Disaster preparedness is extremely important. But in good times, practicing for an imaginary disaster just sounds so, I don’t know, boring? Paranoid?

Enter the Disaster Relief Trials. The DRT is basically a bike race complicated by a series of challenges that simulate an imaginary disaster, and it’s a lot fun.

This year’s DRT, hosted by Familybike Seattle, will take place during the West Seattle Summer Parkways event September 25. Check-in starts at 10 a.m. in Alki. Disaster strikes at 11.

Last year was a blast, but I also learned a thing or two about what I can do to help or get help in case of a massive earthquake. In the process of hauling water to Rainier Beach or sacks of potatoes to the Central District, I also learned where my neighborhood disaster meetup points are and met some neighbors who are into ham radio (useful if phone and cell service goes down). And I learned that my cargo-hauling ability is better than I thought it was.

Registration for the 2016 DRT is now open. People with all kinds of bikes are needed. There are categories for people with cargo bikes (responder), electric cargo bikes (e-assist), family bikers (family), “regular” bikes (resilient) and even people without bikes (citizen, free).

So register now and invite all your friends to join you.

As in 2015, Seattle Bike Blog is media sponsor of the 2016 DRT.

More details from the event page:

Seattle’s Disaster Relief Trials (DRT) will take place Sunday, September 25th, 2016 and will run from 11:00AM to 4:00PM, starting from 61st Ave SW and Alki Ave SW in West Seattle. This year, the Seattle DRT will be held in partnership with Seattle Summer Parkways, Seattle Emergency Hubs and the Seattle Auxiliary Communication Service (ACS).

Imagine the impact a nearby 8.5 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami would have on Seattle. Buildings collapsed, roads in shambles, people displaced, services disconnected. Without roads that are passable to vehicles, how do we provide essential services to injured and scared residents?

The DRT is a fun, emergency preparedness event which mobilizes bicyclists to carry cargo representing emergency supplies to and from six checkpoints, Community and Communication Hubs and other significant community gathering locations throughout West Seattle and White Center.
Each of the six hubs will include a cargo activity for the Responder class, and an emergency response mini-workshop for the Resilient, Family and Citizen classes, as well as for the public. The emergency response activities will be provided by partnering organizations.

The goal is to provide a realistic practice of how bicyclists can be a vital link in providing supplies to citizens, in cases where the roads are impassable to larger vehicles, within the context of educating the public and having a great time!

A sample of our 2016 Sponsors and Partners include Aaron’s Bike Repair, Bike Works, Cascade Bicycle Club, Electric Lady, G&O Family Cyclery, No Spandex Required, Seattle Auxiliary Communication Service, Seattle Bike Blog, Seattle Department of Transportation, Seattle Emergency Hubs, Seattle Office of Emergency Management, Seattle Summer Parkways, Timbuk2, and Xtracycle.

Tickets are now available. We are offering different ticket types indicating your level of participation (Responder, Resilient, Family, Citizen, etc.). Tickets range from $0 – $20. Most tickets include a free stylish 2016 DRT shirt you can wear year round!