OFF PAGE ONE A8 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2022 Crashes Continued from A1 crashes that began at around noon near mile- post 230, stretched 1.75 miles and involved more than 170 vehicles, according to press releases from the Oregon Department of Transportation and Oregon State Police. OSP on Feb. 22 reported 17 patients were transported from the crash scene, with an additional two who were transported after they arrived at Pendleton Convention Cen- ter, which served as a reunifi cation hub for people in the crash. Interstate 84 shuts down The mass crash shut down the westbound and eastbound lanes of the freeway in East- ern Oregon. Eastbound remained closed Feb. 21 between Exit 216, 6 miles east of Pendleton, and Exit 265 at La Grande, while westbound was closed to between Exit 374 at Ontario and Exit 216. The Oregon Department of Transporta- tion announced on Feb. 22 the eastbound lanes reopened at about midnight, but the westbound lanes were not clear until about 6 a.m. Oregon State Police, local law enforce- ment, fi re and medics from agencies through- out Umatilla and Union counties responded to the crashes, along with help from Walla Walla County in Washington. Pendleton Fire Chief Jim Critchley said the wrecks stretched for a mile. The Hyatts described the emergency response as impressive. Responding offi cers were notifi ed of additional crashes while they were arriving, and then once on scene, offi cers could hear crashes occurring behind them, according to a press release from the OSP. The Hyatts heard those crashes, too. “Bam, bam, bam,” Carter Hyatt said. “They just kept hitting.” Marjorie said the sounds were unnerving. They stayed in their vehicle, even without heat, for protection. Capt. Merle Laci with the La Grande Fire Department said two ambulances and one rescue rig were on scene from Union County, with crews from Union and Island City fi re departments on standby. The La Grande Fire Department sent eight person- nel to the scene. As of 3:35 p.m. Feb. 21, rescue vehi- cles and ambulances from the La Grande Fire Department had returned to the station, according to Laci. La Grande Fire Depart- ment confi rmed they had transported three individuals from the scene to Grande Ronde Hospital. Nick Oatley, spokesperson with Umatilla County Fire District No. 1, confi rmed the Herm- iston-based fi re department also responded, sending three ambulances to the scene. Good Shepherd Medical Center, Hermiston, reported it did not receive any crash victims. Carter Hyatt/Contributed Photo Jacob Hyatt of Yelm, Washington, stands near his family’s Nissan Pathfi nder Monday afternoon, Feb. 21, 2202, following its crash into this trailer on the westbound side of Interstate 84 near milepost 230. The Pathfi nder was one of 170 vehicles Oregon State Police reported were involved in a series of crashes in the area starting at about noon. Hospitals at the ready Elaine LaRochelle, incident com- mander at Grande Ronde Hospital, La Grande, activated the hospital’s incident command system, according to a press release from Mardi Ford, public informa- tion officer. “We are preparing to support any patients sent our way with emergency ser- vices and medical care,” Ford said in the release. “We do not have any news on dis- tribution of patients to be sent our way. However, we are prepared to assist in this emergency. We are cooperating fully with all regional partners, including our media contacts, to do what we can to keep every- one informed. Our primary mission, how- ever, is to provide emergency services and medical care to patients in need. Once we know more, we will issue an update.” Emily Smith, director of communica- tions for St. Anthony Hospital, Pendle- ton, reported that as of 3 p.m., the hospi- tal received six patients from the crash. “The patients’ statuses are unknown at this time,” she reported, “and no informa- tion on ages etc. is available to the media at this time.” Smith also explained how St. Anthony responds to these kinds of crises. “When we receive word of an inci- dent like this, the hospital activates Code D, or disaster response,” accord- ing to Smith. “Available staff (off-duty) are called and asked to come in based on current personnel needs as well as staff- ing for the next shift. Patients are seen in the Emergency Department as well as other care areas of the hospital as appro- priate for their level of injury. We have an extensive disaster plan that is drilled with local emergency response teams to ensure we are prepared for situations like this when they arise.” Pendleton Convention Center provides respite The Hyatts said emergency personnel checked on them often, and they appreci- ated that. And many of the other people in the crash helped each other, they said, off ering water and making sure people were OK. “There were people, regular people,” Marjorie Hyatt said. “All that was really nice.” When school buses arrived to carry the Hyatts and so many more off the mountain, they said they had to cross the median to the