September is Preparedness Month. This year brings more than the standard – and important! – reminders about disaster kits – it also brings the 2016 Seattle Disaster Relief Trials, starting from Alki Beach during the Seattle Summer Parkways event three weeks from today. Here’s the official announcement about what organizers describe as “a disaster drill in the form of a cargo-bike ride, simulating a Day 3 supply run”:

Seattle’s Disaster Relief Trials (DRT) will take place Sunday, September 25th, 2016 and will run from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM, starting from 61st Ave SW and Alki Ave SW in West Seattle. This year, the Seattle DRT will be held in partnership with Seattle Summer Parkways, Seattle Emergency Hubs, and the Seattle Auxiliary Communication Service (ACS).

Imagine the impact a nearby 8.5 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami would have on Seattle. Buildings collapsed, roads in shambles, people displaced, services disconnected. Without roads that are passable to vehicles, how do we provide essential services to injured and scared residents?

The DRT is a fun emergency-preparedness event that mobilizes bicyclists to carry cargo representing emergency supplies to and from six checkpoints, Community and Communication Hubs and other significant community gathering locations throughout West Seattle and White Center.

Each of the six hubs will include a cargo activity for the Responder class, and an emergency response mini-workshop for the Resilient, Family, and Citizen classes, as well as for the public. The emergency response activities will be provided by partnering organizations.

The goal is to provide a realistic practice of how bicyclists can be a vital link in providing supplies to citizens, in cases where the roads are impassable to larger vehicles, within the context of educating the public and having a great time!

Tickets are now available. We are offering different ticket types indicating your level of participation (Responder, Resilient, Family, Citizen, etc.). Tickets range from $0 – $20. Most tickets include a free stylish 2016 DRT shirt you can wear year round!

Want to help out with the event? We are seeking volunteers to help with registration, setup, running checkpoints, and teardown. Volunteers will receive free snacks and water and a stylish 2016 DRT shirt, and will have the opportunity to learn valuable preparedness skills!

If you would like more information about this topic, please email us at info@SeattleDRT.org. If you’d like to volunteer to help with this event, please email us at volunteerDRT@gmail.com.