The Cascadia Rising 2016 Exercise- the Pacific Northwest’s largest, multistate functional exercise- explored the risks associated with a full rupture of the Cascadia Subduction Zone; risks that could include a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami. The outcomes of this exercise were documented in the Cascadia Rising 2016 Exercise Joint Multi-State-After-Action Report, prepared by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The City of Bellevue was one of the participants in the Cascadia Rising and had been involved in the 24-month-long planning effort leading up to the event. During this period the city responded to several smaller emergencies in their jurisdictions. As a result of these experiences, the Bellevue Transportation Department decided to review its current disaster preparedness program. The goal of this work was to identify the actions necessary to improve the department’s ability to keep the city’s transportation system, community, and economy resilient and safe before, during, and after a disaster.
Learning Objectives:
1. Discuss the findings of the Cascadia Rising 2016 Exercise Joint Multi-State After-Action Report.
2. Examine the steps the City of Bellevue is taking to identify the actions needed to improve public works’ ability to keep the transportation system resilient in case of disaster.
3. Determine if there are steps that you can replicate for your agency and community based on the lessons learned by the City of Bellevue.
Contributor/Source
Curry Mayer ;Hillary Stibbard ;Kirk Holmes ;Kristi Oosterveen
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