How City of Seattle and food partners are improving food response post-COVID
Imagine a catastrophic earthquake three days ago along our offshore fault line. Shaking in the Seattle area lasted as long as six minutes. Damage to infrastructure across the region is significant with many stretches of highway inaccessible or impassable. Damage assessments continue as a part of regional emergency response efforts and many communities—including communities and neighborhoods in Seattle—are isolated or “islanded.”
Natural disasters are something that many of us would prefer to never think about. Still, this scenario is all too plausible for the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and emergency planners at the City of Seattle and other local governments and agencies.
This is how the Seattle Human Service Department’s (HSD) Emergency Management Strategist Jill Watson and Food & Nutrition Strategist Seán Walsh found themselves at the City of Seattle’s Emergency Operations Center one day last month helping to run an Emergency Feeding Taskforce Exercise.
Working with OEM Training & Exercise Coordinator Jordan Bright, HSD brought together 40 food system and emergency management experts to connect, find ways to improve, and practice responding to a real-life crisis scenario when the unthinkable happens.
The facilitators started with an overview of past preparedness efforts, local and national planning, and the variety of potential food emergencies. Besides the pandemic, recent flooding and winter storms have also required food response efforts.
Due to its large scale and duration, the discussion gave extra attention to the region’s COVID-19 pandemic response. Many participants had been working together to ensure food and supplies reached vulnerable communities, that programs were staffed with volunteers and National Guard members, and that funding was allocated to the most critical needs.
Then came the “exercise” portion of the event, breaking into groups to discuss how they’d respond to an earthquake that threatened food supplies and access. Groups focused on how to feed people displaced from their homes, how to address supply chain disruptions, and more.
Breakout groups brought a wealth of perspectives from Public Health—Seattle & King County, American Red Cross, Meals Partnership Coalition, Seattle Food Committee, Washington State Department of Agriculture, other food banks and meal programs, City of Seattle departments (Human Services Department, Finance & Administrative Services, Seattle Animal Shelter, Office of Sustainability & Environment), and more.
Participants considered a range of challenges and situations that could impact food access. A major earthquake could leave stores, warehouses, and food banks empty or damaged. Delivering supplies could be delayed until the transportation system reopens. Roads might be prioritized for emergency vehicles and repairs, with residents asked to stay near their homes and shelters. Perishable food could spoil, and a lack of clean water would make it hard to use dry foods that require hydration. Many without the means to stock up on food items or those simply living in smaller homes and apartments without space for storage could quickly use up anything they have on hand.
Participants had to find ways to overcome these and other barriers, keep their organizations running, and make sure communities had food. The opportunity to do collaborative critical thinking was important, according to Yamila Sterling, Food Access & Education Director at Solid Ground Washington: “It was inspiring to see all the key stakeholders gathered together, motivated to collaborate and support our community in the event of an emergency.”
Thankfully, we haven’t experienced a catastrophic earthquake, so there is time to think through some of the ideas raised and improve planning. This is why our planners and community partners hold these training exercises and work towards continuous quality improvement. The more we practice, the better prepared we will be to support our community when the need arises.