Friday, November 30, 2007

High Winds Forecast in County

LCSD has taken part in a briefing with Lincoln County Emergency Services regarding strong damaging winds that are probable along the coast and in the Coast Range Sunday and Monday, December 2 and 3, 2007. Winds on Sunday have a potential of 50 mph with gusts to 70. On Monday, 65 mph sustained winds are predicted, with gusts to 100.

If it is determined that schools and buses will operate as usual on Monday, no statement will be issued from the District. If buses and schools are impacted, information will be provided in the following ways:

►By 6:00 a.m. local radio stations and major Portland TV news stations will be

notified and will begin making announcements.

►A message will be recorded on the LCSD 24-hour information line: 265-4437.

►By 6:30 a.m., the LCSD website www.lincoln.k12.or.us will be updated with the

current school closure/delay information.

►If local radio stations are off the air, please tune your radio to channel a.m. 1110

out of Bend.

Power outages and/or downed power lines may make Internet access and phone messaging systems unavailable. Because of isolated inclement weather situations, some areas might close or have a two-hour delay, while other unaffected areas will remain open.

Monster storm heading our way

A system to arrive Sunday may prompt Oregon's first hurricane wind warning
Friday, November 30, 2007
STUART TOMLINSON
The Oregonian

To the extent forecasting the weather is like playing music, Oregon meteorologists Thursday were cranking up the volume.

Forecasters from the public and private sector, as well as the media, were scrambling to get their arms around a double-whammy of winter weather barreling toward the region. They expect a rare Willamette Valley snowstorm Saturday, followed by what some predict will be a once-a-decade storm packing high winds and heavy rains early next week.

The National Weather Service has said it might issue its first hurricane wind warning for Oregon in advance of the second storm.

"Everything points to this being a very strong, prolonged event," said the weather service's Ira Kosovitz. "We could see sustained winds of 90 miles per hour, if not 100."

The ingredients for snow Saturday at the lower elevations in northwest Oregon and southwest Washington are coming together, with the highest likelihood of accumulations in the area from Salem in the south to Olympia in the north.

"I think we'll see snow starting around 10 or 11 a.m. lasting for a couple of hours but with not a lot of accumulation," said Clinton Rockey of the National Weather Service in Portland. "It should change over to rain by midafternoon, but snow throughout the day in the Columbia River Gorge and the Cascades."

As noteworthy as that forecast is -- snow being rare around here -- the biggest news Thursday at the National Weather Service offices in Portland was the approaching "monster" Pacific storm that's going to bring potentially damaging winds and widespread flooding to the region Sunday into Monday and Tuesday.

The size and scope of the storm -- which has tapped into the energy of typhoons Mitag and Hagibis -- may prompt the first hurricane force wind warning, which would mean sustained winds of 74 mph or higher on the Oregon and Washington coasts.

That's a big deal, but not quite as big as the "first in history" designation might suggest.

Bill Schneider, the science and operations manager for the weather service, said the agency was given the go-ahead by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration only five years ago, in 2002, to issue such a warning "to highlight the extreme nature of rare storms that may only occur once every 5 to 10 years."

Schneider said such storms -- extratropical cyclones -- don't have the structure of a hurricane, and shouldn't be confused with an actual hurricane, but they are, in fact, larger and have a broader impact zone.

After the wind comes the rain. George Taylor of the Oregon Climate Service characterized the looming storm as a "hybrid," with traits similar to the damaging windstorm of December 1995 and the flooding rains of November 1996.

Forecast models show a plume of moisture extending from Oregon to Hawaii by late Sunday, a classic Pineapple Express that's been called an atmospheric river.

"The intensity of the winds followed by intense rains makes it a very significant storm with big-time rain," Taylor said. "We could see three to four inches (of rain) in the valley, and even more at higher elevations."

The storm is expected to combine rising snow levels with heavy rains, a recipe responsible for damaging floods.

