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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 8, 2015)
4 A ❘ SATURDAY EDITION ❘ AUGUST 8, 2015 Siuslaw News P.O. Box 10 Florence, OR 97439 DISASTER PREP B Y D AVE R OBINSON Special to the Siuslaw News T he recent heat wave in our region has been, at worst, an inconvenience for most of us. Elsewhere in the Northwest there have been all manner of wildland fires resulting, according to one news report, in the loss of over 300 homes. That’s at least 300 families who were ordered to get out and find safety else- where. The need for evacuation is rare in our region as we don’t have the hurricanes, tor- nados or some of the other major weather events to which the rest of the nation is sub- jected. But at this writing, several major wildland fires are threatening more homes and scorching thousands of acres of forest land. Here’s the scene: Just imagine a lightning storm the night before. The news says 47 lightning strikes in our county have ignited 36 fires. Some have been contained, but firefighters from all over the Northwest are responding to several fires whose flames have been fanned by offshore winds and dry conditions aren’t helping matters. You are aware there are firetrucks running up and down the roads, airplanes are flying low overhead and just as you are sitting RYAN CRONK , EDITOR ❘ 541-902-3520 ❘ EDITOR @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM Opinion Evacuation down to dinner a deputy sheriff pulls into your driveway. He seems rushed and tells you in a matter-of-fact tone that all the resi- dences in your neighborhood are being evacuated. You have two hours to gather your things and go to a safer location. A million thoughts are flooding your mind: Where should we go? What should we take? Who does what? Right here is where panic can set in and you literally accomplish nothing of significance. Either that or you can gather your family and hand them each their assignments. The evacua- tion is underway and you and your loved ones will make an orderly retreat to your brother’s place in the next county. The experts tell us there are three levels of evacuation: Level 1: Be ready. Residents are encouraged to move livestock and pets out of the area. Evacuation is voluntary at this point. Level 2: Residents are ordered to leave soon. Roads are usually closed and entry to evacuated areas may be denied. Residents may have time to gather neces- sary items, but will do so at their own risk. Level 3: This is an order to leave immedi- ately, that imminent danger exists and there is no time to gather personal belongings. YESTERDAY’S NEWS Some evacuations are handled by giving the residents a sheet of paper containing some instructions. This can include the five “P’s” — People and Pets (and other live- stock), Papers (important documents), Prescriptions, including hearing aids, eye- glasses and your medications, Photographs, so your memories are preserved, and last is your Personal Computer. There is often invaluable, irreplaceable data on your hard drive. Of course, having a complete 72-hour kit at the ready is going to ease the task of what to take, but as always having a plan in place will eliminate a whole lot of confu- sion when the time comes to evacuate. When you have a plan, the panic factor, not to mention the stress on the marriage, is greatly diminished. Just keep in mind: The time to prepare is now, before there is an emergency. Dave Robinson is the postmaster in Bandon, Ore., and author of “Disaster Prep for the Rest of Us.” He may be contacted at disasterprep.dave@gmail.com. Visit his website for more disaster preparedness tips, www.disasterprepdave.blogspot.com. MOMENTS IN TIME The History Channel • On Aug. 10, 1776, news reaches London that the Americans have drafted the Declaration of Independence. Parliament was unwilling to negotiate with the American rebels and hired Hessians, German mercenaries, to help the British army crush the rebellion. • On Aug. 13, 1903, engineer Felix Wankel, inventor of a rotary engine, is born in Lahr, Germany. Wankel reportedly came up with the basic idea for a new type of internal combus- tion gasoline engine when he was only 17 years old. • On Aug. 15, 1914, the American-built Panama Canal, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, is inaugurated with the passage of the U.S. vessel Ancon, a cargo and passenger ship. Engineers moved nearly 240 million cubic yards of earth in constructing the 40- mile-long canal. • On Aug. 11, 1934, the first group of feder- al prisoners classified as “most dangerous” arrives at Alcatraz Island, a 22-acre rocky out- crop in San Francisco Bay. The convicts joined military prisoners left over from the island’s days as a U.S. military prison. • On Aug. 12, 1973, golfer Jack Nicklaus wins the PGA Championship for his 14th major title, surpassing Bobby Jones’ 43-year-old record. • On Aug. 16, 1984, John DeLorean, founder of the DeLorean Motor Company, is found not guilty due to entrapment after being charged with smuggling drugs in an effort to raise money for his struggling automobile com- pany. • On Aug. 14, 1994, Illich Ramirez Sanchez, the terrorist known as Carlos the Jackal, is cap- tured in Sudan by French intelligence agents. In 1975, Sanchez and his men took 70 OPEC offi- cials hostage at a Vienna conference, escaping with up to $50 million in ransom after killing three hostages. (c) 2015 King Features Synd., Inc. L ETTERS TO THE E DITOR P OLICY The Siuslaw News