THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, APRIL 6, 2015
NORTH COAST
3A
Hotels have ‘mixed emotions’ about tsunami plan
porates directing people to the
facility’s parking structure, said
Jon Rahl, director of tourism
for the Seaside Visitors Bureau.
By KATHERINE
LACAZE
EO Media Group
SEASIDE —The city of
Seaside is making an effort to
inform visitors about the risk
of a tsunami and arm them with
instructions for how to respond.
One of the means for dis-
seminating that information is
through sleeves for hotel room
keys, a method that has been
met with mixed responses from
guests, according to several ho-
tel managers.
Each sleeve states, “If you
feel an earthquake, a tsunami
may follow” and gives instruc-
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hold on during the earthquake;
second, move inland quickly or
use a local, evacuation route;
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“all clear” before returning to
the beach.
The city started distributing
the key sleeves during Seaside
Fire Department safety inspec-
tions late last fall. Facilities
have the option to incorporate
the sleeves into their safety
plan.
Among the hotels using
them so far are the Hi-Tide Re-
sort, the Rivertide Suites, the
Ebb Tide Resort and the Sand
& Sea Condominium.
Some businesses have to-
tally embraced the program
and the idea of the key sleeves,
while others have expressed
concern and have mixed emo-
tions, Seaside Fire Division
Chief Chris Dugan said.
The big picture
Debra Hudson, manager
of the Hi-Tide Resort, agreed.
While she appreciates the
city offering the key cards at
no charge, the response from
hotel guests has been most-
ly negative. For out-of-town
customers who are unaware of
the risk, being greeted up front
with a tsunami warning while
on vacation can be unnerving,
she said. The patrons often
will gasp or respond with anx-
iety, she said. No one has been
appreciative of the warning,
although she believes the key
cards are effective for increas-
ing awareness.
“It’s kind of a catch-22,”
Hudson said.
She’s gone through two
cases of the sleeves and has
requested more, but with busi-
ness picking up for the late
spring and summer months, she
is unsure whether she’ll contin-
ue to use them.
Mary Vellutini, general
manager of Sand & Sea, said
they haven’t experienced a sim-
ilar negative reaction.
“Basically, I think the pub-
lic is informed enough about
Seaside and the chance of the
tsunami,” she said.
Finding a balance between
Clatsop CASA needs volunteers
Training starts
next week
Community members who
have a few hours a month to
improve the life of a child, and
are able to be objective, make
commitments and speak out
on behalf of vulnerable chil-
dren, are needed to become
Clatsop Court Appointed Spe-
cial Advocates (CASAs). Vol-
unteer training, which takes
place at Clatsop Community
College, is from 6 to 9 p.m.,
starting April 15, and contin-
ues for six weeks.
Participants will gain un-
derstanding of the law and
child welfare system deal-
ing with child abuse and ne-
glect; child development,
attachment, permanence and
resiliency; substance abuse;
domestic violence; and other
issues which affect children’s
safety.
Upon successful comple-
tion of training, participants
will be appointed by the court
to advocate for the best inter-
ests of one or more children
in foster care, with the sup-
port and guidance of CASA
staff.
Volunteer
application
packets are available for
download online at www.
clatsop-casa.org. Call 503-
338-6063 or email casa@clat-
sopcasa.org for information
on CASA and its services to
children.
enticing visitors to come to
Seaside and enjoy their va-
cation and also spreading the
word about potential hazards,
such as earthquakes and tsuna-
mis, “is something this commu-
nity is always going to have a
challenge with,” Dugan said.
Over the slower winter
months, Sand & Sea has not
distributed that many key
sleeves, but with business pick-
ing up, Vellutini believes they’ll
start using more. She thinks
they will be effective in bring-
ing more attention to a potential
tsunami event and helping visi-
tors feel prepared.
“Any little bit of informa-
tion will help them in case we
do have a tsunami,” she said.
The hotel also has binders
in each unit with a page about
tsunamis that provide evacu-
ation instructions and maps.
Additionally, staff is trained to
direct people toward appropri-
ate evacuation routes.
Some hotels decided not to
use the key sleeves. Best West-
ern declined, citing a corporate
policy that prohibits using any
other key envelope but the ones
corporate approves. World-
mark by Wyndham already has
an evacuation plan that incor-
The key sleeves are the main
feature of the Seaside’s new
awareness initiative for hospi-
tality industries, which started
last spring when the Clatsop
County Emergency Manag-
er told the city funds from the
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department to distribute the
sleeves, Rahl said, because the
agency already has regular safe-
ty contact with hospitality work-
ers during annual inspections.
Other products have been
developed by the state as part
of a separate Oregon Coast Vis-
itor Tsunami Awareness proj-
ect. Those products, which are
available free of charge to hos-
pitality groups, include Living
on Shaky Ground magazine in
English and Spanish, a two-sid-
ed poster on earthquakes and
tsunamis, a printable table tent
with information and an Ore-
gon Tsunami Waves video that
can be played on in-room tele-
vision channels.
“I think not just this one
thing is going to be a cure all,
but I think it’s a cooperation or
coalition between all entities,”
Dugan said. “At least it gets
people talking about it.”
For information, call the
Seaside Visitors Bureau at 503-
738-3097.
Student choreographers show off talent
The Little Ballet The-
atre Choreographers Show-
case, featuring Little Ballet
Theatre company members
who are presenting their
own creative choreography,
takes place at 7:30 p.m. Fri-
day at the Liberty Theater.
The dancers, ranging in
age from 10 to 18, have the
opportunity each season,
to create their own danc-
es, selecting music of their
choice, and designing their
own costume. They appear
before a panel of adjudi-
cators the week before the
showcase, who critique
them on the staging, tech-
nique, music and costume
in relation to the choreog-
raphy.
There are 15 choreogra-
phers on the program, plus
some selected faculty-cho-
reographed pieces, includ-
ing a medley from “Cats,”
lyrical dances and hip-hop,
with choreographers Car-
leta Lewis-Allen, Emily
Madsen and Alice Thomp-
son.
Tickets are available at
the door, starting at 7 p.m.,
and cost $10 for general
admission or $5 for seniors
and children younger than
12. For information, call
503-861-1971.
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