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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 26, 2015)
OPINION 6A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2015 Who will save us when the big one hits? H ow scared are you? INITIAL RESPONSE IN THE EVENT OF DISASTERS If “The Next Really Play 1: Notification, activation and Management Big One” in The New Yorker and authorities Play 6: Planning and Prioritization “Unprepared” on Oregon Public Play 2: Life safety Play 7: Emergency Repairs STEPHEN A. FORRESTER, Editor & Publisher Broadcasting, haven’t worked your Play 3: Damage assessment Play 8: Outside Assistance LAURA SELLERS, Managing Editor Play 4: Mass Care and Sheltering Play 9: Begin Recovery nerves, please check your pulse. Play 5: Logistics and Resource BETTY SMITH, Advertising Manager An overdue natural disaster could devastate our region — if the quake CARL EARL, Systems Manager doesn’t get you, the tsunami will. work,” Johnson said. “There are others JOHN D. BRUIJN, Production Manager While we’ve been trying to decide that have done less so. While we have DEBRA BLOOM, Business Manager whether we’re living with Chicken Lit- these siloed plans, we don’t have, in my tle or The Boy Who Cried Wolf, it real- view, a consistent expectation for what HEATHER RAMSDELL, Circulation Manager makes communities resilient.” ly doesn’t matter. We need the answer She said she’s seen the Cascadia to, “If the worst happens, where do we Playbook. “I was up at Camp Rilea turn?” when Gov. Kitzhaber rolled it out,” 7KDW¶VZKHUHVWDWHRI¿FLDOVVD\WKH Johnson said. “I don’t want to criticize Cascadia Playbook comes in. B Y somebody else’s work product, but I \While it’s not exactly easy reading R.J. don’t know how a high-level planning — the operational plan “doesn’t have M ARX document translates into on-the-ground any narrative, any context, a plan or for- action. mat,” said Laurie Holein, deputy direc- “I think there’s a lot more to be done WRURIWKH2UHJRQ2I¿FHRI(PHUJHQF\ on the ground,” she added. Management — the playbook is touted State money is available for state ret- as the state and federal government’s go-to document should the earth begin SURYLGHV D FKHFNOLVW IRU VWDWH RI¿FLDOV UR¿WVIRUSXEOLFEXLOGLQJVVKHVDLGEXWLQ cAndrew Burns brought Talking Tombstones to the to move. based on federal, state and local emer- VRPHFDVHVWKHVHUHWUR¿WVPDNHQRVHQVH But how valuable is it really? gency response plans, which will also ²IRUH[DPSOHZKHQDVFKRRORU¿UH- Clatsop County Historical Society from Caldwell, State Sen. Betsy Johnson, be carried out during the earthquake house is in a tsunami zone. That’s going Kansas, where he saw it in 1995. to be more complicated,” Johnson said. D-Scapoose, says it won’t make much and tsunami. “If you take Seaside as an example, they This is not for the faint of heart. The idea is that actors play ography, as well as the way of a difference if we’re not prepared at didn’t have site control when they went the local level. The Playbook considers the “worst an incarnation of the deceased, Americans once regarded cem- “I think there’s more disasters we would ever out for their school bond.” in area cemeteries. The concept eteries and the dead. In order to get site control, Sea- to meeting this threat face in the state of Ore- side needs to go outside the city’s ur- is perfectly suited to the long gon,” she said. In speaking about biography, than putting up little The only A Cascadia Sub- ban-growth boundary. “Expanding any and storied history of this place. the late Elizabeth Crownhart signs saying, ‘We’re tsu- thing nami ready,’” she said. duction earthquake — a urban-growth boundary is incredibly If you have read Astorians: Vaughan, an Oregon historian, “It’s OK in a high-level full eruption of the 700- complicated,” Johnson said, evidenced Eccentric and Extraordinary, said that to speak of the dead document to say we take everyone mile subduction zone by the long, well-attended and volumi- — would be “absolutely nously documented meetings held in which our company published is to bring them back to life. care of our disabled, but seems to in 2010, you know that our That