welcomes letters to the editor concerning issues affecting the LETTERS Grand Army Band What a lot of brass our Army has, and oboes, guitars and booming drums. Great entertainment from a group of talented men and women from our armed forces at the Florence Events Center, who played, sang and cut-up for our pleasure on July 28. Hope you were there to enjoy! Anne Kersey Florence Healthy food I just read Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s article (“Ten Best, Worst Foods for Health”) in the Aug. 1, 2015 issue of the Siuslaw News. After reading it, I was struck with an interesting thought. I wonder if eating the “10 best foods” and avoiding the “10 worst foods” really makes you live longer, or it just makes it seem longer? Bob Miller Florence Exciting election I would say that Donald Trump is pretty smart. He has everyone talking about him and it didn’t cost him a dime. Gobs of publica- tions have plastered his face in front of everyone on Earth, again at no cost to the Donald. Florence area and Lane County. He will probably burn out before the election, but he is say- ing things the other politicians won’t say that need to be addressed. Since Hillary Clinton may well be in jail before the election, this will prove to be an interesting election season. Martin Cable Florence Wonderful tribute You’ve got to visit Florence’s latest “claim to fame,” the Oregon Coast Military Museum. It is a major accomplishment for a community the size of Florence, and certainly speaks for the qual- ity and dedication of the people here. I have recorded its progress from the ground up and am total- ly amazed at what has been accomplished by so few very tal- ented and dedicated people. The quality of the work is of Smithsonian caliber and so fit- tingly displayed and arranged to depict their actual surroundings. It’s an outstanding and won- derful tribute to all of the sol- diers, sailors, marines and coast guard members who gave their life to win and maintain our free- dom and quality of life. Don’t miss it! Jim Kaul Florence Emailed letters are preferred. Handwritten or typed letters must be signed. All letters should be limited to about 300 words and must include the writer’s full name, address and phone number for verification. Letters are subject to editing for length, grammar and clarity. Publication of any letter is not guaranteed and depends on space available and the volume of letters received. Libelous and anonymous letters as well as poetry will not be published. All submissions become the property of Siuslaw News and will not be returned. Write to: Editor@TheSiuslawNews.com USPS# 497-660 Copyright 2015 © Siuslaw News John Bartlett Jenna Bartlett Ryan Cronk Susan Gutierrez Cathy Dietz Ron Annis Jeremy Gentry Publisher, ext. 327 General Manager, ext. 318 Editor, ext. 313 Advertising Director, ext. 326 Office Supervisor, ext. 312 Production Supervisor Press Manager DEADLINES: Wednesday Issue—General news, Monday noon; Budgets, four days prior to publication; Regular classified ads, Monday 1 p.m.; Display ads, Monday noon; Boxed and display classified ads, Friday 5 p.m. Saturday Issue—General news, Thursday noon; Budgets, two days prior to publication; Regular classified ads, Thursday 1 p.m.; Display ads, Thursday noon; Boxed and display classified ads, Wednesday 5 p.m. Soundings, Tuesday 5 p.m. NEWSPAPER SUBSCRIPTION RATES: In Lane County — 1-year subscription, $71; 10-weeks subscription, $18; Out of Lane County — 1-year subscription, $94; 10-weeks subscription, $24; Out of State — 1-year subscription, $120; Out of United States — 1-year subscription, $200; E-Edition Online Only (Anywhere) — 1-year subscription, $65. Mail subscription includes E-Edition. Website and E-Edition: www.TheSiuslawNews.com WHERE TO WRITE Published every Wednesday and Saturday at 148 Maple St. in Florence, Lane County, Oregon. A member of the National Newspaper Association and Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association. Periodicals postage paid at Florence, Ore. Postmaster, send address changes to: Siuslaw News, P.O. Box 10, Florence, OR 97439; phone 541-997-3441; fax 541-997-7979. All press releases may be sent to PressReleases@TheSiuslawNews.com. Pres. Barack Obama The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Washington, D.C. 20500 Comments: 202-456-1111 Switchboard: 202-456-1414 FAX: 202-456-2461 TTY/TDD Comments: 202-456-6213 www.whitehouse.gov Gov. Kate Brown 160 State Capitol 900 Court St. Salem, OR 97301-4047 Governor’s Citizens’ Rep. Message Line 503-378-4582 www.oregon.gov/gov U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden 221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg Washington, DC 20510 202-224-5244 541-431-0229 www.wyden.senate.gov FAX: 503-986-1080 Email: Sen.ArnieRoblan@state.or.us U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley 313 Hart Senate Office Bldg Washington, DC 20510 202-224-3753/FAX: 202-228-3997 541-465-6750 State Rep. Caddy McKeown (Dist. 9) 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1409 Email: rep.caddymckeown@state.or.us U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (4th Dist.) 2134 Rayburn HOB Washington, DC 20515 202-225-6416/ 800-944-9603 541-269-2609/ 541-465-6732 www.defazio.house.gov State Sen. Arnie Roblan (Dist. 5) 900 Court St. NE - S-417 Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1705 West Lane County Commissioner Jay Bozievich 125 E. Eighth St. Eugene, OR 97401 541-682-4203 FAX: 541-682-4616 Email: Jay.Bozievich@co.lane.or.us