October 27, 2024 • 30 mins
Red Cross volunteers from the Northwest are helping victims of the hurricanes in the Southeast recover. NW Natural has a new app to help prepare for disasters. Sleep Awareness Month is vital information for new moms. TSA at PDX has a new security system to make sure you are who you say you are.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to Local Voices. I'm brad Ford. The Red Cross
plays a vital role in disaster recovery. We'll find out
what the local Red Cross is doing to help victims
of the hurricanes in the southeastern US and how they
can help you. Northwest Natural wants to help you prepare
for a disaster with their new app. This is safe
Sleep Awareness, but it's critical for newborns and there's a
(00:26):
new security procedure at Portland Internationville Airport. The Red Cross
responds to sixty five thousand disasters every year. Most of
them are house fires, but when there are disasters volunteers
respond from across the country to help. Red Cross volunteers
from Oregon and Southwest Washington have been helping victims of
hurricanes Helene and Milton. Rebecca Marshall with the Red Cross
(00:49):
Cascades Region, joins us on Local Voices. Rebecca tell us
about the volunteer response following the hurricanes.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Well, that's a good question, and I will tell you
that we covered five states. We had at the height
of it about seventy two of our volunteers just from
Oregon and Southwest Washington who got the call to deploy
in Tennessee, which is where I went for two weeks.
We went to Georgia, the Carolinas, Florida, and then another
batch went back to Florida or even reinforced our operations
(01:18):
in Florida because of Milton.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
How long are they there?
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Generally speaking, a deployment lasts about two weeks. Now people
can extend that, but that is about the time you
need to get there, get the lay of the land.
When I went to Tennessee, I had never been there
right so, and bridges were out and GPS was spotty.
So you need to get the lay of the land,
and then you have to figure out what your job
is and really get that cadence. So about two weeks works.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
What types of jobs do they do?
Speaker 2 (01:45):
Sheltering and feeding, I would say is number one. And
if you think about our disaster response, you think about
it sort of in shifts. Okay, So the first thing
we do when we get there is we operate shelters
and we provide feeding for the people who come to
our shelters. Reunification. I have our one night hundred red
cross line. We are connecting dots with law enforcement because
so many people with Milton and with Helene couldn't find
(02:07):
where their loved ones were that you know, the connections
was down, So that's number one. Number two. Then we'll
go out in the community in our emergency response vehicles,
so we have drivers, we have food delivery, we have
people stalking rakes and shovels and comfort kits and hygiene kits,
and they're running them out into the communities. And then
the third part will be a disaster assessment. We literally
(02:27):
go into the neighborhoods and we put GPS drop markers
and stuff so we know we can go back out
and help. And then part of that third phase is casework,
so when it's out of the headlines bad, when nobody's
talking about it anymore, we are still doing our work
to make sure each person who was affected gets our services.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Wow, you said there were more than seventy volunteers from
the Northwest that went there.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Yeah, and it's diminishing a little now because that two week,
you know, rotation is down. We're down to about fifty seven,
but still have twenty five in Florida specific.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
Now, you said you went to Tennessee. What were your observation?
Speaker 2 (03:00):
So I went to Tennessee as a public affairs person,
So my previous life as a communications person, I got
to drive everywhere and do stories about every facet of
what we were doing. A couple of observations. A woman
who stands out to me and one of the shelters,
eighty one years old. She and her elderly husband in
an adult kids, two adult kids lived in this home.
(03:22):
They were along a river and they were deciding the
river was rising, so they needed to get out. By
the time they got their stuff together, the water was
up to her chin and the husband is on oxygen,
so they're frail obviously. And then so they got into
a boat, like a little skiff kind of boat, and
the boat motor wouldn't start on the boat, so they
had to hold onto the trees along the river to
(03:43):
keep from being washed down the river, which was like
a speeding train. I asked her, you know, how do
you feel? She said, lucky, lucky. That kind of stuff,
you know, just warms my heart. She said, I have
not wanted for anything in the weeks I've been in
the shelter. I'd give you the shirt off my back
if I knew where it was. I mean, I love her,
and it's hard you leave these people and you just
(04:04):
hope the best comes next. But that was one observation,
and I'll tell you a second one. So many communities
were cut off, like roads were washed out, you couldn't
get there. So we helped with the National Guard load
up a National Guard helicopter and they helicoptered our food
and comfort kits into different areas where people couldn't get out. Yeah, yeah, right,
(04:24):
those are a couple takeaway.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
So I imagine there's two types of volunteers. There's a
volunteer that works here locally and then the ones that
you're talking about that travel. Let's focus on the ones
that are here locally. What volunteer opportunities are there?
Speaker 2 (04:36):
Yes, we do, so we prepare, we respond, and we recover.
That's what we do at the Red Cross. So in
terms of preparation, we do smoke alarm installations. In fact,
just got a new statistic about two thousand lives saved
because we put smoke alarms into homes that sadly later
burned but the people got out.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
So smoke alarm installation, it's one of my most fun
things to do. It's a weekend. You just put your
belts on and go, you know, do your thing. It's
a great day. That's one. You can be a biomied
they call it a blood ambassador, where you sit and
you take intake when people come in to give blood.
You can work in the shelters, which is not quite
as consistent but very important. And we have what we
(05:15):
call DAT responders, their disaster Action team. So sixty five
thousand disasters we respond to every single year. Most of
them are home fires. I can tell you right now,
when I go back to my office, there'll be two
or three responses of home fires that we just did.
What does that look like? Well, they get a call
in the middle of the night from the fire department.
Our dispatchers will they'll call the local DBT responders. They'll
(05:37):
put on their vests, they'll go out and they'll find
out if people need help. Everybody needs a little bit
of something different. So it could be you. Maybe you
your glasses got burned in the fire. Well, we'll get
right on the horn and start talking to people. I
sit on the horn. That's a old dropping out on
the phone. But we'll connect you to your medications that
(05:57):
you may have lost. Sometimes it's a small fine compensation
that you can use for a hotel room, perhaps for food.
Maybe you just need to put gas in the car
and drive to your sister's house down the street or something.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
Right, how about then the people that traveled, what kind
of training do they undergo before they can do that?
Speaker 2 (06:16):
We train people all year round. In fact, I think
when you see a disaster, it's everybody puts their name
into a system so they can get called up because
they I got my We call it a gap, but
it's credential in sheltering. I want to go out and
use it. I've learned it. I want to use it
so they can do those kinds of things. Again, it's
one of those things that we have to say, this
(06:37):
isn't a vacation, you know. I mean I had never
been to Tennessee, but I didn't go there to have
a good time. It's taxing and you work really long hours.
But people are volunteers, especially just keep coming back. I
have thirty seven year plus volunteers. It's crazy.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
Wow. Yeah. Here, we prepare for a variety of disasters, floods, storms,
the big one, right, the big earthquake. What is a
Red Cross recommend as far as preparing for disasters?
