Page

P C E M A Preparedness Post Pacific County Emergency Management Agency

Volume 2, Issue 7 June 2013

CERT Training in

Long Beach

How Strong are

Area Bridges?

Disaster Supply

Kits Given to

Families in Need

New AHAB Sirens

to be Installed in

North County

1

Join the PCEMA Team as

an AmeriCorps Member!

Page

2

Applications will be accepted until June 21, 2013.

To apply, please visit:

https://my.americorps.gov/mp/listing/

viewListing.do?id=50690&fromSearch=true

Visit http://www.nationalservice.gov/programs/americorps for

more information about AmeriCorps.

If you have questions about

the PCEMA AmeriCorps ser-

vice member position or pro-

ject, contact Denise Rowlett

at drowlett@co.pacific.wa.us

or 360-642/875-9338

Congratulations Mary Atherton!

PCEMA Seeking Applicants for AmeriCorps Position PCEMA is seeking qualified candidates

to become an AmeriCorps service member

to support the Disaster Preparedness Pub-

lic Education Outreach project. The mem-

ber will build and strengthen the local vol-

unteer base by developing a strong public

education outreach program to enhance

disaster preparedness and response needs

in Pacific County communities.

AmeriCorps program benefits include a

living stipend, health insurance, childcare

assistance if eligible, training, and an edu-

cation award upon successful completion of

service term. The service term begins Sep-

tember 1, 2013 and ends July 15, 2014.

Desired qualifications include a work-

ing knowledge of Microsoft Office products

including Outlook, Word, Excel, Publisher,

and PowerPoint, in addition to a working

knowledge of office equipment. Other de-

sired qualifications include the ability to

communicate effectively and independently

in written and oral form with a variety of

community groups, agencies, and officials.

The applicant should be able to lift up to 40

lbs. Experience in emergency management,

community involvement, and/or education

is preferred but not required.

To be eligible for the AmeriCorps pro-

gram, applicants must be a US citizen or

lawful permanent resident between the

ages of 18-25 at the start date of the ser-

vice term. A high school diploma or GED

and the ability to pass a criminal back-

ground check are also required. Those

listed on the National Sex Offender Public

Registry will not be considered.

PCEMA volunteer Mary

Atherton (left) accepted the

2013 Governor's Outstanding

Volunteer Service Award at

the Governor’s Mansion in

April. Mary is involved with

PCEMA at many levels in-

cluding personal disaster pre-

paredness, tsunami educa-

tion, Map Your Neighbor-

hood, and Community Emer-

gency Response Team

(CERT) training. Mary re-

cently became a certified

CERT instructor for Pacific

County and is preparing to

instruct a CERT course later

in 2013.

Check out “The First Sue Nami” at

http://vimeo.com/62595618

Compensation:

Living stipend of $1,155 per month (before taxes)

Training and experience

Subsidized childcare (if qualified)

Health Insurance (member only and if no other health insurance

coverage)

Student loan forbearance (on qualifying loans)

$5,550 Education Award provided by National Service Trust (upon

successful completion of service term commitment and 1700 hours

of service)

The US Geological Survey (USGS) recent-

ly created an edgy tsunami public education

video titled “The First Sue Nami.” Sue sports

a Mohawk and a renegade attitude as she

creates tsunamis before moving across vari-

ous beach scenes to antagonistically warn

people of the danger they are in.

Meet “Sue Nami”

USGS Image

Page

3

On Thursday, May 30 Grayland residents gathered at

the North Willapa Harbor Grange to hear a short prepar-

edness presentation. Those present who met specific in-

come requirements also received a disaster supply kit.

PCEMA AmeriCorps Member Kirsten Harvill organized

this event, and the disaster preparedness supply drive that

preceded it, as a Martin Luther King Jr. service project.

She coordinated the project to aid low income families

throughout Pacific County.

In January, area residents were encouraged to donate

various preparedness items at stores around the county.

