Prepare Together

 

 

 

 

Marilyn Bishop

Founder, Cascadia Ready. Formerly called Cascadia Quake Kits

Personally, I feel most grounded and alive in the wilderness. I spent nearly a decade as an Outward Bound Instructor in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, inspired by the program’s underlying philosophy that each of us is capable of so much more than we realize. I witnessed how learning skills, a little challenge, and some adventure push a person out of their comfort zone enough to discover that they are stronger than they thought. These adventures taught personal growth, self reliance, and real collaboration as strategies for survival. The combination of those three things, with the confidence that comes from having enough information and plan, is a powerful resource for any community facing a challenge.

After years in the mountains, I came to Portland to do social work with teens and start my family. Living in this region, it’s just practical to plan for a variety of potential natural disasters, and it’s safe to say that for many of us, the idea of being ready for “The Big One” is both front of mind and hard to prioritize. The question is – what does it mean to be prepared for an emergency and how does one even know where to begin?

There are many reasons why people don’t prepare: busy lives, feeling overwhelmed by the task, and the fact that disasters can be stressful think about. Preparing simply gets pushed down the list.

I would not have guessed I’d start an emergency preparedness business, but I felt called to act. As I tried to prepare my family, I looked but there were no 2-week kits on the market. The kits I found were for 3-5 days and filled with cheap, single-use items and grossly deficient in water. I simply wanted to purchase a quality kit for my family that was built to the actual recommendations for the Pacific Northwest. That didn’t exist.

Cascadia Ready simplifies the process for getting "Two-Weeks Ready" by building curated and tested kits that meet the recommendations set by Pacific Northwest emergency managers. I’m proud of the role that Cascadia Ready plays in making the Pacific Northwest stronger.