Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Cannon Beach gazette. (Cannon Beach, Or.) 1977-current | View Entire Issue (June 30, 2017)
4A • June 30, 2017 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com Views from the Rock Tsunami survival tips gleaned from Japan Discovering the fi nest pinot gris T S his spring, Clatsop County Emergency Manager Tiffany Brown and OSU Extension Coastal Natural Hazards Specialist Patrick Corcoran joined a delegation of about 50 sponsored by the Greater Portland Inc. economic development agency on a community resilience in Japan study mission to observe fi rsthand how public agencies and citizens have recovered from the March 2011 disaster, which left almost 16,000 confi rmed dead and more than 2,500 missing. What can Cannon Beach and Clatsop County benefi t from the experience? Corcoran shared his thoughts on preparedness, evacuation and adjusting our mindset to meet a Cascadia Subduction Zone event. Q: How does the Japanese attitude and level of prepared- ness differ from ours? For 1,000 years they’ve continually been dealing with CANNON SHOTS earthquakes and tsuna- R.J. MARX mis. These are people who have experience, discipline and practice. I came back from Japan basically with my top 10 reasons why Japan is not an analog for Oregon, or a model for what we should do. The exact oppo- site. In 2017, it was all about engineering show, I never saw more cranes and backhoes, massive excavation projects and 3-kilometer seawalls — it just goes on and on, and that’s in a community of 20,000. Our default approach is “don’t expect this to happen” and then get bailed out by the government after it happens. Q: Does that frustrate you, seeing all this vulnerability on the Oregon Coast? I suppose, yes. It’s a spiritual practice not to just waste that in frustration. The other part of this is total human nature. We haven’t had this happen (here) since Western settlement. We’re not going to get it right or begin to get it right until it happens again. That’s the reality. That’s my frustration, how we are neurologically challenged to really wrap our heads around this. What I came back from Japan realizing was that we cannot afford nor permit their engineering, their solutions — therefore we have to come up with our own. That leaves evacuation, getting out of the dangerous spots. That means minimizing the precious people and valuable things that you put there. For those inevitable things that need to be there, there are evacu- ation routes to high ground. If you’re motivated, it’s very doable. Q: You said schools in Japan served as massive evacuation centers. The new school campus is being built near Seaside Heights Elementary School. Do you think it’s realistic to con- sider this facility as an evacuation shelter? It doesn’t matter if they plan it. It will happen. The good thing about being up there is at least if people are doing crazy stuff in a manic mode they’re going in the right direction rather than going to the ocean. That’s a win right there. The school will be a place people will go. Worst-case scenario, it will one of the few places large enough to go where people can shelter. Q: How can businesses make a difference? What I talk to businesses about is a “till-to-the-hill” policy. By that I mean, when they hire, before their employees run their fi rst shift, they have to run from the till of the business to the evacuation spot closest to that site. Then, when any tourist asks them anything about earthquake or tsunami evacuation, they can answer in three sentences: “I don’t know about all that. But I’ve been to the evacua- tion spot from here. And three, if you feel an earthquake, follow me.” It’s almost like a pat answer, something they can even have fun with. But it’s a means, it’s the message. You don’t need to have programs and stickers and certifi cations. Just have your employees know where they should go if they feel an earthquake. They need to do it anyway. Q: How important is it to get to high ground? From the statistics I saw, if you got to the high ground in 19 minutes, you were a survivor. If it was 21 minutes you were a fatality. When that wave comes, you’ve got to be where you’ve got to be. Q: Should you get in your car? Cars are like purses with wheels. We feel safer inside them. We love our cars but you have to understand the downside of cars. If you have an electric garage door opener you won’t have power. The garage will have shifted and the garage door that slides so nicely will not open. Now you’ve wasted six minutes trying to get your goddamn car out of the garage. Let’s say you do that. The power line is now down and you can’t go any further. Now you get out and start running up the hill. So if I was within foot distance that’s my plan A. Whatever’s shorter. Q: How do we develop the Oregon Coast with an under- standing that we can armor it like Japan? How do we do the American version of that? SUBMITTED PHOTO Pat Corcoran demonstrating wall height in Higashi Matsushi- ma, Japan. What