What will you do when 911 is down?

About our Practice Event Scenario.  Our May 18th Disaster Practice event in San Jose was based on the scenario of a 7.0 earthquake with an epicenter in Fremont on the Hawyward fault.  Our scenario was based on the Haywired Scenario but with the adjustment of the imagined epicenter being in Fremont rather than Oakland.  Such an event would likely wipe out internet, power, gas, and water services for a week or more.  See also the Haywired video. 

Geologists estimate a 72% probability of a 6.7 or greater quake in the Bay Area in the next 19 years. 

About Hubs: A Village Hub is a designated local gathering place where trained volunteers use simple proven systems (like whiteboards, paper, and human messengers) for assessing what is going on and connecting needs to local solutions after a disaster. Hubs complement and support Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) programs set up by local governments. 

Hubs have a system for working with the continuous flow of questions, new information, and offers of help that residents have during disasters. This allows CERTs to focus on their missions. Hub volunteers also need less training than CERTs so Hubs provide a way to engage more community members in preparing for disruptions. 

The Hub concept was pioneered by volunteers in Seattle where they call them Emergency Communication Hubs. Top video provides a 9-minute intro to their system; bottom video is a longer talk by a key Seattle leader that has more about the origins and theory of the Hubs.