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About Cannon Beach gazette. (Cannon Beach, Or.) 1977-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 22, 2019)
A3 • Friday, February 22, 2019 | Cannon Beach Gazette | CannonBeachGazette.com When vacationing, they have your GO BAG READY! By DAVE FISHER For Cannon Beach Gazette Go bags now among the amenities guest can expect at Ocean Inn In what could be a fi rst on the Ore- gon coast, a lodging facility in Manzanita has equipped its guest rooms with emer- gency go bags should the unthinkable hap- pen, namely a devastating tsunami result- ing from an earthquake along the Cascadia Subduction Zone 70 miles offshore. Because of its close proximity to the beach, the Ocean Inn, located at the west- ern end of Laneda Avenue in Manza- nita, has been a favorite with tourists and out-of-towners for a quarter century. The 10-room inn affords its guests with won- derful views of the Pacifi c and is mere footsteps away from Manzanita’s sandy beaches. On the fl ip side, it has the dubious distinction of being one of the fi rst struc- tures along the beach to be virtually wiped out by a wall of water when “the big one” happens. Well aware of that reality, owners Larry and Janice Zagata began thinking of their social responsibility as hotel owners to their guests and their safety. “After attending an emergency pre- paredness meeting a few years ago, I really began thinking seriously about this,” Jan- ice Zagata said. “There’s always that ele- ment of surprise, natural disasters can hap- pen at any time.” The preparedness meeting referenced by Zagata was one of many sponsored by the Emergency Volunteer Corps of Nehalem Bay the past 11 years. The emer- gency volunteer corps came into being shortly after the December 2007 storm that struck the North Coast accompanied by hurricane force winds that toppled trees and power poles. Many areas were left without electricity for a week or more sug- gesting that a emergency response orga- nization made up of volunteers to lend a hand during natural disasters was a good idea. Today, with upwards of 400 volun- teers, the corps is the primary reason Man- zanita, and its nearby neighbors Nehalem and Wheeler, is considered the best pre- pared community in the event of a major earthquake and tsunami. It was on a visit to Tonquin Trading in TOP Ocean Inn three-day go bags include emergency supplies for two people. LEFT Linda Cook, emergency volunteer; Janice and Larry Zagata, Ocean Inn owners; and Jason Johnson, owner of Tonquin Trading, review a video about Ocean Inn’s emergency go bags. Dave Fisher/For Cannon Beach Gazette ‘THE GO KIT IS DESIGNED TO GET YOU WHERE YOU NEED TO GO FOR ADDITIONAL EMERGENCY SUPPLIES AND INSTRUCTION.’ Jason Johnson, Tonquin Trad- ing owner and one-time North Dakota oil fi elds safety trainer Seaside the Zagatas took the next step in offering its guests peace of mind in addi- tion to a great view and easy beach access. Open since 2016, the outdoor apparel store on Broadway specializes in high-quality backpacking, hiking and emergency pre- paredness gear. “I had popped into Jason’s store ini- tially to check out emergency go bags for our personal use,” said Larry Zagata. “But we felt it had gotten to the point that we needed to do something for our guests as well. So, I reached out to Jason and he helped develop an emergency kit to fi t our needs.” Over the course of the next couple of months Tonquin Trading owner Jason Johnson, a one-time North Dakota oil fi elds safety trainer, came up with a tsu- nami resiliency kit to fi t the needs of Ocean Inn and its guests. Based on dou- ble occupancy the two-person tsuna- mi-resiliency kit, or go bag as it is com- monly known, includes, at a cost of $70 each, emergency blankets, ponchos hand warmers, water packets, 400-calorie food bars, 12-hour light stick, and basic fi rst- aid-kit. In addition, the Zagatas developed an emergency information sheet with a map of downtown Manzanita showing the most direct evacuation route to the near- est emergency assembly area, in this case Underhill Plaza on Manzanita Avenue. In the event of a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake, one would have just 15 min- utes following the end of the initial shak- ing to reach higher ground before a tsu- nami would inundate lower elevations. “The go kit is designed to get you where you need to go for additional emer- gency supplies and instruction,” said John- son. The supplies included address main- taining one’s core temperature to avoid hypothermia with ample water and basic nutrition for a period of three days. Emergency volunteer corps offi cials hope this is only the beginning of a trend that eventually stretches along the entire length of Oregon’s coastline. EVCNB has go bag classes where they sell, at cost, items the participants would need for their personal go bags. “The go bag is the most critical item to have, especially in the beginning when a natural disaster occurs,” said EVCNB Go Bag Coordinator Linda Cook. “A go bag is an insurance policy. It’s better to be pre- pared than scared.” With go bags in each of their 10 guest rooms and offi ces the Zagatas, who caught on early to the corps’ emergency prepared- ness message, are glad their guests can rest a little easier. “Natural disasters don’t wait until its convenient or daylight happens,” Janice Zagata said. “There’s always that element of surprise, when you least expect and are caught off guard.” “I hope this is the beginning of a trend because it’s the right thing to do,” her hus- band added. To learn more about the emergency vol- unteer corps and emergency preparedness, visit www.evcnb.org. For more informa- tion about Tonquin Trading and its ser- vices visit www.tonquintrading.com. Opioid treatment center headed to Highway 101 location in Seaside By R.J. MARX Seaside Signal A new clinic that will pro- vide methadone to treat her- oin and prescription opioid addiction could open this fall. CODA, a Portland-based drug treatment provider, is negotiating a lease with Terry Lowenberg for a for- mer real estate offi ce on South Holladay Drive off U.S. Highway 101. The clinic could treat up to 300 people, said Tim Hartnett, CODA’s executive director. Along with metha- done, people could receive other federally approved medication-assisted treat- ment for drug abuse, such as buprenorphine or naltrexone. “We help people in the deep end of the pool,” Hart- nett said at a City Coun- cil meet- ing Monday night. “We help peo- ple who not only have Tim Hartnett drug and alcohol problems, but are tangled up in poverty, tan- gled up in the criminal jus- tice system, the child wel- fare system. We work with a very complicated caseload.” The Columbia Pacifi c Coordinated Care Organi- zation, which oversees the Oregon Health Plan in Clat- sop, Columbia and Tilla- mook counties, has sought a local methadone treatment option because of the high cost of paying for people to get help in the Portland metro area. Andy Mendenhall, the Seaside Signal 2367 South Holladay Drive, planned home to a CODA treatment facility. chief medical offi cer at Cen- tral City Concern, which works on homeless, pov- erty and addiction issues in Portland, said there is a lack of treatment in rural areas. Hospitalizations associated with opioid abuse in the three counties are well above the statewide average. “Part of the opportunity presented by the CODA con- tinuum here in the Seaside community is to provide a hub for patients to receive treatment,” he said. “I see an opportunity to close the treatment gap, and allow people to get treatment locally, and that’s good for those individuals, their fami- lies and the community.” When the prospect for a methadone clinic on the North Coast surfaced last summer, city leaders in Astoria and Warrenton rec- ognized the need but were cool to the idea of a location in their cities. The new clinic in Seaside does not need approval from the City Council, Mayor Jay Barber said. City Councilor Dana Phillips said she is “proud of CODA” and the work they do. The provider has 40 years of experience in treat- ing opioid abuse. But some in the city are concerned the clinic might be unwelcome and add to public safety needs. Brian Owen, the execu- ST. 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