Tsunami Debris Questions Growing

Japan debris field (photo: NOAA)

With the very public sinking of a derelict Japanese ship last week, questions are on the rise about debris from the 2011 tsunami. A number of meetings are scheduled around the region this month to run down what is known. The best guess of oceanographers who study ocean currents is that the bulk of this tsunami debris may arrive on the West Coast a year from now—in 2013—but no one is certain of when or how much. The public information events feature National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Debris Program staff, including Nir Barnea, West Coast regional coordinator for NOAA’s marine debris program. A session in Newport will be held 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 12 at Newport City Hall. There is no admission.

There will also be representatives of the U.S. Coast Guard, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, Oregon Health Authority Public Health Division, County Emergency Managers, and Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. Local waste managers and coastal haulers have also been invited as their experience with marine debris disposal could be useful. Audience members will have a chance to ask questions about everything from public health to returning any personal valuables that may be found amid the debris. The groups expect to conduct organizing and education efforts later this year to strengthen their citizen response networks before the expected arrival of the bulk of the debris.  The efforts are organized by SOLV, Surfrider Foundation, the CoastWatch program of the Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition, the Washed Ashore Project, in partnership with Oregon Sea Grant/OSU Extension. Here is a tentative list of times and locations. Check www.solv.org for up-to-date information.

April 11th, Seaside 2-3:30 pm, Seaside Community Center, 1225 Ave A • Seaside OR • 541-961-8143

April 11th, Bay City 6-7:30 pm, Bay City Arts Center, 5680 A St • Bay City OR • 503-844-9571 x317

April 12th, Pacific City 10-11:30 am, Kiawanda Community Center, 34600 Cape Kiwanda Dr • Pacific City, OR • 503-754-9303

April 12th, Newport 6-7:30 pm, Newport City Hall, 169 SW Coast Hwy • Newport, OR • 541-961-8143

April 13th, Florence 10-11:30 am, Florence Fire Station, 2625 Hwy 101 • Florence, OR • 541-297-4227

April 13th, North Bend 2-3:30 pm, North Bend Public Library, 1800 Sherman Ave • North Bend, OR • 541-297-4227

April 13th, Bandon 6-7:30 pm, City Council Chamber/City Hall, 555 Highway 101 • Bandon, OR • 541-297-4227

April 14th, Port Orford 10-11:00 am, American Legion Hall, 421 11th St • Port Orford, OR • 541-961-8143

April 14th, Eugene 3:00-4:30 pm, EWEB Training Center, 500 East 4th Ave N Bldg • Eugene, OR • 503-844-9571 x317

April 15th, Portland 3:30-5:00 pm, Ecotrust Natural Capital Center, 721 NW 9th Ave • Portland, OR • 503-844-9571 x317

April 20th, Cannon Beach, time and location TBD

 Report an error

Tsunami Road Show Packs the House

Experts say it will take this much food to sustain one person 21 days

Perhaps with long power outages and storm damage fresh in their minds, Lincoln County residents packed a series of emergency information events last week. The Oregon Emergency Management’s (OEM) “Tsunami Road Show” had three simple messages: 1) We have a 10% chance of a devastating earthquake in the next 30 years; 2) You are your own best help; and 3) How well you do depends on how well you are prepared. OEM geological hazards specialist Althea Rizzo told capacity crowd at the Toledo Fire Hall March 16, “What’s happening in this room tonight is the best way to save lives.” Earthquakes “don’t play fair and they don’t play nice,” she said. “You could be living under a tarp for three or four weeks” if your house or apartment shakes to the ground, Rizzo added. The Toledo area should expect many landslides and what is called “liquefaction,” where the ground jiggles into a semi-liquid like quicksand. Rizzo said the worst possible tsunami case will affect low-lying areas around Toledo, even though it is 12 river miles from the ocean. Scientists are working on models for that event right now, and expect to have new, better inundation maps in October.

