P C E M A Preparedness Post

Pacific County Emergency Management Agency

Volume 4, Issue 4 May-June 2015

Hazard Mitigation Plan Still Seeking Lo-cal Agencies for Fund-

ing Opportunities

HELP WANTED: PCEMA AmeriCorps

Member

Coastal Residents Par-ticipate in Tsunami Awareness Focus

Groups

Three New Pacific County CERTs

Trained

Create Your Own Tsunami Evacuation

Route

Amateur Radio Field Day in Nahcotta at the Port of Peninsula on

June 26th-28th

South Bend Schools Practice Tsunami Evacuation

MAY 20th—The South Bend School District conducted a district-wide tsunami evacuation drill. Thanks to good prepara-tion, everyone made it to high ground within eight minutes. Preparation and practicing your plan are two of the biggest keys to survival!

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How to Conduct Your Own Tsunami Drill Coastal residents should prepare for a tsunami by establishing their own per-sonal evacuation routes and walking them. While planning, keep in mind that evacuation should be on foot. In the event of a local earthquake and tsunami, roads will likely be too damaged for ve-hicles. 1. Use the links listed below to view lo-cal tsunami inundation maps and find out where tsunami hazard zones occur near your home or office: http://www.co.pacific.wa.us/pcema/TsunamiEvac.htm https://fortress.wa.gov/dnr/geology/?Theme=tsunami_evac 2. Identify an area outside the tsunami hazard zone where you can safely relo-cate on foot in as close to 15 minutes as possible. An ideal area would be on high ground or inland if no high ground is accessible. 3. Make sure there are no potential haz-ards that would prevent you from using

this evacuation route safely. For in-stance, in the event of a local earthquake and tsunami, bridges may not be passa-ble and should not be included in your evacuation plan.

4. Practice your evacuation plan and rec-ord how long it takes to walk. Try to get your time within 15 minutes.

Five Tsunami Awareness Focus Groups Held in May On May 13th PCEMA hosted a se-ries of five tsunami awareness focus groups. Four of the groups were held at the South Pacific County Administration Facility in Long Beach and a fifth was held at the Bayshore RV Park in Toke-land. A total of 27 people attended all of the events. Work within the groups involved discussions with residents and organizations to explore their understand-ing of tsunami hazards. The discussions and a short questionnaire were used to quantify people’s under-standing of tsunami haz-ards in Washington State, their knowledge regarding the warning systems, and their preparedness to deal with future events. These Focus Groups were facilitated by a team lead by Dr. David Johnston from Massey University in New Zea-land. New Zealand faces a very similar hazard to the Cascadia Subduction Zone

which stretches from British Columbia to Northern California. Dr. Caroline Ochiston, who studies the impact of tsunami events on coastal tourism, assisted with the focus groups. Both she and Dr. Johnston are members

of the university’s Joint Centre for Dis-aster Research. According to the group’s website, “The Centre undertakes multi-

disciplinary applied teaching and re-search aimed at understanding the im-pacts of disasters on communities, im-proving risk management and enhancing community preparedness, response and recovery from various hazard events.”

Dr. Johnston and Dr. Ochiston, have been collab-orating for many years with the United States Geologi-cal Survey and the Wash-ington State Emergency Management Division. Their research has been beneficial to both New Zea-land and Washington State. The information provid-ed by those attending the Focus Groups will be ex-traordinarily valuable not only to Dr. Johnston and his team, but to PCEMA as well. According to Dr. John-ston, “We are still transcrib-

ing the 7.5 hours of tapes so we hope to have a draft report out by the end of June.”

South Bend School District students are able to evacuate to high ground within eight minutes. Be sure that your children understand home evacuation routes and are able to use them on their own if need be.

Members of New Zealand’s Massey University Joint Centre for Disaster Research Dr. David Johnston (left) and Dr. Caroline Ochiston (center) facilitated tsunami awareness focus groups in Pacific County on May 13th. Johanna Neilsen, an Emergency Management intern, also assisted with the event.