eastbound lanes. Mar- jorie banged her knee on the fence, but firefighters were right there to help. And when they got on the bus, she said, the Oregon State Police trooper, who was the person who had checked on them, assisted them onto the bus. The buses took groups to the Pendle- ton Convention Center, where its manager, Pat Beard, said while the facility was hold- ing events that day, it opened rooms for the people in the crash and provided what hos- pitality it could while they waited for rides from family or friends or made arrange- ments for other accommodations. The center also served as something of a base of operations for law enforcement, Umatilla County Public Health and more. Beard praised the coordination he wit- nessed between the diff erent groups. The Hyatts were among the last from the crash to still be at the convention cen- ter that evening. Bags of chips and other snacks lined the long tables of the large room they were in. A family member was on the way to help get them home, they said, probably around 7 that night. The Nissan, as far as they knew, still was at the site of the crash. Carter said all their luggage was in the car, so he antic- ipated making a trip back to gather their belongings. The Hyatts said they had never experi- enced anything like this emergency, and they did not want to be in another. But their concerns were for others. “I hope everyone gets out,” Marjorie said. Industry Continued from A1 city had taken notice of development in the area. “Nothing gangbusters,” Morgan said of the area, his- torically. “But it was starting to fi ll up.” The city, then, was look- ing for ways to accommodate small light industrial-type operations in the future, he said. Paving Southeast 10th Street and bringing in utilities creates access to the parcels within the area. SHIP already shows signs of success, beginning with Meyer Distributing. The distribution company purchased 40 acres on SHIP. Its warehouse, which recently began operations with around 70 employees, takes up about a third of the total Meyer property, Morgan said. Meyer plans to expand in the future, eventually making full use of the property. Additionally, A-1 Indus- trial Hose and Supply is building a 30,000-square foot building at the park. “They’re a good, local, small light industrial business that has just been expanding and expanding and expand- ing,” Morgan said. “They don’t need 40 acres, but they just need a couple of acres at a time. This was kind of tai- lor made for an operation like that.” Creating employment diversity Morgan said he envisions a future in which several more businesses like A-1 set up shop at the industrial park and help create a diverse employ- ment base. “We don’t necessary just want to have a parcel that’s 200 acres that can accommo- date one really large devel- opment,” he said. “This helps accommodate the machine shops, the electricians, the plumbers, those types of oper- ations that need an acre for a laydown yard and equipment.” The city’s interest in a diverse set of employers is due to a hard lesson, Morgan said. CHOOSE FROM 9 OF YOUR FAVORITE NEW 2022 TOYOTA MODELS Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald Mark Morgan, the city of Hermiston’s assistant city manager, indicates infrastructure improvements on a map Feb. 16, 2022, at the South Hermiston Industrial Park. The closure of Hermiston Foods in 2017 resulted in the loss of about 200 permanent, full-time jobs. At the same time, Union Pacifi c scaled down some of its machine shop operations. Though Mor- gan said large employers are valued and are important, it is important for Hermiston to “not be beholden to one, sin- gle, large employer.” Attracting business Morgan agreed his situa- tion with SHIP is something akin to the plot of the 1989 classic baseball movie “Field of Dreams.” In the fi lm, a farmer builds a baseball fi eld in the middle of his crop. A ghostly voice tells the char- acter that if he creates the ball fi eld, people will come. Likewise, the city has placed infrastructure and is looking for businesses to fi ll the space. Sometimes, he said, com- munication with interested businesses is frustrating. Companies learn of the area and express interest, he said. Then, they sometimes ask to see the city’s top vacant build- ings. When he tells them there are not any vacant buildings, they lose their excitement for Hermiston. He said the best the city can off er now is space with electricity, roads and plumb- ing. SHIP gives businesses area for development. Mor- gan called this “economic gardening.” “Even though there isn’t an existing building ready for somebody to come in, the ground is ready for someone to come in,” he said. “They can throw up a building pretty darned quick.” Morgan said SHIP is some- thing that will bring in new developments over years. CAMRY, CAMRY HYBRID, COROLLA, COROLLA HYBRID, HIGHLANDER, HIGHLANDER HYBRID, RAV4, RAV4 HYBRID & TUNDRA % 2.99 72 APR FINANCING WITH $ 15.19 PER $ 1,000 BORROWED MO. 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