PORT ANGELES — With three major earthquakes on the Pacific Rim in just the past few days as a focus, Clallam County commissioners discussed the upcoming Cascadia Rising 2016 disaster drill during Monday’s work session.
The three-day “mission rehearsal” from June 7 through June 10 will test the county, state, federal and tribal disaster response in the aftermath of a simulated magnitude-9.0 earthquake off the Oregon coast with a 50-mile rupture on the Cascadia Subduction Zone, said Jamye Wisecup, co-program coordinator for the Clallam County Office of Emergency Services.
“Once the drill is over, the lessons learned will show what changes need to be made,” Wisecup said.
Cascadia Rising will include agencies from California to Alaska, including British Columbia, Canada.
In Clallam County, the drill will include field actors, staff at the Emergency Operations Center in the Clallam County Courthouse, as well as an Army National Guard decontamination unit, multiple local agency drills, neighborhood groups and representatives from area food banks, she said.
In Jefferson County, the drill will be centered around the Emergency Operations Center in Port Hadlock.
The timing of the commission’s update was noted at Monday’s meeting.
Two earthquakes struck Kumamoto province on the island of Kyushu, Japan: A 6.4 quake on Thursday killed nine people, and a 7.3-magnitude temblor Saturday raised the death toll to 42 with more than 1,000 injured.
A 7.8-magnitude earthquake in Ecuador late Saturday killed at least 413 people, with more than 2,500 injured and 180 prisoners escaped from a damaged prison, Wisecup said.
Ecuador’s infrastructure does not compare to what is expected in the U.S., but the damage to the modern communities in Japan could be similar, Wisecup said.
The 600-mile Cascadia Subduction Zone, located about 130 miles off the Clallam County coastline, is thought to be capable of producing a magnitude 9.2 earthquake that would leave the region without significant outside assistance for 21 to 30 days, Wisecup said.
It last produced a large earthquake Jan. 26, 1700 — estimated at 8.8 to 9.2 — and is the only section of the “Ring of Fire” without major activity over the past 50 years.
Communication systems
Cellphone towers have about three days of backup battery power under normal use, Wisecup said.
Those towers are likely to be “saturated” due to many cellphone users all using the system at once to seek help or to check on family or friends, and the batteries might get burned out quickly, she said.
June’s drill will utilize amateur radio operators for communications, she said, and not rely on the city’s radios or cellphones.
Wisecup said those radio operators will also be used to broadcast scripted scenarios for emergency operations staff.
Many of the region’s bridges, ferries and roads are expected to be knocked out of commission in the wake of a major Cascadia earthquake, so other options, including marine vessels, airports and smaller airstrips are being examined.
Preparation for the drills resulted in good news for the Quileute tribe in La Push, said Penelope Linterman, co-program coordinator for the Clallam County Office of Emergency Services.
A U.S. Army review of the Quillayute State Airport, located near La Push, found that the airport is one of those more likely to survive such a quake, Linterman said.
“It is a lifeline that was not previously known to exist,” she said.
Mass care service
“We used to think the three most critical things after a disaster are food, water and shelter,” Wisecup said.
After Katrina, those top three priorities changed to water, food and information, she said, and shelter dropped to a fourth slot.
Medical services will be examined, with plans to coordinate “emergent volunteers,” previously untrained residents who are able to step forward to help after a disaster.
The drill will examine the coordination between local authorities, the Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Border Patrol, the tribes, public health and medical services.
“We are one of the few counties in the state who have been able to get our tribes involved,” said Linterman.
Triage center
The Lower Elwha Klallam tribe has joined the disaster exercise, and the tribe’s clinic is a designated medical triage center.
Glen Roggenbuck, who retired from the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office three weeks ago, is the new emergency management coordinator for the Lower Elwha Klallam tribe.
“I look forward to the close cooperation,” Roggenbuck said.
The Navy will participate in Jefferson County in the inter-agency earthquake preparedness exercise.
In Port Townsend, ships and equipment will arrive in May at Naval Magazine Indian Island, including several large container ships containing small boats and tactical vehicles for the exercise.
Naval Magazine Indian Island will serve as the hub of the Navy’s involvement in the regional exercise, with a medical facility, a seaplane landing area and a command center.
For more information on the Jefferson County Department of Emergency Management, visit http://www.jeffcoeoc.org.
For information on Clallam County Emergency Management plans, visit www.clallam.net/emergencymanagement.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at arice@peninsuladailynews.com.
