Portland emphasizes community volunteers, infrastructure resilience for National Preparedness Month

Portland officials and volunteer leaders on Sept. 8 told the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee that neighborhood volunteers and investments in lifeline infrastructure are central to the city’s earthquake and climate preparedness.

The committee heard presentations from the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management (PBEM) and Public Works service-area leaders about volunteer programs such as the Neighborhood Emergency Team (NET) and the Beacon radio network, the city’s investments in drinking water and wastewater resilience, and ongoing gaps in staffing and community outreach.

The presentations argued that neighbors will do most rescue and immediate relief after a catastrophic event. Jeremy Van Keuren, PBEM’s community preparedness manager, cited FEMA figures showing “90 to 95 percent of all the people who are rescued are rescued by their neighbor, not a professional first responder,” and described PBEM programs that train residents to fill that role.

PBEM staff outlined several volunteer-based programs. NET uses the Community Emergency Response Team curriculum and provides a 28-hour basic class; PBEM said Portland NET has trained thousands of volunteers since the mid-1990s and currently has a long wait list. Van Keuren said the Beacon program — Basic Earthquake Emergency Communications Nodes — has 416 registered volunteers managing roughly 50 radio caches and about 30 radios staged at fire stations to provide neighborhood-level communications if phones and internet fail. PBEM also described Unidos, a Spanish-language CERT program formed after a 2018 industrial fire in Cully.

NET volunteer Brenda Nuckton described neighborhood projects — from fire-extinguisher trainings to medical-supply caches and a newly purchased equipment trailer — and said NETs deploy for a range of events, including floods, storms, COVID response and extreme-heat events. She said her team trains for search-and-rescue and extended post-quake survival: “When the Cascadia subduction zone earthquake hits…what I can do is use my NET training to help my team be ready to carry out search and rescue operations and to help my neighborhood be ready to survive 2 or more weeks on our own.”

PBEM and Public Works leaders also reviewed system-side preparedness. Kimberly Gupta, Water Bureau operations director, described seismically resilient reservoirs (more than 85 million gallons of protected storage including a 13.4-million-gallon Washington Park reservoir addition) and ongoing pipe replacement of roughly 30,000 feet per year. Joe Dvorak of the Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) said Columbia Boulevard — the state’s largest wastewater treatment plant — can generate alternative fuel if the electric grid fails and that BES maintains damage-assessment teams and six assessment trailers placed across the city.

Jody Yates of the Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) said transportation lifelines—bridges, emergency routes and clearance capacity—are critical to response; she said more than 133 Portland bridges still need seismic upgrades. Vicente Harrison of Portland Parks and Recreation said parks and community centers serve as gathering and refuge spaces and described investments that reduced unreinforced masonry buildings from 59% in 2021 to 28% in 2024.

Presenters repeatedly warned that restoration after a catastrophic event could take weeks to months and that resident readiness is essential. Van Keuren showed PBEM’s combined “pocket prep” handout and recommended that households keep a 72-hour grab-and-go kit and a larger 14-day kit; Gupta told residents to store at least one gallon per person per day for 14 days.

Committee members pressed for gaps to be filled. Councilor Smith asked specifically about homeless people; PBEM staff said a program to reach people experiencing homelessness had been designed but not yet resourced. Smith and other councilors urged follow-up. Chair Clark said PBEM and Public Works should follow up with additional details and noted the need to prioritize underserved communities.

Why it matters: PBEM emphasized that “whole community” resilience requires both trained volunteers and investments in infrastructure. Officials said staffing and funding shortfalls limit how fast the city can expand volunteer training, translation of materials (PBEM has Spanish and simplified-Chinese translations but wants more) and community outreach to neighborhoods with lower engagement.

What’s next: PBEM and Public Works offered to coordinate follow-up with council offices on homeless outreach, translation services and after-action planning. Committee members asked that bureaus return with more specific proposals and resource requests.