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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 5, 2020)
NEWS WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2020 HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3 Earthquake prep urges people to be ‘2 Weeks Ready’ By JADE MCDOWELL NEWS EDITOR As Saturday wrapped up Cascadia Earthquake Pre- paredness Week in Oregon, Umatilla County’s emer- gency manager hopes peo- ple will resolve to be a little more prepared for any future disaster. “We hope people will have a general all-hazard preparedness mindset and be prepared for any event any time of the year,” Tom Roberts said. Roberts said the county is fully on board with the Ore- gon Offi ce of Emergency Management’s campaign to persuade Oregonians to be “2 Weeks Ready” for emer- gencies. That means hav- ing enough food, water, toi- letries and other supplies at home to live on for at least two weeks without outside assistance. “We want to make sure as many people as possible are prepared to be self-sustain- ing for as long as possible,” Roberts said. He said if people have already built up two weeks worth of supplies for their family, the next step would BE 2 WEEKS READY Items that will help households be 2 Weeks Ready include: 1) A gallon of clean water per person per day for drinking and hygiene 2) Nonperishable food for each person (make sure you can either eat it without cooking or have a plan for preparing it without electricity, such as a propane camp stove) 3) A fi rst aid kit and supply of needed medications 4) Hygiene items (toothbrush, soap, etc.) 5) Flashlights or lanterns and extra batteries 6) At least one blanket for each family member 7) NOAA weather radio 8) A portable cell phone charger that can hold several days’ worth of charge 9) Disposable plates, cups and cutlery (cuts down on water needed for washing) 10) Specialty items your family may need such as pet food or diapers HH fi le photo Umatilla County Emergency Coordinator Alan Polan reads his call sign on a ham radio during a test of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Region 10 ham radio network on Feb. 21, 2018, in Pendleton. be to periodically rotate out old items, such as food, medications and batteries, to keep them updated. Having emergency sup- plies on hand can be valu- able in a variety of situ- ations, including fl oods, fi res, earthquakes, blizzards, power outages or a contami- nated drinking water supply. But it could be especially vital during a widespread disaster, such as a Cascadia subduction zone earthquake and tsunami. A magnitude 8.0 or 9.0 earthquake would top- ple thousands of buildings and kill thousands of Ore- gonians on the west side of the state. It could spur later aftershocks in Eastern Ore- gon, but even if Umatilla County residents are spared from most of the shaking, they could still be without everything from electricity to cell phone service to gas- oline for weeks. In that case, Umatilla County residents being self-suffi cient would enable supplies coming in to Ore- gon to be prioritized for the hardest-hit areas of the state. Gov. Kate Brown declared Jan. 26-Feb. 1 (the 320th anniversary of the last Cascadia quake) as Cascadia Earthquake Preparedness Awareness Week to encour- age people to make a disas- ter plan and emergency kit to be 2 Weeks Ready. “Being prepared to be self-suffi cient for two weeks is an achievable goal and you may be more prepared than you think,” Althea Rizzo, geologic hazards pro- gram coordinator for Ore- gon’s Offi ce of Emergency Management, said in a state- ment. “See what you already have and you can get there over time.” The state has published information about prepared- ness for individuals, fami- lies, children, seniors, pets, livestock, businesses and more at https://www.oregon. gov/OEM/hazardsprep/Pag- es/2-Weeks-Ready.aspx. Proposed bill hopes to increase dental health awareness City of Hermiston posts city hall survey By JESSICA POLLARD STAFF WRITER As the city of Herm- iston prepares to make a major decision about city hall, residents are being asked to chime in. The city published an online survey Friday that will be available through the month of February at http://bit.ly/HermistonCi- tyHall. The survey asks people about their current use of city hall, and asks them to rank the impor- tance of priorities such as access for individuals with disabilities, security, effi - Children on the east side of the state are seeing more access to dental care than their western counterparts, according to a new study released by Oregon Health & Science University. The study uses Oregon Health Authority data to determine how many chil- dren on the Oregon Health Plan had access to any den- tal services or preventa- tive dental services. State- wide, about half of the kids enrolled had access to dental care like cleanings and fl uo- ride treatments in 2018. “Diffi culty accessing these services at a dentist’s offi ce or in the community can place children at risk of complicated problems later on,” the report states. More than 60% of chil- dren in Umatilla County, who were enrolled in the Oregon Health Plan in 2018, received at least one den- tal service that year. Ten percent of those children received services through a school program. Morrow County had the second highest average in the state with more than No names have been offi cially entered into the 2020 race for Umatilla County sheriff yet, but incumbent Terry Rowan confi rmed he’s planning on another run. “I do plan on running again, and trying to earn another term serving Uma- tilla County,” Rowan told the Hermiston Herald last week. Rowan would be seek- ing a third term as sheriff, a position he’s held since Solar Shades, Screens, Retractable Awnings & More! HH fi le photo “Enhancing the Art of Outdoor Living” Dr. Blair Smith puts a silver nitrate treatment on a child’s teeth at his offi ce in Pendleton in 2014. A new bill seeks to increase awareness of dental health. 