September is National Preparedness Month, which means it’s time once again to celebrate forethought, anticipation, planning and all those other words that sound a lot more doable than “preparedness.”
We’ve heard about getting to know your neighbors, making an emergency kit, and figuring out what to do if the power went out for a few days. But what about building your emergency information network.
Information is a resource and the trick is to figure out the relevant information sources beforehand.
1. Sign up for regional alerts
This is probably the easiest preparedness task on the list. No five-gallon bucket required. Sign up for emergency alerts through:
- PublicAlerts: www.publicalerts.org
- Washington County Public Alerts: www.wccca.com/PublicAlerts
- Clackamas County Public Alerts: www.clackamas.us/dm/publicalerts
These systems can send alerts by text, email, phone call and other methods. Choose the options that work best for you. If you’re already signed up, make sure your address and contact information are current.
2. Local information
Emergency information can come from a lot of different places and there’s no single source that covers everything. Subscribing to the City newsletter email list and following on Facebook, Instagram, X, and Nextdoor are easy ways to receive local updates.
- City website: www.tualatinoregon.gov
- City newsletter: www.tualatinoregon.gov/subscribe-to-city-news/
- Facebook, Instagram, and X: @cityoftualatin or @tualatinpolice
Something else you can do? Check the contact information on your City of Tualatin utility billing account (resident or business) and make sure we have a current phone number and email address on file.
- To check or make changes, email billing@tualatin.gov or call 503-691-3056.
Doing this won’t automatically sign you up for paperless billing, it just means that we have contact information associated with your account. This could be one way for us to reach you in an emergency.
It’s worth noting that this goes for our neighboring cities and local media as well (are you following Tualatin Life yet?). Sign up for newsletters and follow local governments anywhere you regularly work or play.
3. Get your radio ready
Don’t forget about radios (battery, solar, hand-crank, car – oh my)! Pre-tune them to a local station so you’re not trying to figure out frequencies in the middle of an emergency. In the Portland area, check out:
- 91.5 FM
- 101.1 FM
- 1190 AM
- 162.550 MHz
Better yet, leave yourself a little note with the frequencies of a few local stations and tape it to the radio. And remember to check your radio occasionally to make sure the batteries are fresh and it still works. Your future self will thank you.
Sometimes the internet, cell service, and power all decide to take the day off at the same time. That’s why having several ways to get information (emergency alerts, websites, social media, radio and, ideally, a neighbor who knows what’s going on) is essential.
Preparedness can sometimes feel like a very big thing. But it’s also made up of lots of very small things. This September, take a few minutes to build your emergency information network, it can make a big difference when you need it. Happy National Preparedness Month!
