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FEBRUARY 18-19, 2017
141st Year, No. 90
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WINNER OF THE 2016 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
PENDLETON
Day One: Stay calm
Th e ‘big one’ would likely leave Eastern Oregon without power, communications
By JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
The biggest natural disaster in
the history of the United States,
with the power to alter life forever
in the Pacifi c Northwest, will
start in Eastern Oregon with the
rattling of windows.
That’s what the scientists say.
Rattling windows could mean
Cascadia — the “big one” — an 8.0
to 9.0 magnitude subduction zone
earthquake that seismologists at
Oregon State University predict has
about a one in three chance of hitting
Oregon and Washington in the next
50 years. Research suggests such
a quake has happened an average
of every 243 years and the last one
was more than 300 years ago.
It could happen 20 years from
now. It could happen after we’re all
Cayuse Technologies
has about 150 vacancies
By ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
Cascadia Rising
A large earthquake on the Cascadia subduction fault line in
the Pacific Ocean would shake the entire Pacific Northwest.
5
ub
du
mb
Colu ia
101
Chelan
Coulee Dam
WASHINGTON
Seattle
ine
lt l
Ground
shaking
intensity*
90
Wenatchee
90
Olympia
Severe
* Based on Modified
Mercalli Intensity scale
82
Longview
Astoria
Vancouver
lumbia Riv e r
Co
Portland
The
Dalles
84
Richland
Pasco
Lewiston
Walla Walla
Kennewick
Umatilla
Hermiston
Boardman
Pendleton
5
101
Salem
84
Corvallis
Redmond
Bend
Eugene
Scenario
epicenter,
magnitude
9.0 earthquake
Coos Bay
Council
John Day
OREGON
Burns
5
Enterprise
La Grande
e R
iv e
r
Weak
Ocean
Moderate
IDAHO
r
Snake R i v e
Yakima
Pacific
Strong
Spokane
Tacoma
5
Very strong
See CASCADIA/14A
Sn
ak
Ca
sc
ad
ia
s
dead. Or it could happen tomorrow.
If it happens tomorrow, the
Oregon Offi ce of Emergency
Management predicts Umatilla
County residents will likely
notice some light shaking for
four to six minutes, while some
Morrow County homes might
shake hard enough to knock over
unsecured furniture. Next, the
lights will probably go out. Then,
cell phones, landlines, the internet
and natural gas.
B.C., CANADA
Vancouver
fau
on
See JOBS/12A
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
A massive earthquake along the Cascadia Subduction Zone
could knock out communications throughout the region,
leaving vital rescue coordination efforts to ham radio operators
like Alan Plan, ARES/RACES coordinator in Umatilla County.
cti
Last week, Rocky Moun-
tain Colby Pipe Co. halted
production and laid off most
of their employees.
Rocky Mountain Colby
Pipe Vice President Bill
Quinn said he wasn’t sure
how many people were
given a pink slip, but said
only four employees remain
at the plumbing product
manufacturer’s Pendleton
facility. Quinn said “market
conditions” led to the closure
and the tentative plan is to
refi ll the positions during the
summer.
At a Pendleton Prog-
ress Board meeting Feb.
10, Pendleton economic
development director Steve
Chrisman told a group
of local leaders about the
layoffs but added that Rocky
Mountain Colby Pipe’s
loss could be Keystone RV
Company’s gain, along with
other local companies.
According to an interview
after the meeting, Chrisman
put together an informal
study on job vacancies in
Pendleton in December.
Chrisman said he expected
the number of unfi lled jobs
to be signifi cant but not
overwhelming.
After gathering informa-
tion from many of the area’s
major employers, Chrisman
said he was surprised by
the fi nal tally: 367 open
positions.
The study comes with
some caveats: the number of
vacancies can vary signifi -
cantly from month to month,
Chrisman only gathered
fi gures from roughly a dozen
businesses and organizations
and he wasn’t able to obtain
employment
information
from some large employers
like Blue Mountain Commu-
Editor’s note: This is the
fi rst in a week-long series
about preparing in Eastern
Oregon for a Cascadia
subduction zone earthquake.
R i ver
As some
jobs
vanish,
many
remain
unfi lled
Ontario
Boise
Caldwell
Nampa
84
Roseburg
101
Sources: Cascadia Rising
exercise scenario document;
U.S. Geological Survey,
Earthquake Hazards Program
Alan Kenaga/EO Media Group
Grants Pass
N
Medford
Klamath Falls
40 miles
Ashland
5
CALIFORNIA
NEVADA
Budget testimony focuses on preventing cuts
Education funding, crime lab
two biggest topics of Joint
Ways and Means Committee
By JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
Eastern Oregon residents told state
legislators Friday that increasing revenue
needs to be part of the plan for the next
biennium.
The Joint Ways and Means Committee,
which is responsible for crafting budget
policy for the state, listened to more than
two hours of testimony from a packed
house at Hermiston High School Friday
evening. Several of those testimonies
included a plea to raise corporate taxes
to keep important services like education
and public safety from suffering the
signifi cant cuts proposed by Governor
Kate Brown and legislative leaders.
“We should not have to be here pitting
services against each other,” said Ginger
Ogle of Pendleton.
As a former teacher, she said she
was “begging” the committee to raise
corporate taxes. The state could not
expect to improve educational outcomes
for Oregon students, she said, while
continuing to make budget decisions that
led to shorter school years, larger class
sizes and fewer programs.
Others in the healthcare industry
See BUDGET/12A
Staff photo by Jade McDowell
The legislature’s Joint Ways and Means Committee met at
Hermiston High School Friday.