70% of children on state health insurance receiving any kind of dental service. One-fi fth of those chil- dren received services through a school program. “Low-income children are less likely to visit a den- tist than their higher-income peers, making policies to improve dental care access especially important for this population,” the report states. The study precedes a bill set to hit the Oregon House fl oor this coming legislative session. It would require school districts to incorpo- rate oral health into curricu- lum and also provide access to federal funding for dental programs through the Ore- gon Health Authority. The bill is sponsored by more than a dozen lawmak- ers, including Senator Bill Hansell, R-Athena. In recent years, the Ore- gon Community Founda- tion helped provide grants for children’s dental health programs, including to the Pendleton-based Inter- mountain Educational Ser- vice District and to the East- ern Oregon Healthy Living Alliance. But according to a state- ment released in part by the Foundation, those grants are set to sunset this year. Umatilla County Sheriff to seek third term HERMISTON HERALD fi rst being elected in 2012. In 2016, he defeated chal- lenger Ryan Lenhert 56% to 42%. Lenhert is currently a corporal with the Pendleton Police Department. Rowan said he plans to submit his candidacy paperwork soon, and that he hasn’t yet simply because he’s been too busy with his duties at the offi ce. He said he wasn’t aware if there were others planning on running against him. Rowan’s career began as a civilian employee with the sheriff’s offi ce back in 1989 before becoming a sheriff’s deputy the fol- lowing year. He then left in 1995 to take a detective position with the Herm- iston Police Department before returning 10 years later as the undersheriff to John Trumbo in 2005. Candidates have until March 10 to fi le with the Umatilla County Elections Offi ce for the primaries that will take place on May 19. If only two candidates fi le for the sheriff’s race, both will advance to the gen- eral election in Novem- ber. If there are more than two, May 19 will be a pri- mary election with the top two candidates advancing to November’s ballot. 509-308-1354 lowed by dinner at 6 p.m., a dessert auction at 6:30 p.m. The evening also features live music and dancing. The cost is $20 per plate or $100 for a table of six. All ages are welcome. The evening also includes entertainment pro- vided by Hermiston Jazz Band 1 and Hermiston Jazz Band 2. In addition, a regional horn band will play. Brass Fire features a variety of talented musicians, includ- ing current/past band direc- tors, some who have played on cruise ships, with mili- tary bands or professionally across the country. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact HHS band director Sean McClanahan at sean.mccla- nahan@hermistonsd.org. Tickets also will be available at the door. License #188965 www.nwshadeco.com 102 E Columbia Dr. Kennewick 99336 Interested in a Medical career? Need funds to complete your training? Good Shepherd Community Health Foundation medical scholarship applications are now being accepted from qualified local students through February 29th. The Foundation is again pleased to partner with Tualatin Imaging to offer additional scholarships for students who have expressed interest in pursuing a diagnostic imaging career Please call 541-667-3419 for further information Applications can be accessed online at www.gshealth.org/foundation/scholarships JUST RELEASED UMATILLA COUNT Y MEMORIES Band boosters tune up with Valentine’s benefi t dance A Valentine’s spaghetti dinner and auction will help boost fundraising efforts for a Hermiston High School band trip to Los Angeles. The Hermiston Band Boosters are hosting the event Saturday, Feb. 15 from 5-8 p.m. in the school’s commons, 600 S. First St. The doors open at 5 p.m. for the silent auction (clos- ing bids at 7:15 p.m.), fol- ciency and room to grow. The current city hall was originally built as a bank building in 1965 and the city purchased and remod- eled it in 1986. City coun- cilors had named build- ing a new city hall with more room and accessibil- ity as one of their goals in the coming years. After the building had a fi re in the HVAC system in Decem- ber, and the city is now faced with a choice about whether to put the insur- ance money into repair- ing the current building or build a new one this year. HERMISTON HERALD Hardcover book Limited supply $44.95 plus tax & shipping Heirloom quality, 144 pages • Historic photos of Umatilla County from the mid-1800s through 1939 • Books are selling quickly — order yours today! Learn more and order online at Umatilla.PictorialBook.com or call 800-522-0255
