6A • August 28, 2015 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com
In an emergency, look for the yellow signs
Cannon Beach
takes ‘community
approach’ to
emergency planning
By Dani Palmer
Cannon Beach Gazette
When an emergency hits,
the city of Cannon Beach
intends to be ready, and it
wants the community to play
a part.
During a City Council
work session Tuesday, Aug.
11, Emergency Management
Consultant Stacy Burr gave
a presentation on the com-
munity emergency asset pro-
gram, which aims to coordi-
nate community resources
to protect lives and property
following a disaster.
After stocking up on food
and water at its three emergen-
cy cache sites for three years,
Cannon Beach currently has
enough to support about 1,500
people short-term, Public
Works Director Dan Grassick
said. Money is in the general
budget to replace those items
when needed.
The city also encourages
residents to prepare go-bags,
¿OOHGZLWKLWHPVVXFKDVIRRG
and water to last at least 24
hours after a disaster, and
offers barrels for residents to
purchase and store supplies
in. About 100 are currently
in use.
“That program remains
intact and we hope to ex-
pand it,” City Manager Brant
Kucera said.
He said the city needs
to establish a “more robust
framework” for dealing with
potential emergencies.
During an Emergen-
cy Preparedness Commit-
tee meeting in July, Mayor
Sam Steidel said staff need
to work on helping “people
stay alive” for longer than a
few days.
B u r r
said the city
needs
to
take more
preparatory
measures
to
build
disaster-re-
sistant and
resilient
Stacy Burr
resources,
be collaborative with com-
munity organizations and
be coordinated to provide
effective response and re-
covery.
“A more sophisticated
understanding of a commu-
nity’s needs and capabilities
DOVROHDGVWRDPRUHHI¿FLHQW
use of existing resources,”
she said.
The program’s goals in-
clude developing continuity
of operations and a govern-
ment plan, and an emergen-
cy operations plan that re-
ÀHFWV WKH ZKROH FRPPXQLW\
approach at each of the cache Signs at Chapman Beach.
sites.
REX AMOS/FOR CANNON BEACH GAZETTE
warning visitors of hazards such as
rip currents and sneaker waves at
beach access points. They also list
Kucera is listed as the
emergency manager under
prohibited activities such as littering
the city manager job de- By Dani Palmer
DQG¿UHZRUNV
scription, but Emergency Cannon Beach Gazette
“Unfortunately, accidents happen
Preparedness
Committee
on the beach. Rolling logs, rip tides
Chairwoman Karolyn Ad-
and unstable cliffs are all potentially
A new, bright yellow sign stands
amson said the city needs to in front of homes on Chapman Beach
dangerous,” said Calum Stevenson,
address the fact many staff, The sign is part of an Oregon Parks
Oregon Parks ocean shore specialist.
including Kucera, don’t live and Recreation Department beach
“Our goal was to clearly convey in-
in the city.
formation that will keep visitors safe,
safety project, meant to speed emer-
She added that residents gency response. The signs are new to
like staying back from cliff edges and
PD\ ¿QG WKHPVHOYHV DW D Sgt. Matt Phillips, Search and Res-
staying off logs. At the same time, we
cache site without an author- cue coordinator
also aimed to re-
LW\ ¿JXUH 7KH GLVFRYHU\ RI for the Clatsop
duce sign clutter
guns in personal emergency County Sheriff’s
and create a con-
‘‘I do know from experience that people,
barrels has already raised 2I¿FH
sistent and pro-
especially from out of the area, have a hard
safety concerns.
But he’s no
fessional mes-
time relaying information to responders.’
“Unless we can schedule stranger to the
sage from north
emergencies between 8 and guessing game.
to south.”
5, we need to have an inci-
“I do know
The signs are
Sgt. Matt Phillips, Search and Rescue coordinator for the Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office
dent commander who lives from experience
as close as 1/4
Assessing needs
in Cannon Beach,” Council- that people, es-
mile apart near
pecially from out
The community emer- RU0LNH%HQH¿HOGVDLG
population cen-
Burr noted someone at of the area, have a hard time relaying Coast Guard in water or air rescues, a ters and up to two miles apart or more
gency asset program is
in remote areas.
based on the Federal Emer- the city level, perhaps the information to responders,” Phillips better idea of where to start looking.
In addition to the numbered signs,
The $78,000 project was funded
gency Management Agen- ¿UH FKLHI RU SXEOLF ZRUNV said.
The state’s Park and Recreation De- Oregon Parks and Recreation in- by visitor fees and Oregon lottery
cy’s “whole community ap- director, could serve as that
partment began installing the signs at stalled more than 200 safety signs dollars dedicated to state parks.
proach” in which residents, leader.
“It doesn’t mean the com-
emergency managers, com-
munity leaders and govern- munity isn’t a critical part of
PHQWRI¿FLDOVZRUNWRJHWKHU the conversation,” she add-
to assess needs and deter- ed.
It’s just that the city is ob-
mine how to best strengthen
ligated to provide services
assets, Burr said.
Those assets include food, while a community member
C ONSTRUCTION
C ONSTRUCTION
water, medical resources, may decide to ignore an old-
transportation, continuity of er population, for example,
B OB M C E W AN C ONSTRUCTION , INC .
government assets and more. in order to provide more
Cannon Beach budgeted food to a younger one.
E XCAVATION • U NDERGROUND U TIITIES
Burr said staff are aiming
nearly $40,000 for hooking
R OAD W ORK • F ILL M ATERIAL
up water and power services to have those draft emergen-
S ITE P REPARATION • R OCK
to the cache container and as- cy operation plans ready to
“Helping shape the character of Cannon Beach since 1973”
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So who is in charge?
state, federal and county beach access
points from the Columbia River jetty
to Crissey Field at the California bor-
GHU LQ 7KH ¿UVW ZDV SODFHG LQ
Lincoln City and Devil’s Lake. The
signs are designed to be easily seen
by beachgoers in emergencies, so they
can relay the number to 911 dispatch-
ers who will have the GPS coordinates
QHHGHGWRGLUHFW¿UVWUHVSRQGHUV
Signs like the Chapman Point 13
should give people a better idea of
where they are, he added, and emer-
gency responders, including the U.S.
State wants quicker
emergency responses
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