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Rescuers pull a boat carrying residents as they enforce evacuation at an area flooded due to a swollen river in Marikina city, east of Manila, Philippines, on Tuesday. Some of the Philippines' heaviest rains on record fell for a second day Tuesday, turning the capital's roads into rivers and trapping tens of thousands of people in homes and shelters. The government suspended all work except rescues and disaster response.

(The Associated Press)

Get ready, Southeast Portland. (Or, for you disaster preparedness aficionados, confirm your readiness.)

That's the mission of an upcoming safety and preparation workshop series in Southeast debuting April 5. The

series will feature talks from Portland and Multnomah County emergency managers, the American Red Cross, Portland Fire and Rescue and others.

“If we think ahead and plan how to keep ourselves and our families safe, we develop confidence in our ability to cope with a major disaster,” series coordinator Liz Bryant said in a press release. “And planning together with neighbors helps us all come through a disaster well and recover quickly.”

It could take up to

to the Willamette Valley if Oregon was struck with a magnitude-9 earthquake, which could happen anytime.

The workshops are organized by the Woodstock area

, Southeast Uplift and the neighborhood associations in Woodstock, Sellwood, Brentwood-Darlington and Mt. Scott-Arleta.

Here's the schedule:

1. Make a plan and build a kit.

Learn how to make an effective plan for getting your family back together in a disaster. Also, learn about the essentials of an emergency kit and how to assemble and affordable one.

Saturday April 5, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Brentwood-Darlington Community Center, 7211 SE 62nd Ave.

Sunday April 13, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Moreland Presbyterian Church, 1814 SE Bybee Blvd.

Saturday May 3, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church, 3915 SE Steele St.

2. Help friends and neighbors get prepared.

Learn how to encourage your neighbors to get prepared. You'll need to work with them in the event of a major disaster (and if they're not ready, you might have to share your gear). Also, find out about volunteer opportunities.

Wednesday April 30, 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Service Employees International Union, 6401 SE Foster Rd.

Tuesday May 13, 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the SMILE Station, 8210 SE 13th Ave.

Tuesday May 20, 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Reedwood Friends Church, 2901 SE Steele St.

3. Secure your home against disaster.

Learn how to protect your house from earthquake damage without making seismic upgrades (also, for homeowners, there will be information about those structural changes). Only offered once.

Saturday May 31, 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. atTrinity United Methodist Church, 3915 SE Steele St.

Any easy, affordable preparedness tips you'd like to share? Leave your tips in the comments.

-- Melissa Binder