Opinion
4A
Saturday, June 19, 2021
OUR VIEW
Learning
valuable
lessons
from history
ypically, Americans don’t spend a lot
of time looking backward but we must
know our own history so we can navi-
gate the future.
That’s why projects like the one in Wallowa by
the Wallowa History Center is notable. The center
seeks to create a four-building home for a sort of
historical compound that will include an interpre-
tive center and a research library on 1st and Mad-
ison streets.
The project has a ways to go but the fact that
such an idea is gaining steam in the community
is good news.
There is a lot of history in Eastern Oregon
and sometimes we all take it for granted. We
shouldn’t.
That’s because knowing our own heritage
helps us form opinions and develop ideas for the
future. As Americans, we spend a lot of time
moving into the future as fast as possible and fail
to stop and refl ect on our history.
Projects like the one in Wallowa and existing
facilities — such as the National Historic Oregon
Trail Interpretive Center near Baker City — can
provide citizens with a new, or even diff erent,
perspective regarding their ancestors. We need
more history, not less, and calm contemplation
about what it means for the future.
We don’t learn lessons well. The Vietnam War
taught a host of lessons but we didn’t seem able
to apply those experiences eff ectively in Iraq or
Afghanistan.
There is the old adage that those who fail to
learn from the mistakes of the past are destined to
repeat them. While the saying is often misused it
should resonate for us all.
Learning about how and why those who came
before us acted the way they did or what decision
they made under certain circumstances can help
us troubleshoot challenges that arise in the future.
Our history in Eastern Oregon is packed with
triumphs and tragedies and loss and redemption.
Every one of those stories holds a lesson. Let’s
make sure those lessons don’t fade away.
T
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Make a plan now to be prepared
for a wildfi re evacuation
MARY
WISTER
EYE TO THE SKY
icture this: You’re sitting at
home, enjoying dinner with
your family, when you look
outside and see smoke billowing
from a short distance away. You
walk outside and join your neigh-
bors, who are curious about the
source of the smoke. The wind has
picked up and the sky quickly turns
to an ominous gray.
Where’s the fi re? Fire engines
quickly pass by, but it’s obvious
the fi refi ghters have no time to stop
and answer questions. You grab
your phone to call 911 when your
neighbor states there is a Level 3
Evacuation, and everyone needs to
evacuate immediately. A wildfi re is
heading toward your neighborhood.
Are you ready?
The National Weather Ser-
vice, Emergency Management and
fi rst responders frequently discuss
the importance of creating emer-
gency kits. You can fi nd graphics
on social media with a list of items
necessary for an emergency. In
P
fact, you can probably list at least
several of these essential items
yourself — fl ashlights, batteries,
cellphone chargers, important doc-
uments and prescription drugs.
You also may state that you know
exactly where to fi nd these items.
The prescription drugs always are
sitting on the bedside table. All the
important documents are in the safe
along with your valuable items. The
fl ashlight and batteries are stored
together in the laundry room. The
phone charging station is on the
kitchen counter, and there’s always
food and water in the pantry.
That’s great to be organized and
know where your belongings are,
but can you gather these items in a
matter of minutes?
On your next weekend off
from work or school, devote that
weekend to something so simple
but so important that you will
wonder why you never did it in the
fi rst place. Prepare for a wildfi re
evacuation.
There are excellent resources
available for wildfi re preparedness.
By simply typing ready.gov into
your favorite browser, you can fi nd
detailed information for evacuation
plans due to a wildfi re. Using these
CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES
U.S. SENATORS
U.S. PRESIDENT
Joe Biden
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Comments: 202-456-1111
Ron Wyden
221 Dirksen Senate Offi ce Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5244
La Grande offi ce: 541-962-7691
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instructions, commit yourself to
make a plan and stick to it.
First and foremost, you and your
loved ones are on the top of that
list. Make sure everyone knows
that nothing in that house is more
important than their own safety. If
they have to leave immediately, then
leave.
It shouldn’t take more than two
full days to prepare your home and
family in case of an evacuation.
Put this on the top of your list of
things to do on your weekend, and
you’ll be glad you did. That fi shing
or camping weekend can wait for
another time. Does the car really
need to be washed on your next day
off ? Those weeds will just return as
fast as you pull them, so why bother?
I think you get the point.
Don’t put this on the back burner
any longer. Make a plan.
———
Mary Wister is a meteorologist
and fi re weather program manager
at the National Weather Service in
Pendleton. Wister serves as an inci-
dent meteorologist when large wild-
fi res or other natural hazards neces-
sitate an Incident Management
Team’s quick response to protect life
and property.
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