Speaker 2 (07:06):
Yeah, you know, we will be there. We're not first responders,
we're second responders. But even first responders sometimes can't get
to your house that second right. They have a big task.
I learned that even more with these hurricanes. So many
communities were cut off. So we talk about things like
in it, we talk about go kits or at least
at home, stay at home kits, at least a gallon
(07:28):
of water per day per person. I know that seems
kind of silly, like where are I going to the
store that well, my laundry room has a lot of
water in it. Garage right, non perishable foods. Those are
the two things I would do if nothing else. Those
two things. You want flashlights because power goes out in disaster.
Power is still out in a lot of these areas.
If you crank radio, if you want to go further,
(07:50):
you really want to stay in touch. That kind of
thing is important. If you have medications, if you can.
I know it's hard to stash medications because they don't
last forever, but if you need two days just in case,
put those, tuck those away. Just pretend like in a
way this sounds silly, but I almost pretend like I'm
camping and I'm going to be off the grid, sure,
and what do I need for the next three or
(08:11):
four days or more. That's kind of how I approach it,
because everybody's different. If I have kids, I want toys
for the kids, or formula for the baby, or dog
food for my.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
Exactly on the dog food and cat food. Just make
sure you've got a little bit extra, yeap. Right. Another
big thing that the Red Cross does is obviously blood donations.
How great is the need for blood.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
The thing about blood is it's it's tenuous and this
is why every two seconds, so by the time we're
done talking, think about well, we'll do the math. You'll
do the math. Every two seconds somebody needs blood in
this country, and every fifteen seconds somebody needs platelets, and
those are largely cancer patients. The platelets are the clotting
agent and blood. So every two seconds you need to
(08:54):
get we need blood. And then when we have a
disaster like this where we know at least twenty five
hundred units when un collected from that area, holidays are coming,
you're going to be busy. I'll be busy. Summer is
a bit of a dip, but the need doesn't stop
and that could be for childbirth, or for surgeries, or
for sickness, all kinds of things. So that's why we
(09:16):
always say the need for blood is just so great,
and we're always I don't want to say nagging, but
it's strongly encouraging people to donate because it just needs
to stay steady.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
How often can you donate?
Speaker 2 (09:27):
You can donate every fifty six days, so you know
roughly every couple of months you'll get the call from
the Red Cross if you've donated. I'm due. I'm going
to be honest.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
What's involved? What's the process?
Speaker 3 (09:36):
Like?
Speaker 2 (09:36):
It's so simple. I was very afraid I'll be honest,
but it's really simple. You go in, you sit down,
you do a quick screening. It takes about ten minutes.
Everybody's asked the same questions. It's just they want to
make sure that you're healthy that they'll do a quick
little clock test to make sure you know you can
actually give blood. You'd be surprised how many people can
give blood anymore these days. If you go to redcrossblood
(09:57):
dot org, there's a whole list, like say, if you
have high blood pressure, hey, there's a really good chance
you can. Did you get a tattoo? Yes, you can
still give blood, so it's a holess that covers that.
So screening. Then you go and sit down and then
a little prick in your arm and about well, some
of the people on my staff bleed faster than others.
I'm about ten minutes. Some people go, I've did mine,
(10:18):
and you know, seven minutes. Good for you. And then
you take a little bit of recovery time, some snacks,
lots of water. We encourage a lot of water. But
she'll be back at it quickly.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
Now you mentioned platelets.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
Is that different it is plate Let's take about two hours.
We call it me time because you can't do much
of anything both of your arms. One is going in
and one is coming out. They put a movie on
for you, They put blankets over you. They ask you
it's like being weighted on hand and foot, and you
give plate It takes about two hours, but it's the
same process.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
What do you want us to know about the Red Cross?
Speaker 2 (10:53):
It's really about the people that we touch and the
fact that the more I come into contact people with people,
the more I realize they didn't think this would happened
to them, right, They were living their best lives and
then bam, their lives changed that fast, and to be
there for them and that in that situation is so impactful,
and that's what keeps me coming back.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
So people want to help out. What can they do?
Speaker 2 (11:15):
Yes, I'm so glad you asked that I was going
there next. Really, we always say there three ways to help, right,
financial donations and this is why, you know, everybody's different
in their recoveries. So financial donations help us be pivotal
and move around where the money needs to go. So
volunteerism is super important because the workload is heavy. I
didn't even touch on all the opportunities for volunteerism. And
(11:38):
three is blood donation. So those three things you can
pretty much find them at one location that's red Cross
dot org, Redcross dot org, or you can call one
eight hundred red Cross. If you want to make a
financial donation right now, you can text hurricanes hurricanes to
nine zero nine nine nine. So either one of those
things we welcome graciously.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
And on the website, if you want to give money
specifically to hurricane relief, is there a way.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
Yep, there's a designation too. There's a designation there. You know,
we always are accepting, you know, our organization ninety cents
of every dollar goes to programs, So if you just
give to the Red Cross, it'll go to programs. But
if you really want to target these right now, we
have a designation Hurricanes, which will go to Milton and Helene.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
Now back on the blood donation. When you go to
the website, are you able to pre register and then
can you also schedule a time?
Speaker 2 (12:27):
Yes, we really do. So this is the This is
the second part. It's red Cross Blood dot org, so
very simple, red Cross Blood dot org. Again, you can
find it all at red Cross org dot org. But
red Cross blood dot org you can type in your
zip code and it'll tell you all the different appointments
in your neighborhood that are open. So what I like
about that? And do make an appointment because you can't
just always show up sometimes that works, but if you
(12:48):
make an appointment, you go in there and they'll get
you in and out and it really doesn't take much
time at all. But it's so easy to sign up.
And the incentives that are coming Yeah, should I let
it out of the bag. We're doing the Friends Friends
TV shows promotion coming up that you'll get friends socks
that you can share with your friends. We always are
doing some kind of fun emotion.
Speaker 1 (13:06):
So yeah, well, very good. Thank you very much for
joining us Local Voices. Appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
That's Rebecca Marshall where the Red Cross Cascades region. The
Red Cross needs financial support to continuous mission and help
victims of disasters. Ninety cents out of every dollar donated
to the Red Cross goes toward the programs they provide
and back to the clients they serve. You can go
to their website Redcross dot org where you can make
a financial donation. You can learn what's involved in being
(13:33):
a volunteer, or donate blood or platelets. You can also
call one eight hundred Red Cross or text Hurricanes to
nine zero nine nine to make a donation. It's important
to prepare for disasters. Most of us have natural gas
running into our homes. Bryan Clerkley with Northwest Natural joins
(13:54):
us on Local Voices. Bryan. Northwest Natural has a safety
app for smartphones. How do we get that?
