Tsunami in Pacific City?

Today, we ran a tsunami drill here in Pacific City.  Mike started getting phone calls about a week ago, warning him of the drill.  Tillamook county has a reverse 9-1-1 system.  It's pretty cool, the system calls you to tell you about potential emergency type situations.  The drill also took place in the North County town of, Manzanita.

The sirens are tested each month, the second Tuesday at 11:00.  We love the siren here in Pacific City.  It's a mechanical siren, so it starts off low pitched and increases.  It's a block away at the fire station in town, so we hear it pretty clearly.  The best part is when it's shut off, it takes about a minute to slow down.

So today, a tsunami will hit Oregon's coast, causing destruction throughout Tillamook County. Again, this is a scheduled drill, no War of the Worlds confusion here please.

Today's event will test warning systems and command teams. The sirens sounded and the reverse 9-1-1 calls were made just after 11:00 a.m.  Amateur radio operators also pitched in.  The guy from the motel across the street had a radio for our evacuation meeting place.

It took us 6 minutes to get to the top of the hill.  Mike gathered his bag, grabbed some water and his wind up radio.  I got hooked up to my leash and away we went.  Why didn't we bring anything else?  Well it was a drill and if we were to get hit by a Tsunami, all the houses between us and the beach would wipe us out.  Walking is the best plan and to carry all you think you need would be tough.  I think I'm going to get a backpack to carry with supplies for the family.

According to an article in the Tillamook Headlight Herald, volunteers from agencies throughout the county will be on hand to guide participants to various evacuation areas outside of the tsunami inundation zones. Participants will then be asked to fill out a survey, which will ask about tsunami preparedness. Although there is no penalty for those who choose not to participate in the drill, volunteers will also be on the streets and the beach, questioning people who do not evacuate.

The drill is meant to get residents throughout the coastal towns in Tillamook County to think about their preparedness for a tsunami. Is there a 72-hour kit in the car, at the office and at home? Do children know which evacuation site to go to in the event they're split from their parents?

Another goal is to get people thinking about preparing for the upcoming storm season. Sheriff Todd Anderson also hopes the drill will result in people thinking about their vulnerable neighbors who may be disabled or elderly.

If you live along the coast, you should pick up the new Get Ready! guide and take a moment to review these tsunami tips. If you're not "Red Cross Ready" yet, you can also learn how to get a kit, make a plan and be informed right here.

Thanks to a blog from the American Red Cross for information in my blog, posted by Lise Harwin.