I ask is: are we doing planning commensurate with the risk? Let’s start building like we’re going to do when it happens next time. Oregon’s Coast has only been devel- oped for 100 years. This is the perfect time to start putting infrastructure up on top of hills. Coming back from Japan, what can we do? I like moving our schools to the top of the hill. That focuses everybody’s attention to go up. So when they forget everything except where their kids are, at least they are going uphill. SUBMITTED PHOTO Q: What are some other ways we Emergency warning can work? signs. No matter what we do to prepare for winter storms and our chronic hazards is benefi cial for the catastrophic hazard as well. The idea of having batteries, the idea of having water. We have to drill. What got drilled got done. I’m looking at small victories. We can have Boy Scouts clearing brambles for evacuation trails in popular places where people go. Multiuse things. In the dunes, have bird observation kiosks, sturdy observa- tion kiosks that provide some elevation. That’s long-term stuff. Q: What kind of Cascadia Subduction Zone event is likely to happen here? The next one is the only one I care about. The odds of it being the worst is pretty small, a one-in-10,000-year event. Far more likely, it’s going to be closer to average. Since we haven’t experi- enced this before, and our emergency manager planners entertain the worst case scenario, that becomes the default conversation. Tillamook Head will fall into the sea and all the bridges will fall down. That’s not true. More likely it will be closer to average at Let’s take the 80th percentile — about 35 feet. A 45-foot observa- tion tower is going to be OK. These things (the earthquakes) vary between magnitude 8s or magnitude 9s — basically an even number. We’re equally as likely to get a magnitude 8 off Gold Beach as we are a full rip. In that scenario, that is bad but not ugly. Far more manageable. Not all of the bridges are going to fall down. Like winter storms, they’re on a spectrum of badness. Whatever we’ve done for our winter storms and our chronic hazards is benefi cial for our tsuna- mi hazard as well. There will be three phases in the Pacifi c Northwest: one, the Native American; second, our generation and the generation after that; and three, everybody after that. We are in this transition, the fi rst western culture about to understand what it means. What we do afterwards, next time in the rebuild, will be fundamentally different than what we are doing now. For me, knowing that, can we align our behavior with what we know is going to happen? unny days are here again and it’s a perfect time for a glass of chilled white wine. For some strange reason, pinot gris, Oregon’s signature white wine is the Rodney Dangerfi eld of wines: It doesn’t get any respect. This blue- gray child of pinot noir, can be found in most UNCORKED Willamette RAMBLINGS Valley STEVEN SINKLER tasting rooms, yet there aren’t any big wine festivals or celebrations in its honor. Maybe it’s because pinot gris fl avor structure (apple and lemon with a bright acidity) seems simple when compared to the more complex styles of chardonnay or riesling. Maybe it’s because a bottle of pinot gris sells for about $20, while a bottle of pinot noir or chardonnay sells for double or triple that price. Whatever the reason, pinot gris deserves better as it’s a delicious, food-friendly white wine. Here are a couple of my favorite Oregon pinot gris. But fi rst, when we say “Oregon pinot gris,” the story starts with Eugene-based King Estate. Pinot gris is King Estate’s fl agship wine and can be found in grocery stores across America. However, the winemaker who made King Estate’s famous pinot gris left years ago to open his own winery. Winemaker Ray Walsh can now be found at Capitello wines, located in downtown Eugene. Capitello Pinot Gris delivers complex fl avors of apple and citrus with a softer style that is more reminiscent of chardonnay. Ray makes his delicious pinot gris using the lees aging techniques he perfected while at King Estate. While this wine pairs nicely with cheese plates, seafood and salads, its restrained acidity makes Capitello Pinot Gris a perfect wine to enjoy without food too. To me, Capitello makes the best “classic” Oregon pinot gris. If looking for a premium-priced pinot gris, my pick is Alexana, which is one of the few Oregon pinot gris fetching a price above $30. Made with estate fruit from their very fi rst plant- ings, Alexana also uses lees stirring and aging techniques to create this delicious wine. Made in Newberg, Alexana Pinot Gris has an elegant mouth feel with a slight acidity that makes it a perfect companion to razor clams or Dungeness crab. If Oregon had a grand cru designation, Alexana Pinot Gris would certainly deserve it. How about a Oregon pinot gris unlike any- thing you’ve ever tried before? Carlton-based Omero, uses classic chardonnay techniques such as oak fermentation, oak aging and malolactic fermentation