Snow levels -- which have been below pass level this week, allowing Timberline to go to full operations, and Mt. Hood Meadows, Mt. Bachelor and Mt. Hood Skibowl to open additional lifts -- will begin to rise Sunday.

Matt Zaffino, meteorologist for KGW (8) in Portland, said the storm's deep area of low pressure is one of the strongest he's seen in recent memory, even stronger than the Columbus Day Storm of October 1962. He predicted that this storm, however, won't be as damaging as that storm because it will stay farther offshore.

Even so, Zaffino said, "This thing is an absolute monster -- it covers the entire Northeast Gulf of Alaska.

"It's huge."

Stuart Tomlinson: 503-221-8313; stuarttomlinson@ news.oregonian.com

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Daily Pilot

Daily Pilot: "There is no place like home. When a disaster hits, stay at your home, or go to the CERT-designated command center (this assumes you and your neighbors have taken the initiative to organize a Community Emergency Response Team). Do not go to the police and fire stations. They will likely not be there. And putting more people on the road just makes it harder for the rescue personnel to get where they need to go. "

Friday, November 16, 2007

Video: Earthquake Rocks Chile

What it will be like!

Video: Earthquake Rocks Chile: "November 15, 2007— Residents were recovering from a major earthquake that knocked down houses and electrical wires this week in northern Chile. At least two were killed. "

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Rossmoor News

CERT IN OTHER COMMUNITIES

Rossmoor News: "Rossmoor residents take seriously all efforts to prepare for a major disaster. Last month's 5.6 earthquake near San Jose was a reminder that people must be prepared to take care of themselves when a major earthquake strikes the Bay Area. Hurricane Katrina was a lesson that emergency workers might not show up right away. Emergency responders now say people should be prepared to survive on their own for seven days. There aren't enough trained professionals to be able to reach everyone right away."

FEMA's fishy excuse belies reform claims- al.com

FEMA's fishy excuse belies reform claims- al.com: "WELCOME TO FEMA's fish tank, where bureaucracy is biting. From the folks who brought you the fake news conference during the California wildfires, trailers with formaldehyde and more examples of waste, fraud and abuse of your money than we can keep up with, comes a whopper of a fish story that is all too true. FEMA, it seems, would rather have paid $600,000 to replace the fish and assorted other sea creatures who died at the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans because of Hurricane Katrina than reimburse the aquarium for the less-than-$100,000 cost of the fishing trips staffers took to catch all new stock."

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

BASED ON THE EARTHQUAKE LOCATION - MAGNITUDE AND HISTORIC TSUNAMI
RECORDS A DAMAGING TSUNAMI IS NOT EXPECTED ALONG
THE CALIFORNIA/ OREGON/ WASHINGTON/ BRITISH COLUMBIA AND ALASKA
COASTS. SOME OF THESE AREAS MAY EXPERIENCE NON-DAMAGING SEA
LEVEL CHANGES. AT COASTAL LOCATIONS WHICH HAVE EXPERIENCED
STRONG GROUND SHAKING LOCAL TSUNAMIS ARE POSSIBLE DUE
TO UNDERWATER LANDSLIDES.

AT 741 AM PACIFIC STANDARD TIME ON NOVEMBER 14 AN EARTHQUAKE WITH
PRELIMINARY MAGNITUDE 7.7 OCCURRED
IN NORTHERN CHILE.

MESSAGES WILL CONTINUE TO BE ISSUED HOURLY BY THE WCATWC
UNTIL THE PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER ISSUES A CANCELLATION OR
FINAL MESSAGE. SEE THE WEB SITE WCATWC.ARH.NOAA.GOV FOR BASIC
TSUNAMI INFORMATION - SAFETY RULES AND TSUNAMI TRAVEL TIMES.