was an element in the rural what’s the practical re- recognize the worst event we would Seaside over past months. ality for getting some face here,” Holein said. graveyards are a font of great cemetery movement, which was person who weighs 300 Get your go-bag “We wrote it with that di- now is literature. Or theater in this case. infused with the transcendental SRXQGV GRZQ IURP ¿YH All these tsunami pieces seem to saster in mind and tried to a very comprehensive have a common thread, sort of like the Sunday marked the 12th movement of the 19th century stories?” the risk. do inventory of what kind ¿QDOHVRIThe Titanic or The Towering Talking Tombstones event. and its metaphysical meaning. The Playbook of things are going to be Inferno. At Clatsop Plains Pioneer As Burns told Erick Bengel, In 2014, state’s Adjutant Gen. Dan- required.” Full disclosure: I don’t even own Cemetery, actors David Reid, cemeteries in decades long past LHO5+RNDQVRQRIWKH2UHJRQ2I¿FH There could be 25,000 fatalities, D JREDJ %XW , DP SXUFKDVLQJ ÀDVK- Matt Hensley and others played were places of picnicking and of Emergency Management had a very more than 10,000 buildings destroyed lights, putting meds and tools in one good idea: a tool to demystify “the very and damaged; 10,000 or more people in place, and reviewing routes should the characters ranging from a poet reminiscing. large mountain of things: that needed to need of shelter and $50 billion in eco- ground shake. known as “the Bard of Clatsop” That is exactly the great thing be coordinated,” as described by Hole- nomic losses. “We’re really glad the public is play- Actions list how and when to trigger ing attention to the topic right now,” to an Astoria mayor who was about Talking Tombstones. In in. “Break it down with all the different a federal disaster declaration, collect Holein said. “ We want them to know UHPRYHGIURPRI¿FHDQGIRXJKW an era driven by technology — players.” The document would detail how bodies, transport supplies, or provide we are working very diligently in our KLV ZD\ EDFN LQWR RI¿FH WR D when too often we carry the VWDWHRI¿FLDOVVKRXOGUHVSRQGLQWKH¿UVW help in areas destroyed by the quake. ¿HOGWRPDNHVXUHZHDUHUHFRJQL]LQJ woman whose son, a judge, was delusion that we live beyond 14 days following a magnitude 9.0 Cas- Shelter, feeding, medical care, animal and addressing the needs of these type of event, and there’s a call to action for gunned down on Commercial the reach of history, this event cadia Subduction Zone earthquake and care — all are critical elements. citizens, as well. They need to realize tsunami off the West Coast. Street. reminds us of the great humani- All that and a bag of chips? this threat exists and they need to be The playbook is “a quick reference This is great entertainment. ty that walked the streets of our guide to what things need to be done,” But Johnson said this week she prepared on their own to be resilient for Holein said. “It’s kind of like an avia- doesn’t quite see it as the be all and end at least two weeks.” It also is a healthy link to bi- towns long before we arrived. The only thing everyone seems to WRU¶V FKHFNOLVW EHIRUH KH ¿UHV XS WKH all of emergency preparedness. “No, I’m not happy with the mea- recognize now is the risk. engine: what things need to make sure “If residents live close to the coastal they’re getting done, check the fuel, sures the state has taken,” she said. “We check, have you done that with that have too many agencies acting unilat- area, they need to be very aware, and erally. There is not a consistent coordi- if they happen to be someone near the gauge, check.” Hokanson proposed the playbook nation. It appears that the planning is shoreline, if and when there is that quaking, they need to get to higher to former Gov. Jon Kitzhaber and the episodic.” Johnson added the Legislature tried ground as soon as possible,” Holein ¿UVW &DVFDGLD 3OD\ERRN ZDV ERUQ LQ to rectify this in the last session, with a said “They may have 10 to 15 minutes 2014. Gov. Kate Brown liked the plan, too, resilience person in Gov. Kate Brown’s to get to higher ground. Everything else DQG WKLV VXPPHU WKH 2I¿FH RI (PHU- RI¿FHUHVSRQVLEOHGLUHFWO\WRWKHJRY- can be replaced — but lives can’t.” R.J. Marx is The Daily Astorian’s Management hailed the release ernor. here was fascinating news smaller marine mammals, the gency Many cities along the coast “have South County reporter and editor of of the updated document. The new last week about southern Puget Sound orcas are strictly Playbook, released with some fanfare incredibly engaged constituents that the Seaside Signal and Cannon Beach resident killer whales that have ¿VKHDWHUV VWURQJO\ SUHIHUULQJ for an agency usually in the shadows, have done a lot of forward-looking Gazette. Founded in 1873 SOUTHERN EXPOSURE Bringing the dead to life Talking Tombstones does it again M Is this a game changer for salmon? Iconic Northwest species enters our waters T an extensive connection to the &ROXPELD5LYHU7KHVHVFLHQWL¿F ¿QGLQJVFRXOGKDYHDPDMRULP- pact on salmon management and the hydroelectric system. For many years there were occasional reports of orcas be- LQJ VHHQ E\ ¿VKHUPHQ ZRUNLQJ offshore in the Columbia River plume. Starting in 2013, a sat- ellite-tracking program showed how they also range up and down the outer coast. They ap- pear to bide their time, waiting for returning Chinook salmon to begin congregating near the Columbia’s mouth. Last week’s most atten- tion-grabbing orca news in- volved a different new technol- ogy — use of a camera drone this fall to conduct a thorough survey of the J, K and L pods in Washington’s Puget Sound. Photos reveal the orcas’ every- day behavior, without the drone appearing to disturb them in any way. The 82 famous kill- er whales are doing very well, with new 2015 calves fattening and additional females showing signs of pregnancy. This is ex- traordinarily promising news for animals that are counted among the eight most endangered spe- cies in the U.S. This comes in a year of healthy Chinook salmon runs, especially to the Columbia- Snake system. The annual count is now above 1.3 million return- ees to Bonneville Dam. Unlike transient killer whales that range DURXQGWKH1RUWK3DFL¿FKXQWLQJ Chinook. This abundant year has clearly set off an enthusiastic round of baby-making. An unfortunate fact of life for orcas — and everything else that relies on salmon — is that runs ÀXFWXDWH 7KLV \HDU¶V H[WUHPH 3DFL¿F 1RUWKZHVW GURXJKW DQG the warm El Niño waters now GRPLQDWLQJ WKH 3DFL¿F PD\ mean a sharp decline in salmon two to four years from now. A thorough report by The Seattle Times (www.tinyurl. com/TimesOrcaStory) explores the Puget Sound orcas’ strong Columbia River connectio.nThis news is bringing a renewed inter- est in returning the Snake River WR D QDWXUDOÀRZ UHJLPH VRPH- thing that would require bypass- ing four hydroelectric dams. This has been a nonstarter for re- gional politicians for years. But the amazing popularity of orcas and stringent federal legal pro- tections conferred on them could be a game-changer. While dam removal could eventually enhance salmon runs, the orca-Columbia con- nection could also bring addi- WLRQDO ¿VKLQJ UHVWULFWLRQV QRWD- bly in years when salmon are in short supply. It is anybody’s guess how all this orca news will balance out IRUORFDO¿VKHUPHQ%XWLW¶VVWLOO fun knowing our local waters play such a key part in the lives of this iconic Northwest species. We look forward to many more sightings this winter and next spring. Open forum Lost in translation makers have learned anything. We can’t keep making the same mistakes. As the editorial points out, we leg- islators need to exercise our power to ensure state agencies are providing services they are paid to. We cannot sit helplessly in hearing rooms, trying to read between the lines of testimony that may not be truthful. SEN. BETSY JOHNSON Salem The people who were at the fore- front of this venture were primarily hanks for the editorial “Do a more realtors or vacation home owners. Re- rigorous job” (The Daily Astorian, altors saw that they could price a home Oct. 20) calling for legislators to do about on third higher if it was promot- a more rigorous job of holding state ed as a “potential vacation rental.” The agencies ac- asking price (and their