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Three New CERTs Trained in Long Beach

On May 2nd, 3rd, and 9th PCEMA coordinated a Com-munity Emergency Response Team (CERT) training at the Lighthouse Oceanfront Resort in Long Beach. Three area residents completed the training. It was facilitated by PCE-MA volunteer Mary Atherton. The CERT program is an all-risk, all-hazard training. This valuable course is designed to help citizens protect themselves, their families, neighbors, and neighborhoods in an emergency situation. CERT members receive 20 hours of initial training pro-vided free of charge. The course is taught with classroom instruction for the first two days and practical exercises during the last day. After this training, CERT members can assist others following a disaster when professional re-sponders are not immediately available to help.

Help Wanted: AmeriCorps Service Member to Con-

duct Public Outreach PCEMA is currently seeking applications for an AmeriCorps Service Member to serve as a Public Education Outreach Coor-dinator for the agency. The Disaster Preparedness Public Education Outreach pro-ject will focus on the continued development of disaster prepar-edness public education programs, coordination and/or instruc-tion of Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) train-ing and Map Your Neighborhood (MYN) programs, building partnerships with area businesses and schools, developing emergency response resource lists and contacts, and building capabilities for the access and functional needs population in-cluding community members identified as economically disad-vantaged. The goal of this program is to develop a cadre of volunteer public educators that have the skills and abilities to educate the citizens and communities in Pacific County about disaster pre-paredness, the coordination and delivery of public education programs and presentations, as well as the recruitment of volun-teer community level responders. The service term is September 1st, 2015 through July 15th, 2016. There is a monthly stipend $1195 and a $5,730 Education Award available upon successful completion of the service term. The position benefits include a health plan, as well as childcare for those who qualify. Participants must be age 18-25.

Connect with PCEMA on Facebook!

The PCEMA Facebook page contains emergency man-agement and preparedness dialog, weather warnings from the National Weather Service, photos, and updates during emergencies (as time allows). Like our page to stay up to speed!

www.facebook.com/pcema By Caren Black, SEARC member The Women HAM Operators Net checks in on Sun-day evenings at 8:00 p.m. on the SEARC and Beach Net re-peater systems at 145.45 in Clatsop County. This is an informal Net meant for women HAMs to practice on-air skills, give an-nouncements, and ask questions in a supportive group. The Net normally runs less than 10 minutes and provides a quick and regular on-air practice time. All women HAMs are invited and encouraged to check in.

Sunday Evenings @ 8:00 p.m.

145.45 on the SEARC & Beach Net Systems

Women HAM Operators

Questions? Contact PCEMA Deputy Director

Scott McDougall at: 360-642/875-9338

or smcdougall@co.pacific.wa.us

Apply online at: https://my.americorps.gov/mp/

listingviewListing.doid=50690&fromSearch=true

CERT trainees (in yellow vests) with their volunteer victims at the disaster simulation on May 9th. Photo by Mary Atherton

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Amateur Radio Field Day June 26th-28th at the Port of Peninsula in Nahcotta

By Frank Wolfe, Pacific County Commissioner & ARES Volunteer Field Day is always the last full weekend in June. This year that will be June 26th, 27th, and 28th. The location is the Port of Peninsula, Na-hcotta Boat Basin, just east off Sandridge Road at 275th Street. Field Day is coordinated by the Pacific County Amateur Radio Club (PCARC). Friday, June 26th will be devoted to set-up. Part of the fun of Field Day, and the derivation of the name, is setting up temporary radio sta-tions in the field, under simulated disaster conditions. The main Field Day activity runs from 11:00 a.m. Saturday morn-ing, June 27th, through 11:00 a.m. Sunday morning, June 28th.

This is an annual event, and although it is "not a con-test", points are awarded for the number of other similar stations contacted during the 24-hour period. Traditional-ly, the Pacific County Ama-teur Radio Club has done remarkably well in the na-

tional standings, particularly when our club's small size is factored in. Last year, PCARC placed 81st out of 2,687 total participants nation-wide (top 3%). We placed 17th out of 392 stations nationally in our class (two transmitters, emergency power), and number one in the Northwest Division in our class (the division includes: WA, OR, MT, ID & AK). We were 2nd for all classes in the Northwest Division, behind a Puget Sound club with six transmitters and almost four times the membership. This is a great opportunity for members of the public to see Amateur radio in action. We will even have a "Get On The Air" station for new-comers to give it a try. Newly-licensed operators may use this station, and there will be coaches available so unlicensed members of the public may also try their hand at long-range radio contacts. If you have ques-tions about amateur radio, or even if you've never heard of or thought about it, this is a great opportunity to find out what you might be miss-ing. See you there!