Speaker 4 (14:00):
How you get the safety app is you can download
it from the Apple Store or the Google Play Store.
And what it does is it helps you with preparing
for a natural disaster. It helps you build a plan.
It has all these safety tips in there, like call
before you dig, So if you're doing some digging in
your yard, you always have to call eight one one
at least two days before you start the project so
(14:22):
you don't hit any gas lines or anything like that.
But the app just gives you so many tips about
how to stay safe during a power outage or a
natural disaster.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
So having an emergency kit is key. What are some
of the things that we should think about for putting
in that kit?
Speaker 4 (14:40):
Yes, food, water, and if you have a big family,
a lot of food that will not spoil quickly. So
that's a good idea of bandages, a first aid kit,
you know, if you might get hurt if there is
a natural disaster, So you need to think about those things.
And again, our safety app has more tips about what
you can do and what you can put inside those kits.
Speaker 1 (15:02):
So Northwest Natural has a chance to win an emergency
preparedness kit. What is included in that kit and what
do we need to do to enter?
Speaker 4 (15:10):
Yes, okay, so when you download our Northwest Natural Safety app,
you can enter to win this really cool Northwest Natural
safety kit that we're giving away. There will be a
page on the app the first time you downloaded, so
you can enter to win the sweepstakes, and we're giving
out fifty kits before November first, so you need to
do it quickly. And what's in the kit is a
(15:32):
lot of cool things that you could meet during a
natural disaster. We've got a power pack so you can
plug in all your devices and they can still have power.
We've got lots of batteries and AMFM radio, led lights,
a blanket that you can use, So just a lot
of stuff so you can get that emergency preparedness kit started.
Speaker 1 (15:54):
So tell us about a family safety plan. What should
we think about when we put that together?
Speaker 4 (15:59):
Yes, and this information is also on our app.
Speaker 1 (16:02):
But a couple tips.
Speaker 4 (16:03):
Get your family together and talk about each role that
each individual.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
Will have in this plan.
Speaker 4 (16:09):
Who's going to be, you know, the first person to
round up the family to let them know that something's
going on. Who's going to gather the essential items, who's
going to get the safety kit together, who's going to
prepare that? So those are just some important things that
families need to discuss before a natural disaster hits. What
job is each person going to have to ensure the
(16:32):
safety of the family exactly.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
And thinking about it now when you're not under the
pressure of whatever the natural disaster is, because it's always
hard to think about those things and try to coordinate
and even get the family together after something happens. So
do it now, that's very important. What are some precautions
we should take concerning storage of flammable liquids, mainly probably
(16:54):
out in the garage, I would think.
Speaker 4 (16:55):
Right exactly, you want to store flammable liquids away from
ignition sources. So that's something that everyone needs to take
into account.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
Yeah, because the fumes from that can emit into maybe
a garage, and then if you're near the furnace, either
the pilotline or the furnace itself could ignite that. Now,
if we need to turn off the natural gas, say
you know, I mean if there is an earthquake, or
if we smell rotten eggs and we know that there's
natural gas leaking from somewhere, how do we learn how
(17:26):
to turn off the gas.
Speaker 4 (17:28):
We have videos on how to turn off gas on
the apps and on our website as well, so you
can find out all that information on there. And like
you said, if you do smell a rotten egg owner,
you need to leave the house immediately. Our twenty four
to seven line. We always have crews monitoring everything, right, right.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
What should we think about in gathering supplies for an emergency?
Speaker 4 (17:52):
Exactly what your family would need or what you would
need first aid kits, water, food, just stuff that can
help you last for days or even weeks.
Speaker 1 (18:04):
So anything like that. Yeah, they say it, I mean
potentially to you know, if it's the big earthquake. They say,
we could be on our own for two weeks.
Speaker 4 (18:11):
And so yes, two weeks worth of food and water
I would think, yeah, would be the most important things.
Like I said before, stuff that won't spoil.
Speaker 1 (18:19):
Yeah. Now you touched on this earlier. What happens if
we smell rotten eggs in our home? What should we do?
Speaker 4 (18:26):
Leave your home immediately and call the Northwest Natural twenty
four to seven line. And all those numbers emergency numbers
are on the app, So you could download our app
and if you ever get in that situation where you
smell rotten eggs, just open the app, call the line,
and our crews will be there.
Speaker 1 (18:42):
It sounds like the first step should be download the
app and then everything else kind of falls into place.
Speaker 4 (18:47):
Exactly because that can store a whole bunch of emergency numbers,
not just our emergency numbers, but emergency contacts that you
might have, things like that.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
So it's really important. Very good, Brian, thanks for joining
us on Local Voices. Appreciate it. Thank you for having me.
That's Brian Clerkley with Northwest Natural. You can download their
app onto your phone at the Apple or Google stores.
While you're on the app, you can enter for a
chance to win an emergency kit that'll keep you running
when the power goes out. Fifty entrants will get those kids.
(19:17):
You have until November first to register. This is Safe
Sleep Awareness Month. Joining us a Local Voices is Tammy
Kaine Suliman with the Oregon Department of Human Services. Tell
me what's the purpose of Safe Sleep Awareness Month?
Speaker 5 (19:32):
Really? The purpose of this it's a national awareness to
educate families about safe sleep practices that can prevent sudden
unexpected infant death also refer to suard SUID, which is
the leading cause of injury death in infancy.
Speaker 1 (19:49):
How many children die from sudden unexpected infant death nationwide
and in.
Speaker 5 (19:54):
Oregon nationwide there's approximately three thousand, four hundred infants who
die from sudden unexpected infant death Each year in Oregon,
that number is around forty infants.
Speaker 1 (20:08):
Are there known causes of death in these instances.
Speaker 5 (20:12):
No, there are. There are non high risk sleep practices
that really put infants at greater risk. Sharing a sleep
surface can result in accidental suffocation and strangulation in a
bed or on a chair on the couch.
Speaker 1 (20:26):
Does a parent sleeping with an infant increase the risk?
Speaker 5 (20:31):
Yes, there are several risk factors that have been identified
which can increase the risk of an infant dying from suid.
Bed sharing increases the risk of infant death by five
to ten times compared to infants who sleep in their
own safe space. Also, using soft bedding, blankets, pillows in
(20:51):
that sleep surface can increase the risk. Infants who are
preterm or low birth weight increase risk factors, and another
risk factor's exposure to cigarette smoke, both in gestation or
after birth.
Speaker 1 (21:05):
What is being done to educate parents, So I'll.
