More from the bikes/disaster front

Disaster Relief Trials -77

Ready for the apocalypse.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

Along with women on bikes, another major biking theme that has gone from trend to full-fledged movement in 2012 is the connection between bicycles and disasters. From our local efforts here in Portland, to national attention thanks to hurricane Sandy, this is an idea whose time has come.

Check out the developments below, all of which underscore the momentum the bikes/disaster connection has going for it.

Local filmmaker Joe Biel of Cantakerous Titles is working on a documentary about last summer’s Disaster Relief Trials event. Joe filmed the event while being pulled in a cargo trailer and earlier this week he released a trailer of the forthcoming documentary:

Disaster Relief Trials Trailer from Cantankerous Titles on Vimeo.

Speaking of the Disaster Relief Trials, meetings are already underway to make the event bigger and better this year. Also, word on the street is that some folks in San Francisco plan to hold a similar event and there’s even a major corporate sponsor sniffing around.

We all know the work of publisher and author Elly Blue. Guess what the latest title in her quarterly Taking the Lane series is? Yup, Disaster! Bicycling through the apocalypse. According to Elly, contributions so far include, “the story of someone who happened upon a small disaster and found she was able to help. Another navigated a health crisis in her carfree family by bike. Others report on the aftermaths of floods and storms that have affected entire regions. Another examines her family’s response to the economic crisis in Greece.” For more info (and to secure your copy!), check out the Kickstarter campaign underway to fund the project.

And just when I thought the bikes/disaster phenomenon couldn’t get any bigger, look what I found in my mailbox yesterday: The latest edition of Portland Afoot, which just so happens to be “The Apocalypse Issue.” The excellent lead story is by Bill Lascher. In it, he paints a dire picture of what could happen if Portland is hit with the big earthquake or tsunami-related event many predict. But after disaster strikes, Lascher writes that thanks in part to bicycling, “that’s when we’re likely to discover that Portland will be better off in an apolocalypse than it looks.”

Here’s an excerpt:

“Another tool in Portland’s disaster arsenal has drawn more attention: its robust bike culture. Indeed, the earthquake appendix [from a Portland Bureau of Emergency Management report] says bicycles may be the “most practical” way for anyone to get around if a quake damages pipelines… With maybe 5% of pedal trips in the city already happening on bikes that can haul cargo – that’s the rough estimate from Clever Cycles’ Eva Frazier – Portland is unusually ready for action.”

While it’s great to see this continued attention on how bikes might play a role when disaster strikes, my hope is that it reminds people to get themselves prepared. On that note, the Bureau of Emergency Management launched a big effort this week that included a map of emergency communications locations. It might be a good idea to print out that map and stuff it in your emergency supplies.

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Founder of BikePortland (in 2005). Father of three. North Portlander. Basketball lover. Car owner and driver. If you have questions or feedback about this site or my work, feel free to contact me at @jonathan_maus on Twitter, via email at maus.jonathan@gmail.com, or phone/text at 503-706-8804. Also, if you read and appreciate this site, please become a supporter.

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Brian
Brian
11 years ago

Power Blend

Meet Tidy Cat’s most powerful formula yet. With a blend of clay and crystals, it can take on your cat’s strongest odors.

Opus the Poet
11 years ago
Reply to  Brian

Interesting, that’s the brand of kitty litter that was originally carried in my panniers before I converted them to cargo carrying…

Craig Harlow
Craig Harlow
11 years ago

Another tool in Portland’s disaster arsenal, just being rolled out…

Video:
Mayor Sam Adams introduces new Basic Earthquake Emergency Communication Node (BEECN) sites for Portland.

Rick
Rick
11 years ago

Wow – I thought for sure this was an article from “The Onion.” But being that it’s from our homegrown local bike cult, there are no bounds of rationality to exceed.

Chris I
Chris I
11 years ago
Reply to  Rick

I’m confused by your comment. Do you think that bikes are not useful in disasters?

Opus the Poet
11 years ago
Reply to  Chris I

I suspect that is exactly what he means, or he’s trying to be funny and failing miserably.

9watts
9watts
11 years ago
Reply to  Chris I

Perhaps he thinks disasters are something the Mayans cooked up; not something worth preparing for.

matheas michaels
matheas michaels
11 years ago

Adam looks pretty G in that photo on the top 🙂

jim
jim
11 years ago

I think that a lot of people that rarely ride their bikes will be upset that they cant plug in their electric air pump to get that dusty bike rolling again. Many people don’t have manual pumps.

jim
jim
11 years ago

I love to hear about ingenious ways people modify their bikes to make them fit specific needs. There are some cargo trailers around I’ve seen that blew me away that people made in their garages.

Richard Masoner
11 years ago

I hope Elly meets her funding goal. One of the stories is of my dad, who was among the first outside responders to arrive with aid and supplies after the disastrous 1995 quake in Kobe Japan. He and his team took the train from Tokyo, then biked the rest of the way into the disaster zone.

Niko
Niko
11 years ago

Cool. It is good if more people realize how great bikes are.

It was eye opening to see the guys on bikes in flooded Manhattan last month.