Storm trips Seaside tsunami siren, residents scurry to safety | KATU.com - Portland, Oregon | Local & Regional

Storm trips Seaside tsunami siren, residents scurry to safety | KATU.com - Portland, Oregon | Local & Regional: "SEASIDE, Ore. - Stormy weather on Monday had emergency crews busy with downed trees and power outages, but officials in Seaside had a different problem. The powerful storm somehow triggered the city's tsunami warning siren, sending residents and tourists fleeing to higher ground. The siren began wailing at about 8 a.m., just as strong winds were raking the coast. The city fire marshal made the rounds assuring people it was false alarm. "

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Take the final CERT test on line from FEMA and get a certificate... Follow the below link.


https://www.citizencorps.gov/cert/IS317/CRT0620170.htm

Thursday, November 08, 2007

Community Assists in Wildfire Recovery

Community Assists in Wildfire Recovery: "The Community Emergency Response Team activated members who helped to point people in the right direction, move supplies and patients and ensure that the needs of people there were met."

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

CERT volunteers most active in Fallbrook fire cleanup - North County Times

CERT volunteers most active in Fallbrook fire cleanup - North County Times: "CERT teams were going into the neighborhoods after everything was cleared and safe, handing out donated things like rakes, shovels, brooms and sifters,' said Crain, who took a week off from his job to volunteer. Even before the cleanup began, the group's members were cooking meals for firefighters and law enforcement officers still fighting fires and manning roadblocks, he said. But the Santa Ana-driven fire, which forced nearly the entire town of Fallbrook to evacuate, fanned across the community so fast and became so dangerous that team members could not take advantage of their training in rescuing home-bound residents or helping guide evacuees out of town."

City's CERT volunteers help patrol on Angel's Night 11/07/07

City's CERT volunteers help patrol on Angel's Night 11/07/07: "On Angel's Night, CERT members conducted volunteer patrols of Dearborn neighborhoods to help reduce the possibility of vandalism or other problems. Volunteers used their own vehicles, wore CERT shirts, hats or vests, and were ready to contact police if and when they encountered any incidents."

Monday, November 05, 2007

:: TheSouthern.com - The Southern Illinoisan ::

What's Happening in other cities?

:: TheSouthern.com - The Southern Illinoisan ::: "DOWELL - A F5 tornado touched down. The library was in shambles. Three victims were inside. That was the hypothetical situation given to four people Saturday morning at the Dowell Volunteer Fire Department. After 20 hours of basic training, the four were given the hypothetical situation as part of their final session to become members of the Elverado Community Emergency Response Team, or CERT."

APP.COM - DISASTER DRILL: Puts response teams to the test | Asbury Park Press Online

What's Happening in other cities?

APP.COM - DISASTER DRILL: Puts response teams to the test | Asbury Park Press Online: "What seemed like a small army of volunteer emergency groups gathered yesterday morning at the Crestwood Manor, a senior living community, to go through a mock version of a full-scale disaster drill."

Saturday, November 03, 2007

Newport News-Times: Commissioners ink historic agreement

Newport News-Times: Commissioners ink historic agreement: "Natural hazards experts say the Pacific Northwest could endure an earthquake along the Cascadia subduction zone, a 600-mile underwater fault zone nearly identical to the 600-mile fault that snapped offshore near Indonesia at the end of 2004. A large earthquake along the Oregon coast would likely trigger multiple landslides, take out utilities, and buckle highways. The ensuing tsunamis, the first of which could arrive in as few as 15 minutes following a local quake, could bring waves that build to 30 feet or higher washing over the coast at speeds of 20 miles per hour or faster. The waves could threaten the coast for eight hours or more, with the largest waves arriving hours after the initial one, significantly damaging infrastructure - dock facilities, bridges, buildings, coastal developments, as well as ships and boats caught in the harbors. As the water from each wave rushed back out to sea, it would carry logs, rocks, beams, oil, and other toxic debris, causing additional damage. The flood of seawater would also have profound effects on marine and land habitats."