# Presentation: 796703

## Pacific County, Washington

_**Pacific County, Washington**_

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**Area of Significant Tsunami Exposure**
**Pacific Ocean**
**Willapa Bay**
**18 Mile Exposure to the Columbia River**
**975 Square Miles – Pop:  21,000**
**80% Covered by Coniferous Forest**
**Economy is based on forest products, tourism, and fishing and agriculture**

**Notes:**
EMPHASIS ON EXPOSURE
PACIFIC OCEAN
COLUMBIA RIVER
WILLAPA BAY – MEAN HIGH WATER – 79K ACRES
COLUMBIA RIVER – 18 MILES
Pacific County covers (975 square miles) of land.  80% COVERED BY CONIFEROUS FOREST
Terrain varies from sea level 2,000’  in the Willapa Hills
AVE RAIN – 87” – 97” PER YEAR
POPULATION IS 21K – GROWING TO 150K IN THE SUMMER

## The Local Emergency Management Story

**    ****Pacific County Emergency Management was formed in 1986 with a mission of preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation for Pacific County and the cities of Ilwaco, Long Beach, Raymond and South Bend**

**Notes:**
AGENCY ACCOMPLISHMENTS – 

MULTI-JURISDICTIONAL AGENCY FORMATION – FORMED BY LOCAL STATUTE OF ALL AGENCIES.  
CEMP
HIVA
ALL HAZARD EVACUATION PLAN
MASS CASUALTY INCIDENT PLAN
JOINT EAS PLAN W/GRAYS HARBOR COUNTY

## State and Federal Agency Involvement

- In 1994 the local Emergency Management Council directed the focus of the agency to the tsunami hazard following a distant source tsunami warning event in October of the same year. There was little support from state and/or federal agencies.
- In 1997 Pacific County contacted Washington State Emergency Management Division requesting assistance in terms of evacuation planning.
- State of Oregon

**Notes:**
CART BEFORE THE HORSE APPROACH 
BEGAN THE LOCAL PREPAREDNESS AND MITIGATION EFFORT WITHOUT SCIENTIFIC SUPPORT
USING A ‘SEAT OF THE PANTS’ METHODOLOGY HIGH GROUND WAS LOCATED
KEEPING IN MIND THE NEED TO PROVIDE SERVICES
WORKING TO AVOID PRIVATE PROPERTY ISSUES
BEGAN WORKING WITH OREGON TO PURCHASE SIGNAGE
BEGAN WORKING WITH WA STATE DOT TO PLACE SIGNAGE

## Inundation Mapping

**Washington State Emergency Management Division formed a Washington State and Local Tsunami Workgroup.**
**Request for mapping of existing geologic evidence and inundation potential for a worst case local event scenario.**

**Notes:**
BEGAN DEVELOPING A WRITTEN PLAN
DISTANT SOURCE EVENT (FORCASTED)
LOCAL EVENT – CASCADIA SUBDUCTION ZONE
WORKED TO DEVELOP THE STATE AND LOCAL WORKGROUP
FIRST REQUEST OF THE STATE AND LOCAL WORKGROUP WAS SCIENTIFIC DOCUMENTATION TO SUPPORT THE PLANS AND SIGNAGE

## Partnerships

**National Tsunami **
**Hazard Mitigation**
**Program**
**Awareness brochures**
**Evacuation maps**
**Evacuation signs**
**Video development**
**Inundation map**

**Products**

**Inundation**

**Evacuation**

**Notes:**
THROUGH THE STATE AND LOCAL WORKGROUP WE BEGAN A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NATIONAL TSUNAMI HAZARD MITIAGTION PROGRAM – ALSO FORMED IN 1997
DEVELOPED A MULTI-FACETED PROGRAM – 
BROCHURES
SIGNS
MAPPING EFFORT BEGAN
PLANNING WITH LOCAL AGENCIES
COAST WIDE EXERCISE

EVOLVED INTO
SCHOOL CIRICCULUM
VIDEO DEVELOPMENT
EVACUATION MAPPING

## Local Outreach

- Local outreach is essential – message credibility
- YTD 2005, PCEMA has delivered the preparedness and mitigation message to approximately 1500 residents through 20 meetings and conferences.
-     Long Beach elected
-       officials forum
-       February 2005

- Photo courtesy Washington State Emergency Management Division

**Notes:**
LOCAL OUT REACH IS ESSENTIAL

AFTER THE INDIAN OCEAN EVENT, INTEREST IN TSUNAMI PREPAREDNESS HAS SOARED.  

THE SCENE DEPICTED IN THE PHOTO IS ON OF MANY EVENTS HOSTED WITHIN THE COUNTY. 
ELECTED OFFICIALS
LOCAL RESIDENTS
EMERGENCY RESPONSE PERSONNEL

TELL – SHOW – D0
PRINTED MATERIALS ARE DELIEVERED
EXERCISES ARE BEING PLANNED

## “Tsunami Ready”

**Tsunami Ready does not mean ....**
**Tsunami Prepared**

**“****Tsunami Ready” is a program to assess community warning readiness.**

**Notes:**
THE CITY OF LONG BEACH IS ‘TSUNAMI READY’
THE ENTIRE COUNTY WILL SHORTLY BE RECOGNIZED (2ND COUNTY IN THE NATION)

ALTHOUGH BEING TSUNAMI READY IS VALUABLE IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT WE ARE COMPLETELY PREPARED OR THAT WE CAN SAY JOB WELL DONE IN THE SENSE THAT WE HAVE COMPLETED THE COURSE

MUCH WORK REMAINS 
ADULT ORIENTED VIDEO TRAINING 
EVACUATION MAP PUBLICATION
BUSINESS ORIENTED PREPAREDNESS
HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY
ENHANCED INUNDATION MAPPING

## Partnership Future

**Continued need for data that can be provided through refined inundation mapping and mapping of geologic evidence.**
**Local emergency management and the scientific community will continue to work together.  **

**On going and future projects must be funded – **
**Public Education **
**Vehicular evacuation modeling**

**Notes:**
VEHICLUAR EVAC MODELING IS OF PARTICULAR INTEREST FOR A DISTANT SOURCE OR FORECASTED EVENT
2 ROADS THAT LEAD ON AND OFF THE LONG BEACH PENINSULA – BOTH ALONG LARGE BODIES OF WATER
ON A SUMMER WEEKEND, IT COULD BE THAT LOCAL OFFICIALS WOULD NEVER ISSUE AN EVACUATION RECOMMENDATION
WE JUST DON’T KNOW AT THIS TIME HOW QUICKLY VEHICLES CAN MOVE
IMPACT TO THE COLUMBIA RIVER AND MAPPING OF THE COLUMBIA RIVER
MAJOR ECONOMIC IMPACT NOT ONLY TO PACIFIC COUNTY BUT TO THE ENTIRE NORTHWEST REGION