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SATURDAY EDITION
❘ OCTOBER 29, 2016 ❘ $1.00
STATE
BOUND
Monday, Oct. 31
SPORTS — B
126TH YEAR ❘ ISSUE NO. 86
SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890
Local Red Cross
volunteers aid
hurricane victims
Mapleton
students look
FLORENCE, OREGON
BEYOND
3 Florence residents help
with emergency food
distribution
B Y J ACK D AVIS
Three area Red Cross volunteers traveled
to the east coast earlier this month to help
with emergency food distribution in the wake
of Hurricane Matthew.
Pat and Sue Beckham drove a Red Cross
Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV) from
Eugene to South Carolina. Linda Stent and
Jillian Bohrer, a volunteer from Portland,
were originally assigned to drive another
ERV from Portland to Mobile, S. C.
“We made it almost to Sacramento before
we had to turn around and return to Portland
because of mechanical issues with the ERV,”
Stent said. “We then received a new assign-
ment and flew out to Wilmington, North
Carolina.”
They arrived in Wilmington on Oct. 11,
two days after Matthew turned off shore.
“We ended up being ‘stationed’ in Fair
Bluff, N. C., a small town that was hit hard by
flooding,” Stent said.
“Houses were still with water in them,
there was no electricity in most of the town
and businesses were closed. There was no
place in town to obtain hot food except for
our truck. If a house had its electricity
restored, often the food in the refrigerator was
spoiled,” she added.
According to Stent, the town was under a
dusk-to-dawn curfew.
“Anyone entering the town had to pass
through a National Guard checkpoint and
show proof of residency,” Stent said.
In addition to the hot lunches and dinners,
Stent and Bohrer distributed out of the back
of the Red Cross ERV, the Salvation Army set
PHOTOS BY MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS
High school students in the new “Beyond Me” program keep environments tidy and learn how to work in a group.
12 seniors lead Mapleton High School’s New “Beyond Me” program to give back to community
B Y M ARK B RENNAN
Siuslaw News
tudents at Mapleton High
School are getting an oppor-
tunity to participate in a new
school program that will not only
count towards completing their
degree requirements, but also
enhance their school and their
community.
The program is called “Beyond
Me” and, according to Mapleton
High School Principal Brenda
S
Moyer, it is designed to increase
sional and requires students to
participation for not only students, complete a total of 50 hours of
but also all staff members at the
service in three different areas.
high school.
The seniors in each group are con-
She said, “Everybody here is
sidered group leaders and are
involved, from the administrative
charged with overseeing the com-
assistant that sits
at the front desk,
“ It’s not just about their environment. It’s
to all the aides
about leadership, ownership and school pride.”
and all the
— Principal Brenda Moyer
teachers, includ-
ing myself. We
are all assigned to a group.”
pletion of tasks in their areas of
The program is multi-dimen-
interest.
RED CROSS 11A
COURTESY PHOTO
Linda Stent, one of three Florence-area
Red Cross volunteers, accepts a contain-
er of hot meals from a Southern Baptist
Convention volunteer for distribution to
victims of Hurricane Matthew in the
North Carolina town of North Bluff.
See
BEYOND 11A
B E R EADY D ISASTER P REPAREDNESS E XPO
Expo next Saturday at the Florence Events Center helps coast residents prepare for the worst
B Y M ARK B RENNAN
Siuslaw News
See
According to Moyer, the seniors
are accepting the new responsibili-
ties with enthusiasm.
“There are 12 groups because
we have 12 seniors, so each group
is assigned what we call an envi-
ronment, and they take care of
that environment,” Moyer said.
The “environment” that each
group chooses has to be cleaned
and maintained as part of the pro-
gram requirements.
he recent focus in the local
community on preparation
and preparedness for a nat-
ural disaster continues next
Saturday with a free informational
expo at the Florence Events Center.
The Oregon Coast Be Ready
Disaster Preparedness Expo will be
presented Nov. 5 and will feature
Mykel Hawke from the Travel
Channel series “Lost Survivors,”
along with state and local prepared-
ness experts.
One of Florence’s most impor-
tant community organizations in
the field of preparedness is the
Community Emergency Response
Team (CERT). CERT seeks to
assist Florence residents in the
preparations necessary to deal with
problems when they arise.
According to CERT director
Frank Nulty, the goal of the organi-
T
MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS
Community Emergency Response Team
Leader Frank Nulty
zation is simple.
“We are here to help residents
get prepared for the things that are
a potential emergency for us. Once
you know what the hazards are in
your particular community, then
you can go ahead and prepare for
those hazards,” he said.
Recognizing specific local dan-
gers and putting a plan in place
before a disaster occurs is essential
to effective response, according to
Nulty.
He said, “It really has to do with
who’s going to be there to help you,
and that’s probably going to be
your neighbors. We encourage
folks to have one or two neighbors
that are CERT qualified.”
Nulty added that he conducts
CERT certification classes twice a
year, and is currently finishing up
this fall’s classes.
“Having a CERT member as part
of your neighborhood team will
help when it comes time to actually
say, Hey, a big disaster occurred,
what do we do and who does what
and when do they do it,” said Nulty,
who pointed out that in addition to
expo headliner Hawke, state offi-
cials would also be making presen-
tations.
Nulty added that the information
shared at the expo will be important
for residents and public officials
and encouraged all to attend the
event.
See
BE READY 11A
Motorcycle, car crash near Sutton Lake proves fatal
Oregon State Police report says speed, rain contribute to deadly collision
INSIDE
A speeding motorcyclist died Wednesday
after colliding with a 2012 Hyundai sedan at
the intersection of Highway 101 and Sutton
Lake Road, north of
B Y J ACK D AVIS
Florence at about 2 p.m.
Siuslaw News
Wednesday.
Florence resident
Blaine Kahle was driving the sedan and was
uninjured.
The 19-year-old motorcyclist, identified as
Ryan W. Petersmann from Laramie Wyo.,
was pronounced deceased at the scene.
According to an Oregon State Police (OSP)
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report, Kahle came to a stop at the Sutton
Lake Road stop sign, and then proceeded to
turn south onto Highway 101 when the acci-
dent occurred.
The motorcycle struck the sedan as it
pulled onto the highway, which caused
Petersmann to eject from the motorcycle.
A preliminary investigation by OSP
revealed Petersmann’s 1984Honda motorcy-
cle was traveling northbound on Highway
101 at a high rate of speed, using the center
turn lane to pass other vehicles just prior to
the crash.
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THIS WEEK ’ S
OSP reported that witnesses stated the
motorcycle did not have a headlight, had been
traveling at a high rate of speed and that there
was limited visibility at the time of the crash,
due to rain.
Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue and
Western Lane Ambulance responded to the
incident.
Fire Marshal Sean Barrett said, “Drive cau-
tiously this time of year. Don’t be in a hurry.”
No further information will be released at
this time.
TODAY
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WEATHER
Full Forecast, A3
OREGON STATE POLICE PHOTO
A Wyoming man died Wednesday after his
motorcycle collided with a sedan on Highway
101 near Sutton Lake Road.
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