05-15-2024 Newport, OR - Cascadia Subduction Zone Drills

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In the largest exercise of its kind ever on the Oregon coast, Lincoln County Emergency Management, in partnership with the Oregon Department of Human Services’ Office of Resilience and Emergency Management (OREM), City of Newport, Scappoose Fire District, Life Flight, Team Rubicon, and the United States Coast Guard, will host a two-day exercise to introduce and train first responders and volunteers in the deployment of the newest Evacuation Assembly Point (EAP), housed at the Newport Municipal Airport.

On May 14 and 15, emergency management personnel from around the state will exercise response to a simulated emergency, such as a Cascadia Subduction Zone
earthquake and ensuing tsunami. First responders will have an opportunity to set up, test, and demobilize tents and other EAP equipment. Last month, OREM delivered two Conex containers – heavy duty metal storage and shipping containers – storing the EAP equipment in the northeast corner of the Newport Municipal Airport. Partnered agencies, hosted at Oregon Coast Community College, have met several times since to plan for the exercise and familiarize themselves with the equipment.

This EAP is intended for temporary use to triage and provide shelter to individuals who
will need to be evacuated off the coast to receive additional assistance or to return
home to other parts of the state. Over the course of the two-day event, there will be
demonstrations, preparedness activities, and overnight sheltering provided.
"Lincoln County is grateful to ODHS for providing us with the Evacuation Assembly
Point. In a large-scale emergency event, the ability to quickly remove individuals from
the area is essential to life safety and the wellbeing of our community. The EAP will
allow us to provide shelter and other resources for those being medically evacuated by
air. It will make a significant difference in the type of care we can provide" said
Samantha Buckley, Lincoln County emergency manager.

This is the second EAP OREM has delivered to the coast, the first being housed at the
Tillamook Airport. The agency plans to establish a third EAP on the south coast this
summer. OREM delivers the equipment to local responders and conducts initial training,
leaving the EAP in the hands of those who will be faced with the immediate aftermath of
a disaster.

“Coastal communities like Lincoln County are prioritized to house these Conex boxes
because data shows they are likely to be cut off from the rest of the state during the
Cascadia earthquake,” said Ed Flick (he/him), OREM director. “ODHS has primary
responsibility for mass care and shelter following disasters, so helping local
communities access critical supplies that can quickly be used to serve their local
community is important to us.”

Demonstrations will include the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, “drones,” operated by
Scappoose Fire’s Aviation unit, a Life Flight rescue helicopter, and the Coast Guard
Newport Air Station’s MH-65 Dolphin rescue helicopter.

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