Speaker 5 (21:09):
Speak for what we're doing in ODHS child Welfare, It's
a priority. Safe sleep education is a must. We have
to provide tools for caseworkers as we do a lot
of work. An assessment around families who have infants, so
they receive training on how to engage families in this
(21:30):
discussion about safe sleep. They are provided a safe sleep
checklist that is used every time there's an infant in
the home and that helps the caseworker understand what to
be looking for, questions to ask, and like I said,
those are used on every case involving an infant. We're
(21:51):
also working hard to ensure there are portable cribs or
bast nets always available when one is needed, and we
distribute about five hundred of those per year, which is
five hundred infants in Oregon that have a safe place
to sleep that may otherwise not. Since twenty twenty when
we started distributing safe sleep bassinets, we have distributed about
(22:15):
twenty eight hundred portable cribs.
Speaker 1 (22:17):
Now you touched on this earlier, but what are safe
sleep recommendations?
Speaker 5 (22:22):
Yeah, and we follow the American Academy of Pediatrics also
known as AAP, and it's real simple using the abcds
of safe sleep. So a we recommend infant sleep alone
and on their back in a crib and with caregivers
who don't smoke. That's ab CD.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
So if parents want to find out more about this.
Are there resources that they can go to?
Speaker 5 (22:50):
There are there If they're working with child welfare, we
can definitely connect them to cultural resources in the community.
There are lots of folks doing this work in public health,
maternal health. Over at our partners with OHA. We will
definitely make sure there's a lot of information on the
(23:11):
website as well, both at OH and and od just
child Welfare.
Speaker 1 (23:17):
Thanks Tammy, and that's Tammy Kaine Suleiman with the Oregon
Deprovermt of Human Services with information on Safe Sleep Awareness Month.
You can also find out more information on safe sleep
on the National Institutes of Health website. The next time
you go through security at Portland International Airport, you'll notice
something different. It's intended to make sure the person presenting
(23:38):
identification is that person. Laurie Dankers with a Transportation Security
Administration joins us on Local Voices to explain it. Laurie
tell us about this new ID verification process.
Speaker 3 (23:49):
Well TSA is now using the second generation of our
Credential Authentication technology. It integrates a camera into the ID
verification process that you used to facial matching technology to
make sure that the individual standing in front of the
TSA officer at the entrance to the checkpoint is the
person who is featured in that ID. The reason this
(24:10):
is important is because when the individual books a ticket,
they are run against the no fly lists. They're vetted
to make sure that they don't present an undue security risk,
and so we need to make sure the person who
is vetted is the same person that is standing in
front of us, and that's why this is the key
element of our program. Now we just started to ploying
(24:30):
these units at PDX, so when travelers come through the
security checkpoint in the coming days and weeks, they're going
to see this technology in use.
Speaker 1 (24:40):
Well, travelers need to sign up in order to use this,
so you don't.
Speaker 3 (24:44):
Have to sign up or do anything different just when
you arrive in the security checkpoint. If the Katchoo unit
is in use, it will take your picture, it presents
it on screen for the TSA officer, and then also
a physical duplicate of what your license looks like also
appears on screen, so there's able to make that comparison.
(25:05):
These units also have the ability to confirm the flight
information for travelers as well as making sure that the
TSA officer is able to confirm their status of what
type of screens such as TSA PreCheck that they're eligible for.
But one element of this cat too, is that it's
always optional for travelers. We have signage posted in the
(25:26):
checkpoint adjacent to the unit, So if somebody doesn't want
to participate in the facial matching process, they just need
to tell the TSA officer that and then our officer
will just visually verify their ID.
Speaker 1 (25:37):
Now is a photo being run against any kind of
a database or is the photos sent to any other
federal agencies?
Speaker 3 (25:44):
Once a photos taken in use for that identity verification
is deleted, these units have no capacity to store any photos.
All of your flight information is also deleted, so it's
never used for any other purpose. It's just an immediate verification.
Once verifications and needed, the officer clears the screen, the
information is deleted and then they'll go and do the
(26:06):
next picture. But going back to those individuals who don't
want to participate in this in the facial matching process,
here's what I recommend when they come up to our
travel document checker. Instead of going right in front of
the unit, right in front of the officer, step off
to the side, and just tell them that you would
like to opt out, and that way your photo is
(26:26):
not captured. We always want to make sure that individuals
understand how to opt out if they want to do that.
But I can tell you from experience that the vast
majority of travelers are going through this process. They find
it very quick. It doesn't add any time to that
travel document checking function that the officer needs to do,
and in fact, for many people they find it a
(26:46):
little bit quicker. All that I need to provide is
their physical credential, their photo ID, whether it's their passport,
driver's license, or other accessible form of identification. The pictures
taken as soon as they approach the unit, that comparison
is made and then they'll be on their way. So
there really is no additional investment in time, which is
(27:07):
why we like it so much. It is really helping
with the efficiency of our operation, but it's also enhancing
our security, so it's a win win for us.
Speaker 1 (27:16):
Is this part of the real ID program where we
have to get new driver's licenses?
Speaker 3 (27:21):
Good question. So this is completely separate from the real
ID enforcement that's planned for May of twenty twenty five.
Any type of acceptable form of identification that TFA accepts
right now, which is even non real ID compliant driver's licenses.
You work with this system, and so people should know
whatever idea they were planning to use when they were
(27:42):
traveling next, it'll be accepted by the catch unit.
Speaker 1 (27:46):
So the device is only doing a comparison between the
actual person and the identification photo.
Speaker 3 (27:51):
That's exactly what happens. When the passenger approaches the travel
document checker, their photo is taken, the physical idea is scanned,
and the unit is designed to compare the facial features
of the real time photo against the facial features of
what's on the physical credential. Now, a lot of people
say things like, oh, I've gained weight, I've lost weight,
(28:12):
I've looked different, I look younger now than I did
five years ago. It's interesting how facial matching technology works.
It is able to detect those things on our face,
our features that don't change regardless of what may have
happened between the time the photo was taken in now,
and so it's able to detect those but it is
(28:34):
doing that comparison between the photo and the ID and
the real time photo that was captured in the checkpoints.
Speaker 1 (28:40):
Now, the device only keeps the photo locally right absolutely.
Speaker 3 (28:44):
The cat to unit and the facial matching portion of
that is what we call a one to one comparison.
It's a comparison of the person standing in front of
them against the features of the person on the physical credential,
and so we're not against another database of any type.
TSA does not maintain a database of photos of people
(29:06):
who are traveling on any given day, so it needs
to be the real time photo against the photo on
the driver's license. Now, the reason I wanted to clarify
that is because we do have the database of ticketed
travelers who've been vetted to fly, and of course that's
that process that's been in place, you know, since nine
to eleven to make sure that people who don't pose
(29:27):
an undo security threat are able to fly.
Speaker 1 (29:30):
Thanks Lori, that's Lurie Dankers for the Transportation Security Administration
with details on the new photo system you'll see at
Portland International Airport when you go through security to make
sure the person presenting the identification is the same person
on that identification. Thanks for listening to local voices. I'm
brad Forward. You can hear past episodes on the iHeartRadio
(29:51):
app under the podcast tab. Local Voices is a public
affairs presentation from iHeartRadio
Speaker 3 (30:00):
No.