From the drive she was able to collect over 23 flashlights,

14 blankets, 50 hats, 80 cans of nonperishable food and

much more! Each item was used to create a starter emer-

gency go kit. Every kit had bandages, four bottles of water,

four cans of food, a flashlight, matches, garbage bags, soap,

and various other items. 20 kits were made for the fami-

lies; however because of the variety of items donated some

kits had different food or blanket types, and two kits were

actually created as deluxe kits. Those kits included: 1 gal-

lon of water, toilet paper, emergency stove, as well as the

items included in the starter kits.

Thanks to the generous donations of Pacific County

community members, Kirsten has kits leftover from this

recent Grayland event and is planning another event in to

be held in Ocean Park.

On May 18th participants

of the PCEMA’s Raymond

CERT training put newly

learned skills to the test in a

practical disaster simulation.

These freshly trained CERTs

practiced search and rescue,

disaster medical operations,

and team organization. Com-

munity volunteers acted as

victims for the CERTs. Two

participants successfully

completed this CERT train-

ing.

A volunteer (above) sits in

moulage makeup, ready

to play a disaster victim.

Trainees (left) practice

triage and treatment for

life-threatening

conditions.

Disaster Kits Distributed to Grayland Families in Need

CERT Members Put Their Skills to the Test

Disaster Kit Event in Ocean Park on June 19th

3 Day CERT Training in Long Beach June 28th-30th

To register or for more information, contact

PCEMA AmeriCorps Member Kirsten Harvill at

360-642-9409 or kharvill@co.pacific.wa.us.

PCEMA is offering a three day Community Emergency

Response Team (CERT) training. The course is scheduled

for Friday, June 28th through Sunday, June 30th. The

training will be held at the Pacific County Administration

Facility in Long Beach

(7013 Sandridge Road)

from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Participants should bring

their lunch each day.

Complete attendance is

required to graduate from

the course. Course units

are a combination of hands-on tutorial, presentation with

lecture, and group activities with discussion. All course

materials will be provided. Accommodations will gladly be

made for participants with special needs. Participants un-

der the age of 18 will need parent/guardian permission to

attend. Pre-registration is required.

PCEMA will be holding a disaster supply kit event at

the Pacific County Fire District 1 Fire Hall in Ocean Park

on June 19th beginning at 6:00 p.m. This event is designed

to distribute starter emergency supply kits to low income

families of Pacific County. Participants will learn how to

respond personally to a disaster as well as how to use the

supplies in their kits. All are welcome to attend this train-

ing; however, kits are limited and will be distributed on a

first come first serve basis.

Household Size Annual Income

1 PERSON

4 PEOPLE

6 PEOPLE

5 PEOPLE

2 PEOPLE

3 PEOPLE

8 PEOPLE

7 PEOPLE

$31,050

$44,000

$51,400

$47,850

$35,450

$39,900

$58,500

$55,950

Page

AHAB Sirens to be Installed in Raymond & South Bend

4

Two All Hazards Alert Broadcast (AHAB) sirens will

be installed soon near the Raymond Fire Department and

the South Bend Fire Department. The sirens are sched-

uled to be installed during the month of June and should

be ready to activate in during the monthly test in August.

As a reminder,

the AHAB siren

system is intended

for outdoor warn-

ing only. Residents

are encouraged to

maintain a work-

ing NOAA weather

radio as a form of

indoor warning.

Post Festivity Clean Up July 5th on Peninsula Beaches Join the Grassroots Garbage Gang and PCE-

MA AmeriCorps Member Lea Reuss on July 5th

at 9:30 am on all major peninsula beach ap-

proaches to clear debris left over from the 4th of

July festivities. Volunteers can go to any of the

approaches and get garbage bags and gloves.

