small flame creates less carbon monoxide. Lit candles should not be left unattended, and you should keep an extinguisher or fire blanket handy. But heated cooking is optional here - the sandwich can be served cold. Light one or more candles to heat your pan. Butter two slices of bread on both sides. Put a slice of cheese between the slices, and place your sandwich on the heated pan. Optional: You can add things to your sandwich (deli meat, hummus, other veggies, if they’ve stayed at a safe temperature). Use a heat-safe lid to trap heat around the sandwich.  Check the bottom side of the sandwich every five minutes until it’s crisped to your liking. Flip the sandwich and repeat the previous step.​

"You could also use tealight candles to heat a pan - this is safe to do inside, because the small flame creates less carbon monoxide. Lit candles should not be left unattended, and you should keep an extinguisher or fire blanket handy."

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Author

Lincoln Thomas, Newsletter Editor, Neighbors Ready! 

Day 1 - Fridge - Eat Perishable Items First ​Reducing waste is generally a good idea, but it is critical when resources are limited, as in a disaster. If you can’t get groceries as normal, then you’ll need to make the most out of what you have before it spoils. In general, this means using up perishable, refrigerated food first - some of it is only safe for 4 hours according to foodsafety.gov. These foods include meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and leftovers. Then you can start working on freezer food, which can last from 24 to 48 hours. We’ll discuss freezer food in next month's blog, Day 2.  SAFETY ​TIPS: After a power outage never taste food to determine its safety. Consider keeping a thermometer in the fridge (and your freezer) that you can consult in case of a power outage. The safe storage temperature for most foods is under 40 F.) Discard refrigerated perishable food such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and leftovers after 4 hours without power. If in doubt, throw it out! You don't want to be sick in an emergency! It goes without saying, keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible!​

Click to open this list; print and store near your fridge for reference. Consider keeping a thermometer in the fridge (and your freezer) that you can consult in case of a power outage. The safe storage temperature for most foods is under 40 F.

Save foods with longer shelf-lifes for later Some commonly refrigerated items can last for days or more without refrigeration, including fruit, bread, hard cheeses, butter, peanut butter, jams, nuts, some veggies, pickles, and so on. Save these until after you've eaten as many of your perishables as possible before the 4-hour deadline. In a cold snap, such as during the storm this January, the weather might allow you to use the outdoors as your fridge (or freezer!). If your heat goes out, your whole kitchen may become a refrigerator!  Consume enough calories & nutrients In addition to limiting waste, you’ll want to ideally consume your minimum daily value (DV) of macronutrients (carbohydrates, fats, and proteins) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). Most people don’t track these numbers on a daily basis (myself included), but if I have the time (and sometimes we have more time during a power outage), a few minutes of roughly checking my nutrition intake for the day will probably pay off in my body’s improved energy and health. If you can meet your DV needs entirely from your fridge on Day 1, that’s nice. But if your fridge has a lack of carbs, get a few of those from some bread, chips, or something you keep in the cupboard.

Some commonly refrigerated items can last for days without refrigeration, including fruit, bread, hard cheeses, butter, peanut butter, jams, nuts, some veggies, pickles, and so on. A cooler can be handy when electricity goes out in the winter "If in doubt, throw it out! ​Don't get sick! I hate wasting food, but taking additional risks (food poisoning) in a disaster zone is a BAD idea!" ​

Share a meal with neighbors Consider combining resources with your neighbors. It’s likely that somebody has more than they can eat of something highly perishable (like refrigerated or frozen meat). Maybe somebody knows how to cure and dry that meat with salt to prolong its storage, but if not, the best plan may be for the neighborhood to come together and feast on the perishable abundance. Hopefully, somebody on your block has a way of cooking it -- on a BBQ or camp stove. (We hope that's you!) Cook Stoves & Fuels Although our first recipe requires no cooking, consider including a camp stove or BBQ and fuel in your shelter-in-place emergency pantry. A hot meal or cup of tea can make a huge difference to your wellbeing!

Share a meal with neighbors to use up perishable foods quickly Include a camp stove or BBQ and fuel in your shelter-in-place emergency pantry. A hot meal or cup of tea can make a huge difference to your wellbeing!

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Author

Lincoln Thomas, Newsletter Editor, Neighbors Ready! 

If you attended the "Be Geo-Hazard Smart: Aware & Prepared," on Sunday, Feb 25th, you likely came away with a much better understanding of the local earthquake hazards in the Beaverton and Portland area, and what to do to protect your family and home. We had two speakers: Aaron Fox, a noted geologist and top-notch emergency manager, and Rick Eilers, President of Prepared Northwest, Inc. This article highlights some of the key learnings and provides links for you to continue learning about geo-hazards and residential seismic retrofits.

