Portland is sharpening its response to the unthinkable—a grievous earthquake predicted to strike along the Cascadia Subduction Zone. The city, through the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management (PBEM), has been diligently to prepare staging "IronOR 24," a rigorous emergency simulation that gathered local bureaus and multiple organizations to simulate a holistic response to such a disaster. According to the details shared on the City of Portland's official website, the exercise was neither brief nor cursory; planning stretched beyond a year and involved a meticulous review of the city's priorities and goals in crisis.
The disaster preparedness drill saw collaboration from a dozen city bureaus, additional city teams, the Multnomah County Amateur Radio Emergency Service, and Portland Neighborhood Emergency Teams. Aligning with Multnomah County and the City of Gresham, Portland also deliberately integrated its protocols with the State of Oregon’s Department of Emergency Management, an effort to ensure that the region's response would be unified should calamity truly strike. "This exercise is not just about preparing for an earthquake. It’s also about improving our ability to respond to any emergency as an integrated regional team all the way to the State and Federal level," Amanda Westervelt, the Iron OR '24 Exercise Coordinator for the City of Portland, said in a statement obtained by the City of Portland.
In practical terms, the IronOR 24 drill involved considerable community engagement. Volunteers from Neighborhood Emergency Teams, representing 53 neighborhoods, logged a cumulative 176 hours in the exercise, a testament to the importance of localized involvement when facing a catastrophe of this magnitude. It indicates a grassroot ethos behind the city's approach to disaster readiness—acknowledging that every individual could potentially play a critical part in community resilience.
Residents interested in contributing to the city's readiness or seeking more information about emergency preparedness can find resources at PublicAlerts.org, as recommended by city media. The efforts of PBEM highlight that, while a hypothetical seismic event poses a daunting challenge, Portland is committed to rigorous and consistent preparation to mitigate its impact. "We each play a vital role in ensuring that our community is prepared," stated PBEM in a statement obtained from the City of Portland website.
