Questions Answered
Q: What is a Hub?
A: Any place where people can get help with any of the basic necessities of life, free of charge, when times are tough because of fire, flood, shortages, epidemics, or other climate chaos or system breakdown. Using the “stone soup”’ analogy, anyone who wants to add anything to the soup can sign up as a Hub.
Q: Is a Hub always a big building?
A: No. Some Hubs are big buildings that can shelter evacuees. Some are small buildings, or even outdoor spaces, that help in other ways.
(Examples: a private home that has a well with a hand-operated pump, if the person who lives there has offered to let neighbors get drinking water from it when they can’t use wells pumped by electricity; a big mown field not crossed by power lines, if its owner has offered to let people gather there during earthquakes or forest fires; an office with solar panels where people are welcome to charge up their medical devices and phones; a community garden that gives away food.)
Q: What do you mean by a “Route” or “Alternate Route”?
A: Another way of getting to where you need to go, besides how you usually go. It may not be a smooth, drivable road. Sometimes it requires walking, paddling, or riding a mountain bike or quad. It’s just the next best thing we can find, to use as a go-around for getting people to Hubs or to the Hospital and for re-uniting families. These Routes are mainly used at times when a bridge is down or a main road is impassable due to landslides and floods. (A few of them are drivable enough to use for evacuation from fires, but evacuations are led by 911 Incident Commanders only.)
Q: If I don’t have internet access during a crisis, how can I get help?
A: If your need is an immediate emergency, requiring help within minutes, call 911.
If you need help within hours instead of minutes, or if the 911 dispatcher has indicated there will be a long wait, then contact or go to the Hub nearest you, if you safely can. Don’t go if there is an emergency alert message saying to stay where you are. Don’t go if there are emergency personnel directing traffic away from the Hub. The Hub may have what you need, or may have more maps and lists of resources to help you find what you need. We recommend downloading maps in advance to help you find the Hubs near your home and near other places you go often.
Q: Which information can be seen by 911 and Public Hub Leaders?
A: 911 personnel can see all the information submitted by Public Hubs. They can also see the information from Private Hubs who chose privacy level A. They can see the Alternate Routes maps too.
Q: If there is a crisis but I still have internet access, can I look up resources myself?
A: Yes. Without a password, from our Home Page, you can see the Public Hubs that have checked the “show public online” button. You can see the Alternate Routes and tsunami trails. You cannot see information from Private Hubs.
Q: How do I offer resources I am willing to share?
A: You fill out a Form from our Home Page. If you want your house, field, or barn to be a Hub, you can fill out a Private Hub Resource Form. If you want a business or nonprofit that you direct to be a Public Hub, you can fill out a Public Hub Resource Form.
Q: What if I fill out a form and then later, something changes?
A: Please save the e-mail you receive when you sign up, so you know what you offered. If your situation changes later, just go back to the online form and create a new one. We will assume that it should replace the old one. If that is not easy for you, email us at hubsroutes@mcn.org and we will help make the change. Thank you for participating!
Q: What if I don’t want my own home to be a Hub, but I have time or tools or skills to help out at a Public Hub?
A: That would be great! When you click on a Hub in the Islands and Public Hubs map, you’ll see contact information. Use that to let the Hub’s Leader know that you can help. Or, you can talk to other people on your “island” about starting a new Public or Private Hub together.
“70-80% of people want to do something about climate change, but only 1 in 5 hear anything about it more than once a month, so they feel alone.”
Q: Are there other things I can do to help?
A: Definitely!
You can work on any of the win-win solutions listed in “Climate and Us.”
You can take great care of yourself, so you will be as resilient as possible as challenges arise.
You can be trained as a Hubs & Routes Volunteer.
You can make a financial contribution. We will use it to pay for the software that keeps our database mappable, and to help empower our community to survive its challenges.
“Landowners are fortunate to be in a position to help save lives by allowing people safe passage through their land.”