commissions) countable. grew exponentially. Almost all homes If something that had previously been long-term was lost in trans- rentals disappeared. There are over 200 vacation rentals on the books in lation in my Oct. Seaside now. This contributed heavily 9 radio broad- to the crisis in available housing that cast of “This Why the strikes? we now face. Week With Or- n response to the article “Propos- The only part of the so-called or- egon State Sen. al seeks to try and keep port open dinance that Seaside adopted that can Betsy John- during labor disputes” (The Daily Asto- be enforced is the noise ordinance. No son,” please be State Sen. rian, Oct. 16): This article was excellent one at city hall is available to come out assured I am Betsy Johnson in laying out all the problems and costs during any weekend to enforce it. The not suggesting police, who are all residents have, and it related to the strike for businesses. that citizens be :KDW , ¿QG VWUDQJH ZKHQHYHU WKLV is hard to ask them to leave their regular called upon to act as watchdogs. The citizens do enough already. As it is, it subject is discussed — whether it be duties to come have a car moved out of seems that everybody in the state of on TV, the newspapers or the web — is your driveway, or cool the jets on the Oregon is already on a task force. We that they always seem to fail to mention party next door. Residents here actually became don’t need any more task forces or citi- why the workers are striking. Balanced reporting, in my view, would require afraid to approach some vacation rent- zen committees. al “guests” because of their volatility My proposal is for a Legislative that. We are left with no explanation when confronted. Even the requirement Committee on Accountability, estab- lished by statute, and dedicated to about whether the workers could sup- of an off-site manager, who is no more watch-dogging how agencies are per- port their families on their salaries, if than 15 minutes away, is not enough in forming. This committee would be they have adequate medical coverage some cases. Look at who is asking you to make comprised of equal numbers of Demo- for on the job injuries, or whatever their this change to your town. Follow the cratic and Republican legislators. Most side of the problem is. JEAN HOOGE money. Should you enact an ordinance, importantly, it would decide which state Astoria do you have the staff to enforce it? programs to audit. What liability is the city accepting for This is meant as no criticism against the safety of visitors to vacation rentals? WKH6HFUHWDU\RI6WDWHDSDUWLVDQRI¿FH Turn into Seaside? The time and expense involved in in- that currently handles audits. It’s more pen letter to the Gearhart City specting and approving applications for appropriate that the bipartisan legisla- Council: I am not a Gearhart res- licensing are high. Is Gearhart willing ture — the people’s branch of the gov- ernment — should make the policy de- ident, but have lived in Seaside for 27 to accept this cost, to placate a fraction cisions about where audits are directed. years, and fought the original use of va- of its population? Please look carefully at what you Only a couple of years ago, our citi- cation rentals in residential zoning here. zens suffered the costly failure of Cov- I would like to make a few observations would be getting yourselves into. All it did here in Seaside was make a bundle er Oregon. Several of my legislative as you set out on this journey. Residential zoning was virtually for those who originally promoted it. colleagues felt we had been deceived about where the money was spent and eliminated by this ordinance. Every Residents suffered the consequences. neighborhood is now a motel zone. We still do. You have a wonderful town, how the project was going. After this past 2015 legislative Those of us who live here year-round known for its liveability. Do you really session, when similar questions were no longer know who our neighbors will want to turn it into Seaside? SANDY REA raised about other programs, Orego- be from week to week. Some are not Seaside nians are right to question whether law- very nice. T I O