to make a wonderfully complex, salmon colored pinot gris that will have you re-thinking everything you thought you knew about pinot gris. Of course, our very own Puffi n Pinot Gris, is my personal favorite. Earlier this year, our 2016 Puffi n Pinot Gris earned a Double Gold medal and was named Best of Class at the Savor Northwest Wine Awards. Puffi n Pinot Gris is packed with fl avors of apple and starfruit with a hint of residual sugar that balances nicely with its medium acidity to create a pleasing fi nish. I recommend serving this well chilled. I enjoy Puffi n Pinot Gris with a wide range of foods, but particularly like it with grilled veggies. This wine is made in Eugene by the incredibly talent- ed Ray Walsh (who else?). A few other personal favorites include pinot gris from Elk Cove, Sokol Blosser, Benton Lane and Pudding River. Each is slightly different. Each is delicious. Please drink responsibly. Do not drink and drive. Note-A special “thank you” to everyone who has asked about my Somm 3 exam. I still haven’t received my results, but will let you know when I do. I appreciate your support and encouragement. Finding mystery and romance at the Cannon Beach Library A s we, at the library, enjoy the summer weather and head toward our 90th birthday celebration in the autumn, we are eagerly planning our annual 4th of July book sale, which this year will last four days. Our biggest fundraiser of the year! July 1-3, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the Fourth, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. All types of books will be available at reasonable prices — mystery, fi ction, nonfi ction, children’s books, cookbooks, plus many other types. Tickets for a chance to win our gorgeous quilt will also be available during the book sale. You don’t want to miss this Cannon Beach tradition. Speaking of our quilt, it will be at the Cannon Beach Farmer’s Market on Tuesday, July 11, from 1-5 p.m., so come take a look and Publisher David F. Pero Editor R.J. Marx Sales/Advertising Manager Betty Smith Circulation Manager Jeremy Feldman Production Manager John D. Bruijn AT THE LIBRARY CARLA O’REILLY purchase tickets! When not at the market, it may be seen on display at our library during open hours. It makes no difference if you don’t live in Cannon Beach. If you are an out-of-state lucky winner, we will ship it to you. The quilt drawing will take place at our Holiday Tea on Dec. 2. Another popular event will take place at the library on Saturday, July 15, when the very popular local ma- gician Brett Willyard will be here at 1 p.m. to present his annual library magic show. The show is free of Classifi ed Sales Jamie Ramsdell Advertising Sales Holly Larkins Chris Olson Staff writer Brenna Visser Contributing writers Rebecca Herren Katherine Lacaze Eve Marx Nancy McCarthy charge. Brett is a very sought-after magician so attendees need to arrive well before 1 p.m. in order to fi nd a seat. Brett’s magic shows are popu- lar with children and adults alike — a not-to-be missed event! Our 2017 Youth Summer Read- ing Contest began on June 16 and this year is “Rocking in Our READ Shoes.” There will be ongoing prizes for every fi ve books read, plus age-appropriate grand prizes awarded at the end of the summer. Reading logs need to be turned in on or before Monday, Aug. 21. This is a good way to make sure our children are spending at least part of their summer vacation reading! Stop in at the library desk to obtain your packet. The participants in Cannon Book Reads, our adult reading discussion CANNON BEACH GAZETTE The Cannon Beach Gazette is published every other week by EO Media Group. 1555 N. Roosevelt, Seaside, Oregon 97138 503-738-5561 • Fax 503-738- 9285 www.cannonbeachgazette. com • email: editor@cannonbeachgazette.com SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Annually: $40.50 in county, $58.00 in and out of county. Postage Paid at: Cannon Beach, OR 97110 group, will meet at the library on Wednesday, July 19, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. This month the group has been reading “To the Lighthouse,” by Vir- ginia Woolf. The book was written in 1927 and centers on the Ramsays and their visits to the Isle of Skye in Scotland between 1910 and 1920. It highlights childhood emotions and adult relationships. There is always room in the group for newcomers. Finally, we are in the planning stages of our wonderful fall festival on Sept. 30. Library friends are in- vited to work on crafts for the event, and bakers will also be needed to provide pies, cookies, and other baked goods. All in all, there’s lots going on at the Cannon Beach Library in the month of July! Drop in to see us and enjoy the events. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Cannon Beach Gazette, P.O. Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103 Copyright 2017 © Cannon Beach Gazette. Nothing can be reprinted or copied without consent of the owners. SUBMITTED PHOTO Brett Willyard THE NATIONAL AWARD-WINNING