“Part of the fun of Field Day, and the derivation of the name, is setting up temporary radio

stations in the field, under sim-ulated disaster conditions.”

Potential Hazard Mitigation Funding for Local Agencies

Pacific County amateur radio volunteers set up antennas during the 2009 Amateur Radio Field Day held at the Port of Peninsula in Nahcotta. The public is welcomed and encouraged to attend Amateur Radio Field Day 2015. Pacific County Amateur Radio Club (qsl.net) photo

PCEMA is in the process of updating the Pa-cific County Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) and continues to seek input from other local agencies and jurisdictions. The purpose of the HMP is to provide guidance for actions to permanently re-duce local vulnerabilities to natural and techno-logical hazards. Additionally, the HMP provides Pacific Coun-ty and participating agencies and jurisdictions with a Mitigation Plan that meets state and federal requirements for mitigation and disaster relief funding. Interested agencies and jurisdictions are invit-ed to join the Mitigation Planning Committee (MPC). MPC members are assisting in the devel-opment of mitigation strategies and can work to develop their own strategies based on each juris-diction’s specific risks and priorities. After the last update, several participating agencies received state and federal funding for hazard mitigation projects. In Long Beach, planned construction of a vertical evacuation berm has been partially funded by an HMP grant. The 2015 Pacific County Mitigation Planning Committee includes:

Pacific County City of Ilwaco

City of Long Beach City of Raymond

City of South Bend Naselle-Grays River School District

Ocean Beach School District South Bend School District

Naselle Water District North Beach Water District

Surfside Homeowners Association Ocean Beach Hospital District

Pacific Transit Pacific County Fire District No.4

Port of Ilwaco Port of Willapa Harbor

Public Utility District No. 2 There is still time to get involved! If you are interested, please contact Scott McDougall, PCE-MA Deputy Director, at 360-642/875-9338 or by email: smcdougall@co.pacific.wa.us.

To view the 2010 Pacific County Hazard

Mitigation Plan, which is in the process of being updated, visit:

http://www.co.pacific.wa.us/PCEMA/PDF%20Files/Plans/Pacific%20County%20HMP%

202010.pdf

Pacific County sees an influx of visi-tors every summer. Some are just pass-ing through and others are settling in for a vacation. Residents in many areas can expect and should prepare for increased drive times, heavy traffic, limited park-ing, distracted drivers, and more pedes-trians. Road and bridge construction, as well as traffic accidents will also in-crease congestion. Emergency respond-ers may have difficulty getting around as well, especially during popular events like the Fourth of July, Kite Festival, and Rod Run.

Prepare for the Fourth of July “warzone” on some beaches

Those heading to Pacific County beaches for the Fourth of July need to be prepared for a number of hazards that arise as thousands of people gather on foot and in vehicles to celebrate with fireworks, bonfires, and intoxicants in close proximity to one another. People on the beach need to constant-ly assess their surroundings and watch out for stray fireworks and reckless driv-ers. They should be ready to move out of the way of emergency vehicles. Those who need to call 911 should prepare a clear description of where they are located on the beach in proximity to beach approaches and other landmarks. Bonfires on the beach must be at least 100’ west of the dune grass line and are limited in size to 4’x4’x3’. Fire-works may not be discharged within 150’ of the dune grass. The dune grass and beach pines are typically very dry this time of year and can easily be kin-dled into a sprawling wildfire. Fireworks should be handled with care. Sparklers burn at around 2000 de-grees and can cause serious injury. Chil-dren should not handle sparklers or any other fireworks without sober adult su-pervision. Never place your body over fireworks while lighting. Never carry fireworks in your pocket. Light fire-works one at a time and never try to pick

them up if they don’t ignite. Never shoot fireworks out of your hand or any metal or glass container. Have a fire extin-guisher and water source nearby and douse spent fireworks with water before disposing of them.