Amateur Radio Field Day Port of Peninsula—June 22, 2013

On June 22th the Pacific County Amateur Radio Emer-

gency Service (ARES) club will be hosting their annual field

day at the Port of Peninsula beginning at 11:00 a.m. and

running for 24 continuous hours . Amateur Radio aficiona-

dos and all others interested are welcome to attend. Many

of PCEMA’s Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services

(RACES) volunteers will be participating in the event.

Field Day is the single most popular on-the-air event

held annually in the US and Canada. On the fourth week-

end of June of each year, more than 35,000 radio amateurs

gather with their clubs, groups or simply with friends to

operate from remote locations. According to the American

Radio Relay League (ARRL) the goal of the event “is to work

as many stations as possible on any and all amateur bands

(excluding the

60, 30, 17, and

1 2 - m e t e r

bands) and to

learn to oper-

ate in abnor-

mal situations

in less than

optimal condi-

tions.”

A R E S

serves Amateur

Radio opera-

tors, those aspir-

ing to become

licensed, and the

citizens of our communities in Pacific County. They operate

with the club call sign W7RDR and also use special event

call signs W7R and N7H for some activities. The club meets

once a month on the second Saturday at Hunter’s Inn Res-

taurant in Naselle at 9:00 a.m. The talk-in frequency for

club meetings is 146.860- (118.8 Hz PL tone required) or

the BeachNet system. Everyone is welcome and encouraged

to attend!

Tsunami Debris Training PCEMA Ameri-

Corps member Lea

Reuss has developed

a p r e se n t a t i o n

“Tsunami Debris:

Volunteering to Keep

P a c i f i c C o u n t y

Beaches Clean” that

she is able to give to

interested groups.

The presentation

explains how to properly dispose of different types of de-

bris. Participants will also learn about the tsunami in Ja-

pan that created much of the debris that has been washing

ashore.

To register or for more information, contact

PCEMA AmeriCorps Member Lea Reuss at

360-642-4482 or lreuss@co.pacific.wa.us.

Volunteers promote the 2012 July 5th beach clean up.

Learn more about the Grassroots Garbage Gang

www.facebook.com/GrassRootsGarbageGang

To learn more about Pacific County ARES,

check out:

http://www.qsl.net/w7rdr/

ARES members raise their antenna in

preparation for a past field day.

Page

Tsunami and Earthquake Education Workshop to be held in Astoria October 11th-14th

The Cascadia EarthScope Earthquake and Tsunami Education Program (CETEEP) will be hosting a workshop for

coastal educators in Astoria (location TBD) from October 11th to the 14th. This course is particularly geared toward teach-

ers, CERT members, and public educators but may be beneficial to individuals with an interest in science. Those interested

in attending should contact Stephanie Fritts at sfritts@co.pacific.wa.us.

CEETEP is a professional development program for Earth science and natural history educators in Oregon and Wash-

ington. EarthScope is a multi-decade effort to explore the structure and evolution of the North American continent. It in-

cludes seismic, GPS, and other geophysical instruments to monitor the Cascadia Subduction Zone and advance our under-

standing of the region’s geohazards. Through a grant from the EarthScope Program of the National Science Foundation

(NSF), CEETEP is able to offer this four-day workshop to foster community engagement of earthquake science and prepar-

edness.

The workshop will include K-12 teachers, park and museum interpreters, and emergency management educators.

Through a problem-solving approach to subduction zone geology, participants will learn: 1) how geoscientists developed our

current understanding of Pacific Northwest plate tectonics, earthquakes, and tsunamis; 2) how EarthScope is advancing

knowledge about the active Earth in Oregon and Washington; and 3) how collaboration on education, interpretation, and

preparedness makes coastal communities more resilient to earthquake and tsunami hazards. Three days of classroom and

interpretive activities on Pacific Northwest geology and EarthScope science will be complemented by a field day investigat-

ing Cascadia earthquakes and tsunamis and visits to seismic and GPS installations.

