Christopher Gandy

Matt Palzkill

UDP 549: Hazard Mitigation Final

March 20, 2013

Community Modularity Mitigation Strategy

The Community Modularity Mitigation Strategy (CMMS) is a concept that primarily

expands upon elements presented in Chapter 13 of Redmonds Hazard Mitigation Plan. The
main focus is on improving Strategy 2, which states, To ensure provision of vital services
following a hazard event, Redmond will develop alternative service centers in less hazardous
areas. The CMMS expands upon this item in order to give more clarity and direction to the
overall concept, so that the public will be better informed as to what these service centers entail.
More importantly, the strategy will create a system that decreases the reliance on separated
services of assistance at times of disaster by creating an effective community center model
capable of serving multiple purposes. Strategy 2 currently states that, The current placement of
first responders and City operations centers within earthquake liquefaction areas and flood
hazards zone will restrict capabilities under probable scenarios. A large-scale earthquake that
causes severe damage to business and residential interests throughout Redmond could also
completely disable existing emergency response and recovery capabilities. Alternative
capabilities do not currently exist. The CMMS goes to address this by providing a defined,
structured system for communities to operate off of at times of any natural disaster. However,
participation from all members of a local community is necessary to foster a social, resilient
community center. Community centers described in the CMMS will help to promote modularity
with connectivity in the case of natural disaster.
The CMMS creates, in short, community centers at specifically identified locations
throughout the city of Redmond. Each community center operates independently of one another,
and will be connected via an alternative road network. It is essential for the centers to be
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Christopher Gandy
Matt Palzkill

UDP 549: Hazard Mitigation Final

March 20, 2013

interconnected, yet independent at times when one may be heavily affected and/or shut down by
disaster. The placement of each community center is currently suggested as one per
neighborhood, and the location within each respective neighborhood depends on the context.
The placement within each neighborhood should be determined by ease of access, centrality, and
convenience. It should be easy for people to interact at the community center on a regular basis,
and easy to access in times of need. However, the key is to make sure people are involved in this
system, so that when a disaster of any kind arises, not just earthquakes and floods (which plague
Redmond the most), the community is unified and operating on the same level of understanding
in order to overcome disaster together.
The CMMS will increase well-being via the functions that community centers create. By
shaping community centers to fit a new, modern building code, Redmonds built capital will be
improved upon. This building code should be used as a model not only in Redmond, but
hopefully for King County as a whole. It is important for the community centers to be the most
disaster resilient buildings standing. They are meant to be the hearth of interaction at the center
of each respective neighborhood, and serve a very important purpose. In addition, within the
community centers various social activities will be created to foster social capital. Events such
as dances, movie nights, seasonal parties, et cetera can be implemented to increase neighbors
sense of community and belonging. The more events that can be held to bring people together,
the more effective the system becomes. Furthermore, Redmonds natural capital will be
improved upon via social functions that the community centers provide. In addition, a
neighborhood garden should be put in place; not only to foster community ties, but to try and
associate people with the natural environment. The gardens will serve as food sources at times
of disaster and as normal community activity hubs at all other times. People can sell produce

Christopher Gandy
Matt Palzkill

UDP 549: Hazard Mitigation Final

March 20, 2013

they grow at community center events, and/or run a small farmers market. In addition, the
community centers can provide activities for individuals to do neighborhood clean-ups and
natural capital improvement projects. The centers should not only be places that bridge the gaps
which have been formed socially in our society, but also places where society can relate to the
natural environment.
Building off well-being concepts, many goods and services will be provided by the
community centers. As addressed above, the community gardens will serve as a food storage
sources at times of disaster. If and when transportation networks are cut off, having food
available is essential. Having this food be locally grown, surveyed to meet population demands,
and of high quality eliminates a lot of stress in regards to where people will have a good meal.
The community centers will also have dry food storage, supply storage, etc. in order to meet the
needs of a community when it is isolated from the normal transportation system. Furthermore, if
the regular transportation system is disabled, it is essential to have an alternative network. A
raised dirt/gravel trail connecting the community centers together is suggested. This raised road
can operate as an easy guidance system to other community centers, and serve to divert water
away from urban centers in order to prevent pollution. By having a community center
transportation network, the centers can work together and independently when separated from
the normal system of connectivity. In normal times, the trail can serve as a recreational route for
joggers and bikers.
The community centers will provide many activities before and after disaster. These
events were addressed above when discussing normal operation, but it is important to have
events set in place for when disaster does arise. This is in order to rebuild community ties and
keep people occupied by having an outlet for fun. Having the community care about one another