Welcome to Local Voices. I'm brad Ford. The Red Cross
plays a vital role in disaster recovery. We'll find out
what the local Red Cross is doing to help victims
of the hurricanes in the southeastern US and how they
can help you. Northwest Natural wants to help you prepare
for a disaster with their new app. This is safe
Sleep Awareness, but it's critical for newborns and there's a
(00:26):
new security procedure at Portland Internationville Airport. The Red Cross
responds to sixty five thousand disasters every year. Most of
them are house fires, but when there are disasters volunteers
respond from across the country to help. Red Cross volunteers
from Oregon and Southwest Washington have been helping victims of
hurricanes Helene and Milton. Rebecca Marshall with the Red Cross
(00:49):
Cascades Region, joins us on Local Voices. Rebecca tell us
about the volunteer response following the hurricanes.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Well, that's a good question, and I will tell you
that we covered five states. We had at the height
of it about seventy two of our volunteers just from
Oregon and Southwest Washington who got the call to deploy
in Tennessee, which is where I went for two weeks.
We went to Georgia, the Carolinas, Florida, and then another
batch went back to Florida or even reinforced our operations
(01:18):
in Florida because of Milton.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
How long are they there?
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Generally speaking, a deployment lasts about two weeks. Now people
can extend that, but that is about the time you
need to get there, get the lay of the land.
When I went to Tennessee, I had never been there
right so, and bridges were out and GPS was spotty.
So you need to get the lay of the land,
and then you have to figure out what your job
is and really get that cadence. So about two weeks works.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
What types of jobs do they do?
Speaker 2 (01:45):
Sheltering and feeding, I would say is number one. And
if you think about our disaster response, you think about
it sort of in shifts. Okay, So the first thing
we do when we get there is we operate shelters
and we provide feeding for the people who come to
our shelters. Reunification. I have our one night hundred red
cross line. We are connecting dots with law enforcement because
so many people with Milton and with Helene couldn't find
(02:07):
where their loved ones were that you know, the connections
was down, So that's number one. Number two. Then we'll
go out in the community in our emergency response vehicles,
so we have drivers, we have food delivery, we have
people stalking rakes and shovels and comfort kits and hygiene kits,
and they're running them out into the communities. And then
the third part will be a disaster assessment. We literally
(02:27):
go into the neighborhoods and we put GPS drop markers
and stuff so we know we can go back out
and help. And then part of that third phase is casework,
so when it's out of the headlines bad, when nobody's
talking about it anymore, we are still doing our work
to make sure each person who was affected gets our services.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Wow, you said there were more than seventy volunteers from
the Northwest that went there.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Yeah, and it's diminishing a little now because that two week,
you know, rotation is down. We're down to about fifty seven,
but still have twenty five in Florida specific.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
Now, you said you went to Tennessee. What were your observation?
Speaker 2 (03:00):
So I went to Tennessee as a public affairs person,
So my previous life as a communications person, I got
to drive everywhere and do stories about every facet of
what we were doing. A couple of observations. A woman
who stands out to me and one of the shelters,
eighty one years old. She and her elderly husband in
an adult kids, two adult kids lived in this home.
(03:22):
They were along a river and they were deciding the
river was rising, so they needed to get out. By
the time they got their stuff together, the water was
up to her chin and the husband is on oxygen,
so they're frail obviously. And then so they got into
a boat, like a little skiff kind of boat, and
the boat motor wouldn't start on the boat, so they
had to hold onto the trees along the river to
(03:43):
keep from being washed down the river, which was like
a speeding train. I asked her, you know, how do
you feel? She said, lucky, lucky. That kind of stuff,
you know, just warms my heart. She said, I have
not wanted for anything in the weeks I've been in
the shelter. I'd give you the shirt off my back
if I knew where it was. I mean, I love her,
and it's hard you leave these people and you just
(04:04):
hope the best comes next. But that was one observation,
and I'll tell you a second one. So many communities
were cut off, like roads were washed out, you couldn't
get there. So we helped with the National Guard load
up a National Guard helicopter and they helicoptered our food
and comfort kits into different areas where people couldn't get out. Yeah, yeah, right,
(04:24):
those are a couple takeaway.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
So I imagine there's two types of volunteers. There's a
volunteer that works here locally and then the ones that
you're talking about that travel. Let's focus on the ones
that are here locally. What volunteer opportunities are there?
Speaker 2 (04:36):
Yes, we do, so we prepare, we respond, and we recover.
That's what we do at the Red Cross. So in
terms of preparation, we do smoke alarm installations. In fact,
just got a new statistic about two thousand lives saved
because we put smoke alarms into homes that sadly later
burned but the people got out.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
So smoke alarm installation, it's one of my most fun
things to do. It's a weekend. You just put your
belts on and go, you know, do your thing. It's
a great day. That's one. You can be a biomied
they call it a blood ambassador, where you sit and
you take intake when people come in to give blood.
You can work in the shelters, which is not quite
as consistent but very important. And we have what we
(05:15):
call DAT responders, their disaster Action team. So sixty five
thousand disasters we respond to every single year. Most of
them are home fires. I can tell you right now,
when I go back to my office, there'll be two
or three responses of home fires that we just did.
What does that look like? Well, they get a call
in the middle of the night from the fire department.
Our dispatchers will they'll call the local DBT responders. They'll
(05:37):
put on their vests, they'll go out and they'll find
out if people need help. Everybody needs a little bit
of something different. So it could be you. Maybe you
your glasses got burned in the fire. Well, we'll get
right on the horn and start talking to people. I
sit on the horn. That's a old dropping out on
the phone. But we'll connect you to your medications that
(05:57):
you may have lost. Sometimes it's a small fine compensation
that you can use for a hotel room, perhaps for food.
Maybe you just need to put gas in the car
and drive to your sister's house down the street or something.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
Right, how about then the people that traveled, what kind
of training do they undergo before they can do that?
Speaker 2 (06:16):
We train people all year round. In fact, I think
when you see a disaster, it's everybody puts their name
into a system so they can get called up because
they I got my We call it a gap, but
it's credential in sheltering. I want to go out and
use it. I've learned it. I want to use it
so they can do those kinds of things. Again, it's
one of those things that we have to say, this
(06:37):
isn't a vacation, you know. I mean I had never
been to Tennessee, but I didn't go there to have
a good time. It's taxing and you work really long hours.
But people are volunteers, especially just keep coming back. I
have thirty seven year plus volunteers. It's crazy.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
Wow. Yeah. Here, we prepare for a variety of disasters, floods, storms,
the big one, right, the big earthquake. What is a
Red Cross recommend as far as preparing for disasters?
