6 A
SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2017
Oroville evacuation
DISASTER PREP
B Y D AVE R OBINSON
Special to the Siuslaw News
A
s I’m writing this, Oroville,
Calif., is under a mandatory
evacuation order. A couple of
days ago, the news reported a large
breach in the spillway due to erosion,
and the decision was made to lower
the water level in the reservoir.
Oroville is midway between
Redding, Calif., and Sacramento, a few
miles east of Interstate 5. Emergency
release orders went into effect late
Sunday afternoon accompanied by the
evacuation order. In excess of 100,000
cubic feet per second is being released
to bring down the water level and min-
imize impact in the event of further
structural failure.
Nearly 200,000 people are in the
process of evacuation. Freeways are
jammed and gas station/convenience
stores are doing a booming business.
One evacuee who spoke with a TV
reporter said his fifth-wheel trailer was
full but there was no diesel available
for his pickup — and that he would
have to take his chances as he headed
for Sacramento.
Others interviewed reported they
were going to stay with relatives and
others had made hotel reservations
before they left home.
This is a textbook example of the
necessity of being prepared. If your
family has a plan in place, a bag pre-
pared and a destination, then an order-
ly evacuation can take place in very
little time and you’re way ahead of the
crowds (And way less stress on the
marriage, I might add.)
The public is being assured that
downstream water levels are being
kept well below flood stage.
On another note, I want to make a
comment on an item I’m sure everyone
carries in their camping gear, survival
kit or go-bag: The space blanket.
They’re available everywhere and
fairly inexpensive as well. They take
up little space in your bag, but give the
impression of being life-saving if
needed. I received a “Tact Bivy” for
Christmas this year. This is, in
essence, a sleeping bag made from the
same material as a space blanket.
Keep in mind there are various grades
of space blanket, but most are a metal-
ized mylar-foil product that claim to
keep astronauts comfy in outer space.
The Tact Bivy comes packaged in a
nice draw-string nylon bag to keep it
folded, rolled and ready for use. Since
a few other members of my family
also received them for Christmas pres-
ents, we decided to give them a try. I
pulled mine out of the draw-string bag
and unrolled it on the floor. I reached
my hands inside to expand it out, the
same as you would with a paper sack
to open it for use. In doing so, I man-
aged to split a seam about 6 inches
along the side. I did manage to slither
inside, fully clothed on the carpet of
my living room with no further dam-
age to the Tact Bivy.
Space blanket technology isn’t
designed to insulate, rather it is
designed to reflect body heat. So if
you’re going to depend on your space
blanket to keep you alive out in the
elements, you may be wise to use it
instead as a fire reflector or windbreak
rather than trying to snuggle down out
of the cold night air.
Inside the Tact Bivy I did feel an
elevation in temperature, but then I
was fully clothed in my living room.
Reports of shredded space blankets on
rocks, sticks or other sharp objects are
common on the internet.
So if you still insist on making a
space blanket a part of your kit, be
sure to spend a little extra and get the
heavy duty version, but also make sure
a wool blanket is tucked away some-
where as well.
______________________
Dave Robinson is the postmaster in
Bandon, Ore., and author of “Disaster
Prep for the Rest of Us.” He may be
contacted at
disasterprep.dave@gmail.com. Visit
his website for more disaster prepared-
ness tips,
www.disasterprepdave.blogspot.com.
Wellspring, PeaceHealth offering free pain clinic
Wellspring Clinic, in part-
nership with PeaceHealth
Peace Harbor Medical Center,
are offering “Points of Grace,”
a community acupuncture pro-
gram essentially free of charge
to the public.
The program, which Patricia
Immel, Licensed Acupuncturist
of Wellspring Clinic started
years ago, is now being offered
weekly through a partnership
with
PeaceHealth
Peace
Harbor Medical Center’s
Community Benefit program.
“These partnerships are a
valuable opportunity to work
toward achieving better patient
outcomes, improving commu-
nity health and delivering more
efficient, cost-effective care,”
said Richard Yecny, Chief
Administrative Officer of
PeaceHealth Peace Harbor
Medical Center.
“Acupuncture can offer pain
relief that can offset the risk of
becoming reliant on medica-
tion. By partnering and ensur-
ing that the Points of Grace
program continues, we’re
increasing the community’s
access to valuable health serv-
ices while reducing the risk of
addiction to pain medication,”
Yecny said.
“I’ve seen individuals who
have been suffering from
chronic pain as the result of
injuries or constant headaches
who would come in once a
week and begin seeing positive
results in their long-term
health,” said Immel. “We’re
grateful for this partnership,
which allows us to continue
offering a more integrative,
holistic healthcare model to
those we serve.”
The Points of Grace clinic is
open to anyone in the commu-
nity, every Wednesday from 11
a.m. to 1 p.m., and appoint-
ments are not necessary.
Because PeaceHealth does not
fund POG entirely, it continues
to rely on modest donations
from attendees to help sustain
the program.
Wellspring Clinic is located
at 1845 Highway 126 at Park
Place, Suite H. For more infor-
mation, contact Wellspring
Clinic at 541-902-8860
Bridge crews to work 24
hours a day through March 3
Oregon Department of
Transportation reports that
Hamilton Construction crews
will be on site at the Siuslaw
River Bridge working 24
hours a day this week through
March 3, with high noise-gen-
erating activities expected
between 4 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Residents and those passing
by can expect to see contain-
ment structures begin to move
south on the bridge as progress
is made.
As requested by residents
and the City of Florence, a
fence is being placed around
the staging yard west of Old
Town on Bridge Street. Crews
expect for most work to move
to the south end of the bridge
soon, but there will continue to
be a staging yard at that loca-
tion.
The Siuslaw River Bridge
Cathodic Protection Project is
repairing damaged concrete,
replacing bridge railings, and
constructing sidewalk features
at the bridge ends.
A major portion of the proj-
ect is to install cathodic pro-
tection that includes a zinc sur-
face coating to protect the
structure from corrosion.
Sandblasting the bridge and
spraying the zinc coating are
noisy operations that must be
done separately, in contain-
ment structures. The project is
scheduled to be completed in
March 2019.
More information on the
project is available at www.
Siuslawbridge.com.
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AT ADA GRANGE #570
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18TH
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