Emergency toilets on agenda at Sunnyside Disaster Dinner

Sunnyside Environmental School plays host to the First Annual Sunnyside Disaster Dinner on Saturday, Mach 10.  This neighborhood event to promote community emergency preparedness takes place at the school at 3421 SE Salmon St.

From 3 to 4:30pm the public is invited to visit free Information Booths and Activities. Jeff Holiman and the PHLUSH team will demonstrate how to make safe effective household and neighborhood toilets that don’t require water or sewers. Other booths feature water harvesting and filtration, creating home emergency kit, family emergency plans, block preparedness organizing and emergency preparedness in the schools.

From 4:30 to 6 pm , Disaster Dinner ticket holders will enjoy a simple dinner cooked by neighborhood volunteers in an outdoor “emergency kitchen.” There will be few short presentations on school and neighborhood emergency readiness, a fun drill, a raffle of a home emergency kit (worth $225), a rain barrel, “Luggable Loo” and other useful prizes. Get your Disaster Dinner tickets for $5 -$15 sliding scale on-line or in person at the event. And pick up a raffle ticket for $5 (or 5 for $20).  Please bring your own bowl, spoon and cup. Proceeds support the emergency preparedness work of Sunnyside Environmental School PTSA.

In a major disaster, such as the predicted Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake, we will depend on those around us to respond and recover. Emergency responders and city services will be overwhelmed. If an earthquake were to happen during school hours, it is likely that Sunnyside residents and local businesses will be the first responders. No matter what time it occurs, the school will be the hub of neighborhood gathering and organizing, where important neighborhood-based services can be delivered.  This is an opportunity for the Sunnyside community to learn about home preparedness, build more skills in the neighborhood for emergency response and recovery, and develop block organizing and strong relationships with neighbors.

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