Speaker 2 (07:06):
Yeah, you know, we will be there. We're not first responders,
we're second responders. But even first responders sometimes can't get
to your house that second right. They have a big task.
I learned that even more with these hurricanes. So many
communities were cut off. So we talk about things like
in it, we talk about go kits or at least
at home, stay at home kits, at least a gallon
(07:28):
of water per day per person. I know that seems
kind of silly, like where are I going to the
store that well, my laundry room has a lot of
water in it. Garage right, non perishable foods. Those are
the two things I would do if nothing else. Those
two things. You want flashlights because power goes out in disaster.
Power is still out in a lot of these areas.
If you crank radio, if you want to go further,
(07:50):
you really want to stay in touch. That kind of
thing is important. If you have medications, if you can.
I know it's hard to stash medications because they don't
last forever, but if you need two days just in case,
put those, tuck those away. Just pretend like in a
way this sounds silly, but I almost pretend like I'm
camping and I'm going to be off the grid, sure,
and what do I need for the next three or
(08:11):
four days or more. That's kind of how I approach it,
because everybody's different. If I have kids, I want toys
for the kids, or formula for the baby, or dog
food for my.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
Exactly on the dog food and cat food. Just make
sure you've got a little bit extra, yeap. Right. Another
big thing that the Red Cross does is obviously blood donations.
How great is the need for blood.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
The thing about blood is it's it's tenuous and this
is why every two seconds, so by the time we're
done talking, think about well, we'll do the math. You'll
do the math. Every two seconds somebody needs blood in
this country, and every fifteen seconds somebody needs platelets, and
those are largely cancer patients. The platelets are the clotting
agent and blood. So every two seconds you need to
(08:54):
get we need blood. And then when we have a
disaster like this where we know at least twenty five
hundred units when un collected from that area, holidays are coming,
you're going to be busy. I'll be busy. Summer is
a bit of a dip, but the need doesn't stop
and that could be for childbirth, or for surgeries, or
for sickness, all kinds of things. So that's why we
(09:16):
always say the need for blood is just so great,
and we're always I don't want to say nagging, but
it's strongly encouraging people to donate because it just needs
to stay steady.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
How often can you donate?
Speaker 2 (09:27):
You can donate every fifty six days, so you know
roughly every couple of months you'll get the call from
the Red Cross if you've donated. I'm due. I'm going
to be honest.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
What's involved? What's the process?
Speaker 3 (09:36):
Like?
Speaker 2 (09:36):
It's so simple. I was very afraid I'll be honest,
but it's really simple. You go in, you sit down,
you do a quick screening. It takes about ten minutes.
Everybody's asked the same questions. It's just they want to
make sure that you're healthy that they'll do a quick
little clock test to make sure you know you can
actually give blood. You'd be surprised how many people can
give blood anymore these days. If you go to redcrossblood
(09:57):
dot org, there's a whole list, like say, if you
have high blood pressure, hey, there's a really good chance
you can. Did you get a tattoo? Yes, you can
still give blood, so it's a holess that covers that.
So screening. Then you go and sit down and then
a little prick in your arm and about well, some
of the people on my staff bleed faster than others.
I'm about ten minutes. Some people go, I've did mine,
(10:18):
and you know, seven minutes. Good for you. And then
you take a little bit of recovery time, some snacks,
lots of water. We encourage a lot of water. But
she'll be back at it quickly.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
Now you mentioned platelets.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
Is that different it is plate Let's take about two hours.
We call it me time because you can't do much
of anything both of your arms. One is going in
and one is coming out. They put a movie on
for you, They put blankets over you. They ask you
it's like being weighted on hand and foot, and you
give plate It takes about two hours, but it's the
same process.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
What do you want us to know about the Red Cross?
Speaker 2 (10:53):
It's really about the people that we touch and the
fact that the more I come into contact people with people,
the more I realize they didn't think this would happened
to them, right, They were living their best lives and
then bam, their lives changed that fast, and to be
there for them and that in that situation is so impactful,
and that's what keeps me coming back.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
So people want to help out. What can they do?
Speaker 2 (11:15):
Yes, I'm so glad you asked that I was going
there next. Really, we always say there three ways to help, right,
financial donations and this is why, you know, everybody's different
in their recoveries. So financial donations help us be pivotal
and move around where the money needs to go. So
volunteerism is super important because the workload is heavy. I
didn't even touch on all the opportunities for volunteerism. And
(11:38):
three is blood donation. So those three things you can
pretty much find them at one location that's red Cross
dot org, Redcross dot org, or you can call one
eight hundred red Cross. If you want to make a
financial donation right now, you can text hurricanes hurricanes to
nine zero nine nine nine. So either one of those
things we welcome graciously.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
And on the website, if you want to give money
specifically to hurricane relief, is there a way.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
Yep, there's a designation too. There's a designation there. You know,
we always are accepting, you know, our organization ninety cents
of every dollar goes to programs, So if you just
give to the Red Cross, it'll go to programs. But
if you really want to target these right now, we
have a designation Hurricanes, which will go to Milton and Helene.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
Now back on the blood donation. When you go to
the website, are you able to pre register and then
can you also schedule a time?
Speaker 2 (12:27):
Yes, we really do. So this is the This is
the second part. It's red Cross Blood dot org, so
very simple, red Cross Blood dot org. Again, you can
find it all at red Cross org dot org. But
red Cross blood dot org you can type in your
zip code and it'll tell you all the different appointments
in your neighborhood that are open. So what I like
about that? And do make an appointment because you can't
just always show up sometimes that works, but if you
(12:48):
make an appointment, you go in there and they'll get
you in and out and it really doesn't take much
time at all. But it's so easy to sign up.
And the incentives that are coming Yeah, should I let
it out of the bag. We're doing the Friends Friends
TV shows promotion coming up that you'll get friends socks
that you can share with your friends. We always are
doing some kind of fun emotion.
Speaker 1 (13:06):
So yeah, well, very good. Thank you very much for
joining us Local Voices. Appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
That's Rebecca Marshall where the Red Cross Cascades region. The
Red Cross needs financial support to continuous mission and help
victims of disasters. Ninety cents out of every dollar donated
to the Red Cross goes toward the programs they provide
and back to the clients they serve. You can go
to their website Redcross dot org where you can make
a financial donation. You can learn what's involved in being
(13:33):
a volunteer, or donate blood or platelets. You can also
call one eight hundred Red Cross or text Hurricanes to
nine zero nine nine to make a donation. It's important
to prepare for disasters. Most of us have natural gas
running into our homes. Bryan Clerkley with Northwest Natural joins
(13:54):
us on Local Voices. Bryan. Northwest Natural has a safety
app for smartphones. How do we get that?
Speaker 4 (14:00):
How you get the safety app is you can download
it from the Apple Store or the Google Play Store.
And what it does is it helps you with preparing
for a natural disaster. It helps you build a plan.
