Our SBNET Team
Our neighborhood is fortunate to have a group of neighbors who volunteer to be our South Burlingame Neighborhood Emergency Team (SBNET).
The team is trained to support neighbors DURING active natural disasters as well as to spur us to prepare for disasters BEFORE they strike.
SBNET Team Leader is Merilee Karr who can be contacted via NextDoor or email.
neighborhood emergency team
Skilled Organizers for any Occasion
What kinds of catastrophes do we have here?
Good news: NO hurricanes. No cicadas. No fire ants. Tornadoes are rare and small. Lightning is uncommon.
Bad news: We have WINTER STORMS. Storms can ICE UP ROADS, paralyzing the city. Heavy snow is rare, and most don’t know how to drive on it.
Ice storms sometimes cause POWER OUTAGES. As the world warms, we have WILDFIRES in rural areas most summers. Air quality can be terrible for a few days. Fires have never come close enough to the city to implement evacuation – so far.
Small EARTHQUAKES, causing little or no damage, are frequent in the Pacific Northwest. Big ones—really big—occur every few hundred years. The last one was in 1700. Geologists tell us to expect another in the next few dozen years.
Let’s Talk
Where are you on the path to personal and community preparedness?
You likely find yourself in one of these three situations:
1. You haven’t thought much about emergencies or you’re worried, but don’t know how to start. You’ve got this and we can help!
2. You have some experience and knowledge, have taken some action and want to do more. You’re in the right place.
3. You have enough experience to know no one is ever fully prepared. You want to learn, and you have wisdom to share. Let’s talk.
Wherever you are in this process, you are always welcome on the Neighborhood Emergency Team.
01
Good to Know
The Capitol Hill School playground is the SBNET Staging Area at SW Spring Garden St. at SW 17th Ave.
In a major regional disaster, like an earthquake, you will be able to get help and information there.
02
Know Your Neighbors
Knowing your neighbors will help you with any kind of disaster. Over 95% of people rescued from calamity are saved by neighbors. When you get acquainted with a neighbor, you make South Burlingame more resilient – and an even better place to live!
03
Plan & Prepare
Check out SBNET on PortlandPrepares.org website to help plan and get prepared! Here’s a “Go Bag” list of items to have at the ready and a 24-week shopping list with weekly steps for emergency preparedness.
04
Teach
First steps. BEFORE a disaster, there are things you can do to make any mishap safer and more comfortable for you and your household.
First, take a breath. Small steps taken are better than big steps put off.
If emergency preparedness feels overwhelming, nothing gets done.
This brochure gives you a step-by-step 24-week action and shopping list.
06
Ongoing Training
NET training is free, and covers a wide range of topics, from first aid, neighborhood hazards and resources, radio communications (in case cell towers are down), disaster psychology, low-risk search and rescue, and low-risk fire control.
There are NO physical requirements.
Our training is the same as the nationwide CERT program.
“The strength of a neighborhood lies not in its buildings or its streets, but in the hearts of its people coming together
to create something greater than themselves.”
— Anonymous
Frequently Asked Questions
Looking to get started?
You are welcome to participate in most team activities without completing NET training. We lead workshops and share info on household readiness. The team, and your neighbors, would rather educate you now, than have to save you in a crisis.
I have equipment, how can I help?
If you can’t take NET class but have equipment, like a generator or chainsaw; or if you have skills helpful in a disaster, let us know.
What skills are needed?
Helpful skills include the obvious, like structure evaluation, radio, and medical — and the not-so-obvious, such as comforting scared kids, feeding large groups, logistics, personnel management, animal control, and mental health.
When and where do you meet?
We meet monthly on Zoom. Wherever you are in this process, you are welcome on the Neighborhood Emergency Team and we encourage you to join our meetings.
Have additional inquiries?
We are here to help. Let’s engage in a conversation.