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| The warning on June 14 showed that Oregon isn't yet prepared for a huge storm, but cities are making progress Wednesday, September 07, 2005 Reprinted with permission of The Oregonian By RICHARD L. HILL As New Orleans struggles with the chaos from Hurricane Katrina, the question for Oregon is whether it's prepared for a similar disaster from the ocean. A short-lived but frightening tsunami warning on June 14 gave a conclusive answer: not yet. Some communities responded quickly and efficiently. Others did not. In the weeks since, emergency officials have examined the successes and failures that occurred after a magnitude 7.2 quake off Northern California triggered the 75-minute warning. They say the event only hinted at what could be in store for the coast. Scientists say the Northwest coast has been hit repeatedly by magnitude 9 earthquakes and huge tsunamis. Studies indicate the quake-tsunami events have slammed the coast about 20 times in the past 10,000 years, the latest about 300 years ago. |
Put together an emergency kit Brochure: Tsunami! Know how to survive on the Oregon coast (PDF) |
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| Increasingly populated with residents and tourists, the coast could be cut off for days or even weeks if a magnitude 9 earthquake occurred today. Roads, bridges and communication systems could be destroyed by the huge waves, and Portland and other Willamette Valley cities could be demolished by four or five minutes of shaking. The June alert, on a Tuesday night, was the first tsunami warning ever issued for a quake off the Northwest coast. The tsunami fizzled: Tide gauges detected only an inches-high wave at Crescent City, Calif. But it sparked an unintended drill. About 10,000 people quickly left low-lying areas either on their own or when directed. Tillamook County officials estimated that more than 80 percent of people in the inundation zone evacuated. Cannon Beach, Rockaway Beach and Yachats reported equally high numbers. Other cities, such as Newport, Florence, Waldport and Brookings, did not issue evacuation calls, citing a lack of information or inconsistencies in warning messages. In Lincoln City, city leaders said not getting adequate notification led to a delay in evacuation. Three of four sirens were not working that night, and callers swamped the 9-1-1 center. The sirens have been fixed, and emergency officials from throughout the area are meeting regularly to iron out communication issues. The exercise exposed flaws primarily in two areas: communications and public education. Glitches in the National Weather Service notification system and people not knowing where to go hampered emergency workers. "The public in many instances didn't get a timely, accurate message," Jay Wilson, earthquake and tsunami coordinator for the state's Office of Emergency Management. "Then many people didn't respond as they should have, such as swamping 9-1-1 dispatch centers with non-emergency calls. So we've been looking at how the communication system can be streamlined and also at our continuing need for a strong public education effort." Several steps have been taken this summer that either corrected problems or may lead to changes that could help save lives. Last week, Gov. Ted Kulongoski signed Senate Bill 557, which requires state agencies to develop a standardized tsunami siren system. Right now, each community decides whether to have a siren. State agencies also must prepare tsunami plans for lodging facilities and other businesses in inundation zones. However, no money was provided for the work. A task force is exploring ways to notify campers at state parks of tsunamis. A pilot project at low-lying South Beach State Park in Newport is being considered. The National Weather Service, responsible for issuing warnings, has revised its tsunami notification policy. An emergency alert center in Salem will receive messages only from the service's West Coast & Alaska Tsunami Warning Center in Alaska. An unclear, confusing message from a Hawaii center on June 14 led many emergency officials and news media initially to think there was no tsunami. Repairs have been made to a faulty phone line that prevented emergency tones from being transmitted to NOAA weather radios on the central coast. Tyree Wilde, the National Weather Service's warning coordination meteorologist in Portland, said communication to the north coast also is being upgraded with higher quality phone circuits and microwave technology. The Oregon Department of Transportation is installing a radio advisory system at a dozen sites on U.S. 101 that will broadcast tsunami messages as well as highway closure information. Signs with flashing beacons will alert drivers to tune their radios to a specific frequency. A new computer warning system called Connect & Protect is being tested by hotels, hospitals, restaurants and other businesses and agencies in Clatsop and Tillamook counties. The system, already in use at some coastal hotels, automatically sent the tsunami warning from Alaska to the coast, where it triggered alarms on computers. "The public in many instances didn't get a timely, accurate message," Jay Wilson, earthquake and tsunami coordinator for the state's Office of Emergency Management. "Then many people didn't respond as they should have, such as swamping 9-1-1 dispatch centers with non-emergency calls. So we've been looking at how the communication system can be streamlined and also at our continuing need for a strong public education effort." The system, already in use at some coastal hotels, automatically sent the tsunami warning from Alaska to the coast, where it triggered alarms on computers. Hotel managers Lonny Watne of the Inn at Cape Kiwanda and Chad Sweet of the Surfsand Resort in Cannon Beach were able to quickly alert customers and evacuate them to nearby hills. "I think this is going to be the way to go in the future," said Sweet, as he demonstrated the loud alarm and the warning message that pops up on the screen. "They'll be able to reach more people faster in vulnerable areas." Launched in April, the project is funded by $100,00 in federal Homeland Security money distributed by the Oregon Office of Emergency Management. Fred Granum, who operates the program, said the system has expanded to Curry, Coos and Lincoln counties and will soon be available in Lane and Douglas counties. In another project, Onno Husing, executive director of the Oregon Coastal Zone Management Association, said his organization is looking into a reverse 9-1-1 calling program that would blanket the coast. The computerized system would call home and other phone numbers and play a recorded alert message. "Reverse 9-1-1 is just another tool," Husing said. "It doesn't replace public education. It doesn't replace NOAA radios, it doesn't replace sirens. We need redundant systems." Siren systems vary from city to city. Cannon Beach has six state-of-the-art tsunami sirens. Newport, the third-largest city on the coast, has none. Newport Fire Chief Rick Crook said he would like to have a siren system, but "the sad fact is that it's going to cost money, and where that money will come from is a big question." State and community officials hope Congress will come through. Oregon Sens. Ron Wyden and Gordon Smith are supporting the Tsunami Preparedness Act, a bill that has passed the Senate and will be considered in the House. Oregon Reps. David Wu and Darlene Hooley are leading efforts in the House to pass similar legislation called the Tsunami Warning and Education Act. Wu says more money needs to go into education projects that will help residents and visitors learn how to prepare and what to do in a tsunami. Tom Manning, emergency management director for Tillamook County, agrees. "People and families are going to have to fend for themselves because they would have only 15 to 20 minutes to get to high ground after the shaking stops," he said. "Continued education is the key." Despite funding problems, many communities have come a long way. In May, Tillamook County became the first county in the continental United States to be designated "TsunamiReady" under a National Weather Service program. To receive the designation, a community has to set up an emergency operations center, a tsunami warning system, a hazard plan and multiple ways to receive the agency's tsunami warnings. Cannon Beach, Lincoln City, Manzanita, Nehalem and Wheeler in Oregon and Long Beach, Wash., are among the communities thathave received the designation. But more needs to be done. Officials in these and other coastal communities have been meeting to address the issues raised by the June 14 event. Wilson said plans are being discussed for a full-scale drill along the coast sometime next year. "We have a long, long way to go before we're fully prepared," Wilson said. "Educating the public is something that can never stop. We just have to keep practicing over and over." Richard L. Hill: 503-221-8238; richardhill@news.oregonian.com |
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Fossils, Minerals & Gems | Hazards | Field Offices | News and Events
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Job listings from the State of Oregon jobs page
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