Day one of the workshop will cover Cascadia plate tectonics, earthquakes and tsunamis, and seismic and GPS monitor-

ing. Day two will be a field trip to experience Cascadia earthquake and tsunami geology first hand at EarthScope seismic

and GPS installations. Day three will cover additional earthquake and tsunami science, Native American oral histories,

and interpretive program development. Finally, on day four participants will learn about community earthquake and tsu-

nami preparedness action plans.

Participants will receive (paid for by the NSF grant): forty hours of continuing professional development units, earth

science field-trip experience, and materials for inquiry-based classroom and interpretive studies of earthquakes, tsunamis,

EarthScope science and hazard mitigation including books; DVDs with Earth science movies, animations and visualiza-

tions; and a kit with materials for classroom and interpretive demonstrations and activities.

Skagit River Incident—a Reminder that Bridges Can Fail

5

On May 23rd, the Interstate 5 bridge over the Skagit River col-

lapsed after a large truck carrying an oversized load struck the

trusses that supported the bridge. Two vehicles fell into the water

shortly after the crash, with three non-life threatening injuries

reported. The Washington State Department of Transportation

(WSDOT) is now in the process of replacing the failed bridge.

The Skagit River bridge was built in 1953, and is around the

same age as many of the major bridges in Pacific County. The As-

toria-Megler bridge was built in 1966. Fortunately four older bridg-

es in Pacific County are in the process of being replaced: the Smith

Creek and North River bridges (both built in 1959), the Bone River

bridge (1935), and the Middle Nemah River bridge (1939). Like the

Skagit River bridge, these four bridges have been listed on WSDOT’s list of structurally deficient bridges and are being

replaced because they could not withstand a significant seismic event and are too aging and narrow to accommodate the

daily volume of commuter vehicles and commercial traffic. WSDOT has also identified bridges along Highways 4 and 6

that are in need of retrofit or replacement.

Pacific County can learn a lesson from the Skagit River Bridge incident. If a commercial truck can cause such a large

bridge as the Skagit to collapse, imagine what a 9.0 Cascadia event could do to any of our bridges. It is important for Pacif-

ic County residents to plan evacuation routes that do cross bridges because in a large seismic event, the bridges could fail.

KATU News Photo

For more information or to apply for the workshop, contact:

Stephanie Fritts at sfritts@co.pacific.wa.us.

Page

P C E M A Pacific County Emergency Management Agency

UPCOMING EVENTS:

AHAB Siren Test: First Monday of the month @ noon

Emergency Supply Kit Distribution - June 19 - Page 3

AmeriCorps Application Due - June 21 - Page 2

Amateur Radio Field Day - June 22 - Page 4

CERT Training - June 28th-30th - Page 3

Beach Clean Up - July 5th - Page 4 CETEEP Workshop - October 11th-14th - Page 5

Interested in Volunteering?

CONTACT: PCEMA AMERICORPS MEMBER KIRSTEN HARVILL kharvill@co.pacific.wa.us

(360) 875/642-9409

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Online & Social Media PCEMA Office

Mail P.O. Box 101, South Bend, WA 98586

drowlett@co.pacific.wa.us

To join PCEMA’s Weather Warning List

email Denise Rowlett:

http://www.pcema.blogspot.com/

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

http://www.facebook.com/PCEMA

Text follow PCEOCNews to 40404 to

“fast follow” on your mobile device. @PCEOCNews

Sheriff’s Office on Twitter: @PCSOWA

On Facebook: www.facebook.com/PCSOWA

Director

Stephanie Fritts 360-875/642-9340 sfritts@co.pacific.wa.us

Deputy Director

Denise Rowlett 360-875/642-9338 drowlett@co.pacific.wa.us

Fax 360-875-9342

Kirsten Harvill 360-875/642-9409 kharvill@co.pacific.wa.us

Lea Reuss 360-642-4482 lreuss@co.pacific.wa.us

AmeriCorps Members

South Bend 300 Memorial Dr.

Long Beach 7013 Sandridge Rd.

Physical Address