1st Seattle Bicycle Disaster Relief Trial Held
- John Cornelison
- June 24, 2013
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Some 50 cyclists tested their disaster preparedness skills at the 1st Seattle Disaster Relief Trial. It was held near the University of Washington on June 21st.
According to their Facebook event listing:
“Imagine a 7.2-magnitude earthquake hitting the Seattle Fault. Freeway overpasses crumble, a Lake Washington sieche (oscillating wave) takes chunks out of bridges. Motor vehicles are rendered useless, but following the example of Sandy Relief by bike, Seattle residents with bikes and trailers or cargo bikes are able to transport food and medical supplies.”
“Seattle's first Disaster Relief Trials will be part of the Bicycle Urbanism Symposium on Friday, June 21st.”
This Q13Fox story reports they would be “learning what they can do if a major disaster, like a large earthquake, strikes. Because of debris, cars could be useless, but bikes and their riders could be lifesavers.”
Seattle Emergency Management Agency’s Tracy Connelly praised their speed and ability to circumvent piles of rubble. Madeleine (Madi) Carlson, Seattle’s Biking Mom, helped organize the event.
Similar Disaster Relief Trials have been held in Portland for several years. Here are a bunch of fun photos of their event. Their next event will be Saturday, July 13, 2013 at The Oregon Museum of Science & Industry.
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SEATTLE – A year following one of the nation’s largest domestic drills, lessons-learned continue to guide strategies that improve the Pacific Northwest’s ability to survive and recover from a catastrophic Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ) earthquake and tsunami.