Aaron Fox, our first speaker, a geologist and emergency manager, generously shares his expertise to a full house

Local Geo Hazards

In his hour-long presentation, Aaron Fox described various types of earthquakes and fault lines in the Pacific Northwest. His agenda included these topics: Geology of the Tualatin Valley Probable Tualatin Valley Scenarios Earthquake Effects What about My Neighborhood Be Prepared Tualatin Valley Scenarios Based on data from the 2018 DOGAMI study, Aaron described the impact of two probable earthquake scenarios: the Cascadia Subduction Zone Quake verses the Portland Hills Fault.        The Portland Hills fault zone is the largest shallow fault that cuts beneath Portland, Oregon. It stretches from Oregon City to Scappoose.  While the amount of energy released by a Portland Hills quake (Mw 6.8) will be less than a Cascadia Subduction Zone quake (Mw 9.0), geologists estimate that a quake along the Portland Hills fault zone will result in more casualties and damages to buildings in Washington County due to the proximity to the epicenter. Estimates include casualties in the range of 3,200 - 15,800 people and a 19% to 29% building loss ration for Washington County.      Aaron said that the Cascadia Subduction Zone quake has a higher probability of happening than a quake from the Portland Hills fault. The ground motion will be longer in duration, shaking for minutes rather than seconds. Estimates include casualties in the range of 1,000 to 8,000 people and a 8% to 14% building loss ratio for Washington County.

Click image to open the Dogami Fact Sheet Click to find the free downloadable book from Oregon State University

What About My Neighborhood? Free Geo-Hazard Tools      How do you know what the specific risks are for your home or business? Aaron mentioned several free online tools you can use to research where you spend the most time. For example, Oregon HazVu, a Statewide Geo-Hazards Viewer, is an interactive tool provided by the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI). You enter an address and choose the types of hazards you want to visualize. In the image below, for instance, the pink areas show that much of Beaverton and Portland are at moderate  to very high risk for liquefaction. The blue lines on the map show local fault lines. ​

Click the image to open Oregon HazVu, a Statewide Geo-Hazards Viewer. Enter an address and specify the hazards you want to visualize. This example shows that Beaverton and Portland are at high risk for liquefaction.

Retrofitting Your Home

Our second speaker, Rick Eilers, President of Prepared Northwest, Inc., described and answered questions about residential seismic retrofits. He explained that if your house was built before 1986, it may be more vulnerable to earthquake damage. You can strengthen your home by making sure the wood portion of the house is connected to the concrete foundation with anchor bolts as required by current state building codes. These connections help move the forces generated from an earthquake through the house walls to the foundation, thus reducing the chance that the house will fall off the foundation during an earthquake.

Our second speaker, Rick Eilers, described considerations for home retrofits

Acknowledgements

Author

Karen Ronning-Hall, Disaster Preparedness Evangelist, living in beautiful Portland, Oregon, with hubby Bill, daughter Geneva, Bean dog, Thumper kitty, Terry the turtle, and Theo the Bearded Dragon lizard.

One of the cool things about being involved in Neighbors Ready! is meeting and talking to lots of inspiring people and learning from their experiences. Even people new in their preparedness journey can share important information about to how to get prepared.      Case in point: Yesterday, I had the opportunity to talk with Sherrye Steffens. Sherrye had lived in Hawaii for over 40 years; currently, she lives in a retirement community, an HOA in King City, Oregon, with 1,700 residents who are over 55 years old, some with disabilities. With news of the August 2023 Hawaii wildfires that killed over 100 people and destroyed 2,207 buildings, Sherrye realized that her current home and community was vulnerable to disasters. She is determined to help educate and help her community to get prepared.

Click here to open the Disaster Preparedness Guide for Older Adults by FEMA

Author

Karen Ronning-Hall, Disaster Preparedness Evangelist, living in beautiful Portland, Oregon, with hubby Bill, daughter Geneva, Bean dog, Thumper kitty, Terry the turtle, and Theo the Bearded Dragon lizard.

FEMA has released the results of the 2023 National Household Survey on Disaster Preparedness. To review the survey results, download the summary presentation. ​Since 2013, FEMA has conducted the National Household Survey on Disaster Preparedness. This survey of people from across the United States gauges the nation’s disaster preparedness actions, attitudes, and motivations. The 2023 survey conducted from February 1 through March 14, 2023 included over 7,600 responses. Results from the 2023 survey indicate that slightly more than half (51%) of Americans believe they are prepared for a disaster and 57% took three or more actions to prepare for a disaster within the last year. The most common actions people took to prepare for a disaster were assembling or updating disaster supplies (48%) and making a plan (37%); the least common actions were planning with neighbors (12%) and getting involved in their community (14%).

From the 2023 National Household Survey on Disaster Preparedness, by FEMA

Key findings and opportunities

Help older adults prepare for disasters​

Comparison of the Preparedness of People 60 Years and Older to People Younger Than 60

What's next?

Disclaimer

Author

Article has been reprinted from the "Individual and Community Preparedness Announcement," written by FEMA, fema@service.govdelivery.com. 

Could it happen here? On New Year's Day, the U.S. Geological Survey's National Earthquake Information Center detected a magnitude 7.5 earthquake near the west coast of Honshu, Japan. Nearly 100,000 were ordered to evacuate. I was staying with friends in Gearhart, on the Oregon Coast. We wondered if we might be in danger of a tsunami. Fortunately, we were spared this time.  It's always a good idea to be prepared for natural disasters by informing yourself and taking simple steps to have supplies ready to go. When at the coast, look for and practice walking the tsunami routes in areas where you are staying. What about when your home? Find out where the fault lines lie in your area, using this interactive map by the U.S. Geological Survey. And prepare for all kinds of disasters using the information on this website.

To find fault lines in your area, click the image to open the USGS interactive map.

Author

Karen Ronning-Hall, Disaster Preparedness Evangelist, living in beautiful Portland, Oregon, with hubby Bill, daughter Geneva, Bean dog, Thumper kitty, and Terry the turtle.