It has all these safety tips in there, like call
before you dig, So if you're doing some digging in
your yard, you always have to call eight one one
at least two days before you start the project so
(14:22):
you don't hit any gas lines or anything like that.
But the app just gives you so many tips about
how to stay safe during a power outage or a
natural disaster.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
So having an emergency kit is key. What are some
of the things that we should think about for putting
in that kit?
Speaker 4 (14:40):
Yes, food, water, and if you have a big family,
a lot of food that will not spoil quickly. So
that's a good idea of bandages, a first aid kit,
you know, if you might get hurt if there is
a natural disaster, So you need to think about those things.
And again, our safety app has more tips about what
you can do and what you can put inside those kits.
Speaker 1 (15:02):
So Northwest Natural has a chance to win an emergency
preparedness kit. What is included in that kit and what
do we need to do to enter?
Speaker 4 (15:10):
Yes, okay, so when you download our Northwest Natural Safety app,
you can enter to win this really cool Northwest Natural
safety kit that we're giving away. There will be a
page on the app the first time you downloaded, so
you can enter to win the sweepstakes, and we're giving
out fifty kits before November first, so you need to
do it quickly. And what's in the kit is a
(15:32):
lot of cool things that you could meet during a
natural disaster. We've got a power pack so you can
plug in all your devices and they can still have power.
We've got lots of batteries and AMFM radio, led lights,
a blanket that you can use, So just a lot
of stuff so you can get that emergency preparedness kit started.
Speaker 1 (15:54):
So tell us about a family safety plan. What should
we think about when we put that together?
Speaker 4 (15:59):
Yes, and this information is also on our app.
Speaker 1 (16:02):
But a couple tips.
Speaker 4 (16:03):
Get your family together and talk about each role that
each individual.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
Will have in this plan.
Speaker 4 (16:09):
Who's going to be, you know, the first person to
round up the family to let them know that something's
going on. Who's going to gather the essential items, who's
going to get the safety kit together, who's going to
prepare that? So those are just some important things that
families need to discuss before a natural disaster hits. What
job is each person going to have to ensure the
(16:32):
safety of the family exactly.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
And thinking about it now when you're not under the
pressure of whatever the natural disaster is, because it's always
hard to think about those things and try to coordinate
and even get the family together after something happens. So
do it now, that's very important. What are some precautions
we should take concerning storage of flammable liquids, mainly probably
(16:54):
out in the garage, I would think.
Speaker 4 (16:55):
Right exactly, you want to store flammable liquids away from
ignition sources. So that's something that everyone needs to take
into account.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
Yeah, because the fumes from that can emit into maybe
a garage, and then if you're near the furnace, either
the pilotline or the furnace itself could ignite that. Now,
if we need to turn off the natural gas, say
you know, I mean if there is an earthquake, or
if we smell rotten eggs and we know that there's
natural gas leaking from somewhere, how do we learn how
(17:26):
to turn off the gas.
Speaker 4 (17:28):
We have videos on how to turn off gas on
the apps and on our website as well, so you
can find out all that information on there. And like
you said, if you do smell a rotten egg owner,
you need to leave the house immediately. Our twenty four
to seven line. We always have crews monitoring everything, right, right.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
What should we think about in gathering supplies for an emergency?
Speaker 4 (17:52):
Exactly what your family would need or what you would
need first aid kits, water, food, just stuff that can
help you last for days or even weeks.
Speaker 1 (18:04):
So anything like that. Yeah, they say it, I mean
potentially to you know, if it's the big earthquake. They say,
we could be on our own for two weeks.
Speaker 4 (18:11):
And so yes, two weeks worth of food and water
I would think, yeah, would be the most important things.
Like I said before, stuff that won't spoil.
Speaker 1 (18:19):
Yeah. Now you touched on this earlier. What happens if
we smell rotten eggs in our home? What should we do?
Speaker 4 (18:26):
Leave your home immediately and call the Northwest Natural twenty
four to seven line. And all those numbers emergency numbers
are on the app, So you could download our app
and if you ever get in that situation where you
smell rotten eggs, just open the app, call the line,
and our crews will be there.
Speaker 1 (18:42):
It sounds like the first step should be download the
app and then everything else kind of falls into place.
Speaker 4 (18:47):
Exactly because that can store a whole bunch of emergency numbers,
not just our emergency numbers, but emergency contacts that you
might have, things like that.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
So it's really important. Very good, Brian, thanks for joining
us on Local Voices. Appreciate it. Thank you for having me.
That's Brian Clerkley with Northwest Natural. You can download their
app onto your phone at the Apple or Google stores.
While you're on the app, you can enter for a
chance to win an emergency kit that'll keep you running
when the power goes out. Fifty entrants will get those kids.
(19:17):
You have until November first to register. This is Safe
Sleep Awareness Month. Joining us a Local Voices is Tammy
Kaine Suliman with the Oregon Department of Human Services. Tell
me what's the purpose of Safe Sleep Awareness Month?
Speaker 5 (19:32):
Really? The purpose of this it's a national awareness to
educate families about safe sleep practices that can prevent sudden
unexpected infant death also refer to suard SUID, which is
the leading cause of injury death in infancy.
Speaker 1 (19:49):
How many children die from sudden unexpected infant death nationwide
and in.
Speaker 5 (19:54):
Oregon nationwide there's approximately three thousand, four hundred infants who
die from sudden unexpected infant death Each year in Oregon,
that number is around forty infants.
Speaker 1 (20:08):
Are there known causes of death in these instances.
Speaker 5 (20:12):
No, there are. There are non high risk sleep practices
that really put infants at greater risk. Sharing a sleep
surface can result in accidental suffocation and strangulation in a
bed or on a chair on the couch.
Speaker 1 (20:26):
Does a parent sleeping with an infant increase the risk?
Speaker 5 (20:31):
Yes, there are several risk factors that have been identified
which can increase the risk of an infant dying from suid.
Bed sharing increases the risk of infant death by five
to ten times compared to infants who sleep in their
own safe space. Also, using soft bedding, blankets, pillows in
(20:51):
that sleep surface can increase the risk. Infants who are
preterm or low birth weight increase risk factors, and another
risk factor's exposure to cigarette smoke, both in gestation or
after birth.
Speaker 1 (21:05):
What is being done to educate parents, So I'll.
Speaker 5 (21:09):
Speak for what we're doing in ODHS child Welfare, It's
a priority. Safe sleep education is a must. We have
to provide tools for caseworkers as we do a lot
of work. An assessment around families who have infants, so
they receive training on how to engage families in this
(21:30):
discussion about safe sleep. They are provided a safe sleep
checklist that is used every time there's an infant in
the home and that helps the caseworker understand what to
be looking for, questions to ask, and like I said,
those are used on every case involving an infant. We're
(21:51):
also working hard to ensure there are portable cribs or
bast nets always available when one is needed, and we
distribute about five hundred of those per year, which is
five hundred infants in Oregon that have a safe place
to sleep that may otherwise not. Since twenty twenty when
we started distributing safe sleep bassinets, we have distributed about
(22:15):
twenty eight hundred portable cribs.
