Longview Hills @ Newport Oregon

Tsunami education in South Beach..

Well,

About 7 CERT team members and 8 volunteer fireman showed up to pass out information and talk with the residents who live in the Tsunami inundation zone. Only one crotchety person encountered and nobody got bit by doggies.

About half the residents were home and to the others we left the Tsunami map. The fire dept kept one of the big engines in the area so residents would get the idea we were really from the fire department as the CERT team does not yet have widespread recognition in the community.

After the Cert team finished the east side of South Beach and the Fire Department finished the west side ... The volunteers from the fire department went up river toward Toledo and talked to the residents along the sparsely populated road.

Before we talked to residents we drove to all the Tsunami safe exit points in the neighborhood, which there is only 2, so we could explain how they could go. Two City Council persons are on the CERT Team and they are so concerned about the exit points that they want to have community meetings in the South Beach Community Center to talk to these residents.

Thanks to Mike Mulligan and Sean Krause, of the Lost Creek CERT team, who took the time to walk and time the exit routes yesterday and pinpoint elevations with a GPS we were further educated as to just how difficult evacuation of that area will be. My impressions were that if you're over 50 you are going to have a rough go of it or if you are a young mom with small children it is going to be extremely hard to get out of the area soon enough.

Most notable in the area is no markings telling the folks which way to go. We told all that we could talk to and asked them to spread the word to their neighbors and to walk the evacuation route and time themselves. Why? Well with the big 9.2 earthquake scientists are predicting off our coast there will likely be only 12 to 15 minutes to get to high ground.

Thinking you don't need to know.... Wrong.. Ever go to the Aquarium? Where would you go if the Tsunami came? Like to eat at Fishtails? How about shopping for a new car at Toby Murrays? Eating at the 50's diner tonight? Showing company the Hatfield Museum? Do you know where to go? Have any ideas what a 9.2 earthquake will do to all the streets and roads? Think you are going to drive your car to safety..Not likely. Ever recommend to friends they camp out at Idaho Point?