Severe Weather Dispatch

When severe weather hits Portland, specially trained NETs on our Dispatch team may be deployed to 211info. These NETs assist by coordinating transportation for community members to get them to designated warming or cooling locations within Multnomah County.

The process begins when a community member calls 211info to request a ride to a warming or cooling locations. These locations are chosen by the City of Portland and Multnomah County and may include overnight severe weather shelters, day-only severe weather shelters, libraries, community centers, splash pads, pools, etc. When a 211info Operator answers the phone, they will make sure the person is in the geographic area served by this program, ask questions about their transportation needs, and if other transportation options are not available for the caller, they will fill out a transportation request form. Once the Operator submits the form, the Operator has done their part and will return to answering other calls. The form populates the SmartSheets Transportation Nexus, the main spreadsheet from which NET Dispatchers work. When the form is submitted, a new row appears at the top of the Nexus for that ride. NET Dispatchers review the request, select the closest appropriate warming/cooling location, and coordinate transportation by requesting cabs, Uber, or the Emergency Coordination Center (ECC) Ground Support vehicles.