On June 11, the West Queen Anne Playfield (1920 1st Ave. W.) and the West Magnolia Playfield (2550 34th Ave. W.) will serve as the site of active emergency hubs from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Of course, those hubs won’t be responding to the aftermath of an actual disaster this time around.
Luckily, the morning will only serve as a drill, and as an opportunity to prepare for when disaster does strike.
“The idea is to get ourselves some practice of setting up and running a hub, but we’re also reaching out to the public,” said Franz Niedermeyer of MIQA (Magnolia/Interbay/Queen Anne) Be Prepared, the community volunteer organization activating the hubs for the drill. “We’re trying to raise awareness of what we do.”
Hubs are predesignated meeting points for the public to gather and share information about resources and needs in the event of a disaster. These hubs are entirely established and operated by surrounding residents.
Ultimately, Niedermeyer said, the group would like to have eight or nine hubs across the three neighborhoods with trained volunteers that could be at the ready in the event of a disaster.
What makes for a good hub site?
“A good hub site is one that you can reach on foot at a reasonable period of time, I’d say no more than a 10 or 12 minute walk, because ultimately as the days go on, you may find that you want to go over there once or twice a day.”
Hub volunteers will receive approximately an hour of hands-on training, which will be followed by the chance to practice those skills at a working hub.
Other hub activations will take place the same day in Broadview, Lake City, Ballard, Phinney Ridge, Madison Park, West Seattle, High Point, Seward Park, and Rainier Beach.
For more information on the disaster drill, or to learn more about MIQA Be Prepared, visit MIQABePrepared.org, or email info@MIQABePrepared.org.
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