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
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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.
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SUBMITTED PHOTO
Brett Willyard
THE NATIONAL AWARD-WINNING