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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 2, 2016)
N OV . 2, 2016 • D ISASTER P REPARATION 3 FLORENCE, A CITY IN MOTION How Oregon’s premiere coastal community is preparing its citizens for emergencies mergency Management with- in the City of Florence is a coordinated effort between the City Manager's Office, the Police Department and the Public Works Department, with support from our other city programs and depart- ments. As a city, we plan for emergencies varying from the typical storms to the Cascadia earthquake and result- ing tsunami. Our crews are constant- ly monitoring the status of our infra- structure in order to maintain high service levels for our citizens. The City of Florence is a founding member of the West Lane Emergency Operations Group (WLEOG), which coordinates regional emergency management, preparedness, education, and response. This group was formed from the need to coordinate emer- gency preparation and response efforts in the wake of a Cascadia event. Planning for the catastrophic event allows our agencies to work E SIUSLAW NEWS FILE PHOTO together and coordinate efforts, which results in our ability to respond efficiently and effectively to the more frequent and smaller events. A special publication of the Siuslaw News P.O. Box 10 148 Maple Street Florence, OR 97439 541-997-3441 www.TheSiuslawNews.com Copyright 2016 • Siuslaw News and Central Coast Publishing • No part of this publication may be duplicated without permission P UBLISHER J OHN B ARTLETT G ENERAL M ANAGER J ENNA B ARTLETT E DITOR N ED H ICKSON P RODUCTION R ON A NNIS F EATURES E DITOR & D ESIGN / LAYOUT C HANTELLE M EYER A DVERTISING S USAN G UTIERREZ – DIRECTOR J EANNA P ETERSEN A LISON T APLIN O FFICE S UPERVISOR C ATHY D IETZ Both the City of Florence and our WLEOG partner agencies encourage citizens to prepare themselves and their families for emergency situa- tions. Emergency Preparedness is essen- tial for individuals and families. You and your family need to take the proper measures to be prepared in case of a natural disaster. Mother Nature can be very unpredictable and, if you are prepared and have the proper supplies on hand, then it will help eliminate some of the stress while you are trying to recu- perate from an emergency situation. Visit the WLEOG website for information on what to include in your emergency supplies at www.wleog.org. Visit www.ci.florence.or.us/em for more information on Emergency Management in the City of Florence, including registering your cell phone to receive emergency alerts, tsunami information, tsunami evacuation maps, individual pre- paredness steps and what the differ- ent tsunami siren tones mean. — Submitted by Megan Messmer, city projects planner and WLEOG chairwoman At expo, ‘Be Ready’ to learn upplies for 72 hours might be OK for a California-style, 30-second earthquake — but not the kind that is expected to happen here on the Oregon coast. It is estimated that coastal populations may be cut off from services for a minimum of 10 days. The Siuslaw News and West Lane Emergency Operations Group planned the Be Ready Disaster Preparedness Expo in order to connect residents on the coast with businesses and emer- gency service providers to raise aware- ness about disaster preparedness. “This event is a great opportunity for residents on the Oregon coast to learn how to prepare for and recover from disasters such as tsunamis, earthquakes and floods,” Jenna Bartlett, Siuslaw News general manager and event organizer. This free event will feature interac- S tive vendor booths, demonstrations and seminars to help you better assist your family and the community in the event of a natural disaster. Come and meet special guest and keynote speaker Mykel Hawke, a US Army Special Forces “Green Beret” combat veteran with over 20 years of combined military, government con- tracting, and survival experience. Other seminars include the Office of Emergency Management, Oregon Military Department, the University of Oregon Department of Earth Sciences and an Emergency Suturing class taught by PeaceHealth emergency physicians. “There will be something for every- body! Please plan to attend this impor- tant and educational event,” said Bartlett. After all, it pays to be prepared.