State official stress that Coastal residents’ chances of surviving a big earthquake and tsunami will depend much on their level of preparedness, and a little on luck. Some factors, like time, tide level and your location, will be a matter of chance. However, they stress preparedness “is a mindset” and that someone thinking in survival terms always has an idea of what to do or where to go when disaster strikes. And then you have to do the best you can with what you have on hand, and be patient. “Supplies are going to go where the people are,” Rizzo reminded attendees. Places like rural Lincoln County will be several weeks down on the relief list, she said, so “the more we can do to prepare to care for ourselves, the better our chance of survival.” Agencies involved in the event included Lincoln County Emergency Management, Toledo Fire and Rescue, Toledo CERT, Lincoln County Schools, the American Red Cross.

 Report an error

Emergency Preparedness a Serious Business

The “Tsunami Preparedness Roadshow” continues at the Gleneden Beach Fire Station today from 9:00 – noon, and from 3:00 – 7:00 at Newport City Hall.

The main takeaway from the event is that we, ourselves, have to be prepared when an emergency as bit as an earthquake or tsunami its. It’s chancy to rely on anyone else. The roadshow was in Toledo and Yachats Friday.

March is Earthquake and Tsunami Preparedness Month, coinciding with the tsunami from last year’s Japanese earthquake that damaged Depoe Bay and other sites along the West Coast. Lincoln County Emergency Management, Oregon Emergency Management and local public safety agencies host educational events in Lincoln County the second week of March. Residents are encouraged to drop in to the readiness fairs or plan to attend during the presentation by Oregon Emergency Management. According to Lincoln County Emergency Management Coordinator Jenny Demaris, there are three topics. There will be a presentation by Althea Rizzo, Geologic Hazards Program Coordinator, Oregon Emergency Management on how to prepare for earthquakes and tsunamis, and how to survive them. There will be sign-up information for the County’s Citizen Alert system known as “Everbridge.” there will also be general information on emergency readiness, covering water purification, food storage and sanitation, family emergency disaster planning, and other topics.

 Report an error

Ready for 21 Days Without Power or Water?

The “Tsunami Preparedness Roadshow” continues at the Gleneden Beach Fire Station today from 9:00 – noon, and from 3:00 – 7:00 at Newport City Hall.

The main takeaway from the event is that we, ourselves, have to be prepared when an emergency as bit as an earthquake or tsunami its. It’s chancy to rely on anyone else. The roadshow was in Toledo and Yachats Friday.

March is Earthquake and Tsunami Preparedness Month, coinciding with the tsunami from last year’s Japanese earthquake that damaged Depoe Bay and other sites along the West Coast. Lincoln County Emergency Management, Oregon Emergency Management and local public safety agencies host educational events in Lincoln County the second week of March. Residents are encouraged to drop in to the readiness fairs or plan to attend during the presentation by Oregon Emergency Management. According to Lincoln County Emergency Management Coordinator Jenny Demaris, there are three topics. There will be a presentation by Althea Rizzo, Geologic Hazards Program Coordinator, Oregon Emergency Management on how to prepare for earthquakes and tsunamis, and how to survive them. There will be sign-up information for the County’s Citizen Alert system known as “Everbridge.” there will also be general information on emergency readiness, covering water purification, food storage and sanitation, family emergency disaster planning, and other topics.

 Report an error

Earthquake and Tsunami Road Show Visits County

March is Earthquake and Tsunami Preparedness Month, coinciding with the tsunami from last year’s Japanese earthquake that damaged Depoe Bay and other sites along the West Coast. Lincoln County Emergency Management, Oregon Emergency Management and local public safety agencies host educational events in Lincoln County the second week of March. Residents are encouraged to drop in to the readiness fairs or plan to attend during the presentation by Oregon Emergency Management. According to Lincoln County Emergency Management Coordinator Jenny Demaris, there are three topics. There will be a presentation by Althea Rizzo, Geologic Hazards Program Coordinator, Oregon Emergency Management on how to prepare for earthquakes and tsunamis, and how to survive them. There will be sign-up information for the County’s Citizen Alert system known as “Everbridge.” there will also be general information on emergency readiness, covering water purification, food storage and sanitation, family emergency disaster planning, and other topics.

 Report an error