Northwest Urban Resilience- Power Outages

What are the most likely natural disasters, food shortages, power outages, political crises,
health outbreaks, or other social disruptions that YOU should be prepared to
face with resilience? Pick one.

In the Pacific Northwest, the most likely social disruption would be power outages caused by wind or snow storms. Just a few years back, millions went without power in the Seattle area after a snow/wind storm rolled through the area.

I was in college at the time and remember spending all of Christmas break without any power. No video games, no internet, no heaters. Life by candle light alone, during the shortest days of the year. Travel was impossible, with gas stations not open, and every street light not working for miles in every direction. People died
every day as they tried to heat their homes with charcoal grills, but instead poisoned the air they breathe. I remember going to the store and finding all the water on the shelves gone. It was a wasteland. Like something you’d see in a movie. Rumors grew across my college campus as to when power would return. Information varied to any minute to months!

What different kinds of data would you track in the crisis & what different kinds of
urgent information and resources would you need to collect and share?

Accurate real-time data of measurements, such as wind speed and snow level would be very
important to track. Knowing which areas are being hit hardest would allow for
local response teams to head in that direction before the crisis hits and allow
for the residents to be alerted. A big issue with power outages is tracking
down where the issue even occurred. By tracking the outages in real-time,
utility companies may be able to narrow down the areas to search for the actual
issues that need to be repaired, replaced or fixed.

Ideas:

"Ar Solar powered communication.

All cell phone towers should have a back up battery that can run
off solar power. Gas powered may be needed as well to keep the towers powered
for an extended time.

"A Solar charging stations.

Public locations should have a solar powered station to allow the public to come, plug in, and make a phone call or use a computer. Time limits would need
to be regulated, but it would allow for the public to access energy needed for
communications.

"Ar Awareness marketing.

Marketing campaigns need to be in place to encourage the community
to prepare for such a case. More complex planning than just buying water is
needed. Backup batteries & solar power accessories for cell phones and
computers would be important items to combat these difficult times and assist
in efforts for communication. Safe ways to create warmth in these conditions
are important as well.

"Ar Solar powered street lighting and stop lights.

These would make a world of difference and help maintain safe driving conditions during blackouts. It would increase response times in emergencies, and help cut down on accidents on the roads.

"A A public opt-in emergency text channel.

This could do wonders in a power outage case like this.
In an instant, messages could be sent out to countless individuals on their phones.
Many cell phone owners have their phone set to alert them of text messages, which
makes this one of the best forms of communication during a crisis when trying
to deliver information to the ma****.