Speaker 1 (22:17):
Now you touched on this earlier, but what are safe
sleep recommendations?
Speaker 5 (22:22):
Yeah, and we follow the American Academy of Pediatrics also
known as AAP, and it's real simple using the abcds
of safe sleep. So a we recommend infant sleep alone
and on their back in a crib and with caregivers
who don't smoke. That's ab CD.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
So if parents want to find out more about this.
Are there resources that they can go to?
Speaker 5 (22:50):
There are there If they're working with child welfare, we
can definitely connect them to cultural resources in the community.
There are lots of folks doing this work in public health,
maternal health. Over at our partners with OHA. We will
definitely make sure there's a lot of information on the
(23:11):
website as well, both at OH and and od just
child Welfare.
Speaker 1 (23:17):
Thanks Tammy, and that's Tammy Kaine Suleiman with the Oregon
Deprovermt of Human Services with information on Safe Sleep Awareness Month.
You can also find out more information on safe sleep
on the National Institutes of Health website. The next time
you go through security at Portland International Airport, you'll notice
something different. It's intended to make sure the person presenting
(23:38):
identification is that person. Laurie Dankers with a Transportation Security
Administration joins us on Local Voices to explain it. Laurie
tell us about this new ID verification process.
Speaker 3 (23:49):
Well TSA is now using the second generation of our
Credential Authentication technology. It integrates a camera into the ID
verification process that you used to facial matching technology to
make sure that the individual standing in front of the
TSA officer at the entrance to the checkpoint is the
person who is featured in that ID. The reason this
(24:10):
is important is because when the individual books a ticket,
they are run against the no fly lists. They're vetted
to make sure that they don't present an undue security risk,
and so we need to make sure the person who
is vetted is the same person that is standing in
front of us, and that's why this is the key
element of our program. Now we just started to ploying
(24:30):
these units at PDX, so when travelers come through the
security checkpoint in the coming days and weeks, they're going
to see this technology in use.
Speaker 1 (24:40):
Well, travelers need to sign up in order to use this,
so you don't.
Speaker 3 (24:44):
Have to sign up or do anything different just when
you arrive in the security checkpoint. If the Katchoo unit
is in use, it will take your picture, it presents
it on screen for the TSA officer, and then also
a physical duplicate of what your license looks like also
appears on screen, so there's able to make that comparison.
(25:05):
These units also have the ability to confirm the flight
information for travelers as well as making sure that the
TSA officer is able to confirm their status of what
type of screens such as TSA PreCheck that they're eligible for.
But one element of this cat too, is that it's
always optional for travelers. We have signage posted in the
(25:26):
checkpoint adjacent to the unit, So if somebody doesn't want
to participate in the facial matching process, they just need
to tell the TSA officer that and then our officer
will just visually verify their ID.
Speaker 1 (25:37):
Now is a photo being run against any kind of
a database or is the photos sent to any other
federal agencies?
Speaker 3 (25:44):
Once a photos taken in use for that identity verification
is deleted, these units have no capacity to store any photos.
All of your flight information is also deleted, so it's
never used for any other purpose. It's just an immediate verification.
Once verifications and needed, the officer clears the screen, the
information is deleted and then they'll go and do the
(26:06):
next picture. But going back to those individuals who don't
want to participate in this in the facial matching process,
here's what I recommend when they come up to our
travel document checker. Instead of going right in front of
the unit, right in front of the officer, step off
to the side, and just tell them that you would
like to opt out, and that way your photo is
(26:26):
not captured. We always want to make sure that individuals
understand how to opt out if they want to do that.
But I can tell you from experience that the vast
majority of travelers are going through this process. They find
it very quick. It doesn't add any time to that
travel document checking function that the officer needs to do,
and in fact, for many people they find it a
(26:46):
little bit quicker. All that I need to provide is
their physical credential, their photo ID, whether it's their passport,
driver's license, or other accessible form of identification. The pictures
taken as soon as they approach the unit, that comparison
is made and then they'll be on their way. So
there really is no additional investment in time, which is
(27:07):
why we like it so much. It is really helping
with the efficiency of our operation, but it's also enhancing
our security, so it's a win win for us.
Speaker 1 (27:16):
Is this part of the real ID program where we
have to get new driver's licenses?
Speaker 3 (27:21):
Good question. So this is completely separate from the real
ID enforcement that's planned for May of twenty twenty five.
Any type of acceptable form of identification that TFA accepts
right now, which is even non real ID compliant driver's licenses.
You work with this system, and so people should know
whatever idea they were planning to use when they were
(27:42):
traveling next, it'll be accepted by the catch unit.
Speaker 1 (27:46):
So the device is only doing a comparison between the
actual person and the identification photo.
Speaker 3 (27:51):
That's exactly what happens. When the passenger approaches the travel
document checker, their photo is taken, the physical idea is scanned,
and the unit is designed to compare the facial features
of the real time photo against the facial features of
what's on the physical credential. Now, a lot of people
say things like, oh, I've gained weight, I've lost weight,
(28:12):
I've looked different, I look younger now than I did
five years ago. It's interesting how facial matching technology works.
It is able to detect those things on our face,
our features that don't change regardless of what may have
happened between the time the photo was taken in now,
and so it's able to detect those but it is
(28:34):
doing that comparison between the photo and the ID and
the real time photo that was captured in the checkpoints.
Speaker 1 (28:40):
Now, the device only keeps the photo locally right absolutely.
Speaker 3 (28:44):
The cat to unit and the facial matching portion of
that is what we call a one to one comparison.
It's a comparison of the person standing in front of
them against the features of the person on the physical credential,
and so we're not against another database of any type.
TSA does not maintain a database of photos of people
(29:06):
who are traveling on any given day, so it needs
to be the real time photo against the photo on
the driver's license. Now, the reason I wanted to clarify
that is because we do have the database of ticketed
travelers who've been vetted to fly, and of course that's
that process that's been in place, you know, since nine
to eleven to make sure that people who don't pose
(29:27):
an undo security threat are able to fly.
Speaker 1 (29:30):
Thanks Lori, that's Lurie Dankers for the Transportation Security Administration
with details on the new photo system you'll see at
Portland International Airport when you go through security to make
sure the person presenting the identification is the same person
on that identification. Thanks for listening to local voices. I'm
brad Forward. You can hear past episodes on the iHeartRadio
(29:51):
app under the podcast tab. Local Voices is a public
affairs presentation from iHeartRadio
Speaker 3 (30:00):
No.
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