Christopher Gandy
Matt Palzkill

UDP 549: Hazard Mitigation Final

March 20, 2013

and work together during normal days and at times of disaster will ultimately create a better
aware and unified neighborhood. Ultimately, the speed of recovery can be lessened if people are
unified with the same level of understanding. Furthermore, the community centers will provide
localized response/team-training programs for business owners, citizens, and anyone who wants
to learn how to stay resilient in times of disaster. By having people understand what it takes to
make it through a disaster, many obstacles can be overcome. Businesses such as Microsoft, and
people should not be separated; a community works together to benefit the overall concept
resiliency. In addition, businesses will be advised to partake in a strategy similar to what
Starbucks uses. This is what we call the Employee Exchange Program. It will be operated and
run by the community centers, and serve to allocate employees to new locations of the same
business, if their normal business is inaccessible when disaster strikes. This will help the
economy not suffer as much during times of disaster, and make sure goods and services are
provided as much as possible.
By having the right goods and services provided, the adverse impacts that follow a
disaster will be lessened if the community is unified and working together. The community
centers create a stable response system in the case of massive destruction. They provide a safe
haven at times of disaster and an outlet of fun for society at all other times. Because of this, the
response time is lessened when first attending to the disaster. This is because everyone is
included in the process of response. Furthermore, if people are all responding properly, the
recovery time can be shorted. These emergency management phases wouldnt be possible,
however, if it wasnt first for the preparedness and mitigation elements that are inherent to what
the community centers provide. They provide many tools, as discussed previously (supplies,
shelter, awareness programs, etc) that are necessary to be put in place before disaster. Due to the

Christopher Gandy
Matt Palzkill

UDP 549: Hazard Mitigation Final

March 20, 2013

systems put in place by the centers, the people will be well informed about the system in place,
and know what to do when the time arises. More importantly, the ties and bonds between people
are increased. The more centers that can be created, the better; three locations as originally
proposed in the mitigation plan do not meet the needs of a population. These centers need to be
well integrated into society for their effects to be meaningful. By having people work together,
the stress on other first responders like police and fire fighters can be relieved. In addition, to
support individuals, businesses like Microsoft will also be well informed on how to handle the
situation. Ultimately, the situation of disaster can be mitigated as much as possible. However, it
will not be possible if people are not actively involved, and the centers are not properly
integrated.
Adaptation is an essential step in ensuring that the community centers are integrated into
the areas, and can reach their desired potential. The first step is to create interest before the
construction even begins. It would be good to get the word out so that people can get excited
over what is on the way. By the time of ground breaking, it would be advised to have some sort
of event that lets the communities know that they have a new community center in the works.
This could be advertised by having pamphlets mailed to each house, as well as commercials on
the radio or on TV. A large community bulletin board can also be placed near the center, and
word can reach citizens that way. Upon opening, the community centers will also need to have
kick-off events right away. This will further help the centers engrain themselves into the society
of the area, and make it easier to begin first response training and have social groups.
Finally, the Panarchy concept illustrates how a society begins anew through various
steps: Exploitation, Conservation, Release, and Reorganization. Many examples can be seen
throughout history, and this Redmond mitigation plan is set up to aid in the Reorganization

Christopher Gandy
Matt Palzkill

UDP 549: Hazard Mitigation Final

March 20, 2013

phase. After the disaster strikes, a community goes from Conservative and progresses into
Release. It is from there which will determine if the community will find a way to thrive again
via reorganization. The community centers are placed in various areas, and the goal is to have
these individual communities create a tight enough bond before the disaster that they are in
attempts to break them apart. The level of response will determine if the neighborhoods continue
the Panarchy cycle or become obsolete.
In conclusion, the CMMS will provide not only a system that fosters a multi-function
mitigation effort, but also an effort to connect and improve upon various capitals that we interact
with. If people can accept and interact with the system, actively becoming a part of it, we
believe that the efforts towards recovery will be lessened. However, if people do not decide to
take part in the system, and actively utilize it in normal days, it will falter.