PRINCIPLES OF HUBS & ROUTES

After the first few hundred conversations with the people of the Mendocino Coast, we distilled the following:

1. EACH ISLAND SHOULD PLAN FOR LONG-TERM SELF-SUFFICIENCY. Our County’s Office of Emergency Services predicts that in a large event, the Coast may be “on our own” for 3 months or longer.

2. WE SERVE OUR NEIGHBORS AND MORE. Approximately 11,650 people currently reside in Coastal Mendocino County. When there is an inland fire, anywhere from 2,000 to 8,000 last-minute visitors join us on the Coast. These numbers may increase in the next six years as climate change drives migration.

3. WE SHOULD PREPARE FOR A WIDE VARIETY OF DISASTERS AT ONCE. For example, knowing that a fossil-fuel-burning generator will only work as long as fuel supplies last, and that this burning worsens lung disease and weather, a Hub may decide to use a generator only as a backup to energy conservation plus safer forms of power.

3. MANY COASTAL PEOPLE ARE PROUD AND GLAD TO HELP THEIR NEIGHBORS. Many have resources to share that are not highly valued while supply lines are open, but may be life-saving in times of isolation.

4. MANY PEOPLE NEED TO BE LISTENED TO WITH WARMTH, APPROVAL, AND EVEN PLAYFULNESS BEFORE THEY CAN THINK THROUGH RISKY SCENARIOS OR ANSWER DETAILED QUESTIONS.

5. WE BASE DECISIONS ON BIOLOGICAL REALITY. Prioritizing survival can help unify people, even during times of upheaval. We all need to breathe, take in fluids, & eat.

6. OUR BEST BET IS TO INCLUDE PEOPLE OF VARIOUS POLITICAL, CULTURAL AND CLASS BACKGROUNDS, AND AGES. Our strengths are complementary.

7. MANY ACTIONS THAT ARE GOOD FOR THE CLIMATE AND THE ECOSYSTEM ARE ALSO GOOD FOR PEOPLE; WE PRIORITIZE WIN-WIN SOLUTIONS.

8. ISLAND PREP HELPS SOLVE THE APPARENT CONFLICT BETWEEN "WE CAN'T TAKE MORE THAN OUR FAIR SHARE" AND "OFFICIAL RESCUE EFFORTS NEED TO GO WHERE THEY WILL SAVE THE MOST LIVES PER DOLLAR." We are costly to rescue, so far from a freeway, so we supplement with our own resourcefulness.