Pets and Fireworks

Many people lose their pets during fourth of July festivities. Pets are easily scared by firework explosions or other loud noises. The flashes of light associ-ated with fireworks are also terrifying to many pets. Panicked pets often attempt to flee or hide and can be dangerous to themselves or others in a frantic state. Be aware that animals in a frantic state are capable of breaking through windows or jumping over fences. Pets should be kept in a se-cure location, ideally a quiet and dark place indoors with plenty of food and water. Try to keep pets confined sepa-rately.

Ocean swimming a bad idea

Swimming in the ocean is very dan-gerous at Pacific County beaches. Rip currents that run perpendicular to the beach and longitudinal currents that run diagonally are strong and can overtake even the most experienced swimmers. Submerged channels and crab holes are

deep and cannot be seen above the wa-ter. Even small waves have the force to knock a person off their feet. Once a person loses their footing, they are at the mercy of the currents. Small children and pets are especially susceptible to strong “sneaker waves” that appear without warning. Low-water temperature means that hypothermia can set it rapidly. Logs and other large debris present in the surf can cause crushing injuries and drowning.

Wildfire threat with dry conditions

An "El Niño Advisory" was released by the National Weather Service Cli-mate Prediction Center recently. Past El Niño events have proven to be dry in western Washington and warm statewide. Models show that there is a 70% chance of El Niño conditions per-sisting through this spring and summer. With the predicted hot and dry sum-mer months just around the corner, Pa-cific County residents should take time to learn about and prepare for wildfires. Fires can and do break out in forested areas, beach grass, and even neighbor-hoods when it is dry. Visit http://www.ready.gov/wildfires to learn about what to do before, during, and after a wildfire!

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Prepare for Summer Hazards: Fire, Ocean, Crowds

The PCEMA Weather Warning List is used to provide Weather Warnings from the National Weather Service. Residents who have signed up for the list receive hazardous weather notices, PCEMA press releases, and the Preparedness Post newsletter via email. The email alerts are typically sent during business hours, though PCEMA does send Extreme Warnings from the National Weather Service after hours if there is sufficient time to do so. To sign up for the Weather Warning List, provide your name and email to sfritts@co.pacific.wa.us or smcdougall@co.pacific.wa.us and include the word “Subscribe” in the subject line.

Join the PCEMA Weather Warning List!

Remains of a 2014 wildfire in the beach dunes. Pacific County Fire District #1 photo

VISIT the PCEMA website at www.co.pacific.wa.us/pcema for valuable preparedness materials and to learn about

hazards prone to Pacific County.

READ the latest emergency management infor -mation on the PCEMA blog at

www.pcema.blogspot.com.

RECEIVE the latest emergency management information, hazardous weather notices, and monthly

newsletter by signing up for the PCEMA Weather Warning list.

Provide your name via email to PCEMA staff and include the word “Subscribe” in the subject line.

FOLLOW @PCEOCNews on Twitter to get up-dates from the Pacific County EOC when it is activat-ed. If you are not signed up for Twitter, you can re-

ceive the same information via text message. Just text “follow PCEOCNews” to 40404.

LIKE the PCEMA Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pcema to follow frequent

emergency management and preparedness dialogue.

P C E M A Contacts & Info.

Pacific County Emergency Management Agency

The Pacific County Amateur Radio Club meets every second Saturday of the month at Hunter’s Inn, Naselle - 9:00 a.m. All Hazards Alert Broadcast (AHAB) Sirens occur the first Monday of every month at noon.

Sign Up for the Emergency

Notification System! Residents can register cellphones on the PCEMA website. Use the QRL code below to sign up using your smart phone! In the event of an emergency, this system may be used by emergency response personnel to notify spe-cific homes and businesses at risk.

Emergency Notification

Office Locations: Long Beach: 7013 Sandridge Rd. South Bend: 300 Memorial Dr.

Office Hours: Monday - Friday

8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Mail To: P.O. Box 27

South Bend, WA 98586

AmeriCorps Member Vacant

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

Deputy Director Scott McDougall

360-642/875-9338 smcdougall@co.pacific.wa.us

Chief Deputy, 911 & Emergency Management

Stephanie Fritts 360-642/875-9340

sfritts@co.pacific.wa.us

Website

www.co.pacific.wa.us./pcema Fax

360-875-9342

To view tsunami inundation maps, visit:

http://www.co.pacific.wa.us/pcema/TsunamiEvac.htm