Be prepared, North Idaho
A disaster of epic proportions is headed our way sometime in the perhaps not-so-distant future.
Therefore, a simulation of epic proportions will be held June 7-10 to prepare for a possible magnitude 9.0 earthquake which scientists tell us is overdue to devastate the northwestern coastal areas. Kootenai County Office of Emergency Management will be involved along with Region X of FEMA, authorities from Washington, Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia, along with 38 counties, tribal nations, many other city and local agencies, the military, and volunteer agencies.
The simulation project is called Cascadia Rising because it is planned around a Cascadia Subduction Zone that could unleash ground shaking to last up to five minutes, a tsunami wave height 20 to 80 feet with multiple waves, and the likelihood of many severe aftershocks.
Tremors of up to 3.0 could be felt as far away as Coeur d’Alene but the biggest impact here would be from having up to 10 million people impacted, causing mass migration to Spokane and Coeur d’Alene for shelter, medical needs, food and supplies, maybe for years to come.
The simulation will help practice coordination and integration of all levels of governments and non-governmental organizations such as the Red Cross, the private sector, and many faith-based organizations in preparation for the magnitude and complexity of such an event and the life-saving and life-sustaining response operations that would be required.
The population impacts, injuries, fatalities and infrastructure damages predicted paint a bleak picture of reality if such an event occurs for our friends and loved ones who live in these coastal areas and along the I-5 corridor.
To get a sense of what is projected by computer modeling, consider this summary statement made after reviewing 140 pages in the Cascadia Rising Exercise Scenario Document: 50 percent to 100 percent with an average of 74.75 percent of the following items will be damaged beyond repair along the coast — roads, bridges, seaports, electrical power, fire stations, natural gas, hospitals, schools, wastewater systems, communication systems, not to mention airports, rail, water resources, dams, public safety buildings, police headquarters, and hazardous material locations. Not included in this estimate are residential and commercial buildings.
The short-term feeding needs are estimated to be 1.1 million people for Washington and 1.3 million for Oregon. With few places to go north or south, once Seattle people can travel, the flow along 1-90 to Coeur d’Alene and Spokane would be steady and continuous.
By the time the shaking has ceased and the tsunami has receded, the region will be unrecognizable.
Kenneth Murphy, who directs FEMA’s Region X, says, “Our operating assumption is that everything west of Interstate 5 will be toast.” This would be the worst natural disaster in the history of North America.
So what can you do to prepare?
• I’ll be writing monthly articles for The Press. Each will be designed to move you a little further along the way to disaster preparedness.
• Watch for information that Lt. Stu Miller of the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office shares with media. He is the Public Information Officer in the event of a disaster.
• If you are part of an organization that could offer volunteers, you must be identified, trained and screened ahead of time. Contact Mike Bullard, president of Inland Northwest VOAD, by emailing him at mabullard@gmail.com.
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Anyone who remembers the story of Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds in 1938 will recognize the importance of letting people know that throughout the Northwest, they might see police, fire, emergency medical and military vehicles. Remember, It’s just a practice, but a big one.
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For more reading:
• FEMA’s involvement. See:
http://community.fema.govdelivery.com/connect.ti/cascadiarising2016/view?objectId=3233584
• For information on planning or assessment findings by the State of Oregon, please review “The Oregon Resilience Plan Reducing Risk and Improving Recovery for the Next Cascadia Earthquake and Tsunami” report to the 77th Legislative Assembly from Oregon Seismic Safety Policy Advisory Commission (OSSPAC). http://www.oregon.gov/OMD/OEM/osspac/docs/Oregon_Resilience_Plan_Final.pdf
• Orson Welles scares the nation in 1938 with War of the Worlds broadcast. See www.history.com/this-day-in-history/welles-scares-nation
• See the July 20, 2015, issue of The New Yorker Magazine for “The Really Big One”: www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/07/20/the-really-big-one
• http://sinewsweb.com/news/Cascadia-Rising-Exercise-Scenario-Document has a fair amount of news and documents including the original 182-page Exercise Scenario.