Black Butte Fire: more about Oregon wildfires

Wildfires are a natural disaster that occur every year in the state of Oregon, and are one of the more potent dangers we face. Between lightning strikes and man-made fires, according to the governor's office Oregon averages 1100 fires burning more than 12,000 acres every year. Not every Oregonian will face a wildfire, but every Oregonian that lives near forested lands needs to have an emergency plan for wildfire situations.

http://www.oregon.gov/Gov/fd/ffaq.shtml

Earlier this week we wrote an unpublished article about the Black Butte II fire. This fire was started by lightning and is burning up near Three Sisters. While many fires like this one burn out in the wilderness of Oregon, these fires often threaten hikers, campers, rural houses and farms, and occasionally towns and cities.

As of last night, the Black Butte II fire is approximately 570 acres in size and 15% contained. The Black Butte Trail and the Metolious Windego Trail are closed. Indian Ford Campground has been evacuated and closed. Forest roads 11, 64, 1120, 1170, and 1430 are all closed for fire fighting efforts and safety.

You can see the latest news at http://kohd.com/news/local/133538 and yesterday's report at http://www.koinlocal6.com/news/state/story/Fire-at-Black-Butte-10-percent-contained/GtjsULLpgEKUV-d79McB9A.cspx.

Here is our original article:

Koin 6 news is carrying a story about firefighting efforts to combat a 300 acre fire near Three Sisters. Known as the Black Butte II fire, lightning is suspected as the starter for this fire. Here at OEM we expect many more fires like this one, and bigger, before the fire season ends.

http://www.koinlocal6.com/news/state/story/Firefighters-Converge-on-Blaze-Near-Sisters/KlvH0jZs5kiBLBpujlIqHQ.cspx?rss=1100

Forest roads 11, 1120, and 1430 have been closed. You can see more about where wild fires are located on the NWCC Fire Map.

Earthquake insurance

Forgot to mention in the article that earthquake insurance is available and affordable. Your insurance agent may not want to deal with it, but be pushy. It's worth it.

Prepare now to prevent earthquake loss - Statesman Journal July 1

Simple steps can minimize damage to property, family

"We cannot prevent earthquakes, but we can learn to live with them and to survive them. When the inevitable earthquake strikes, we can be ready. But today, we are not." — Robert S. Yeats, Professor Emeritus Oregon State University and author of Living with Earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest

The Pacific Northwest does have earthquakes as evidenced in 2001 by the Nisqually quake near Olympia, Wash. This caused toppled chimneys, collapsed buildings and bridges, disrupted gas, electric, and phone service, injured 407 people, and resulted in one death due to a heart attack.

Once an earthquake hits it is too late to protect your family and home. But there are ways to prepare now. Sometimes a little time and a few dollars are all you need to make things safer.
Homeowners, have your home evaluated by a structural design engineer to find out how to strengthen porches, decks, sliding glass doors, canopies, carports, and garage doors.

Check to see if your house is bolted to its foundations and the chimney is properly secured. Anchor fuel tanks and wood-burning stoves securely to the floor and repair defective electrical wiring.

Consider purchasing an emergency generator and use it only in well ventilated areas.
Inside, hang pictures and mirrors away from beds and seating areas. Secure the TV, computer and stereo and strap the water heater to wall studs. Bolt bookcases, china cabinets and other tall furniture to wall studs and brace or anchor top-heavy objects. Secure kitchen equipment to the floor, wall or countertop.

These are only a few of the things you can do to help reduce the probability of serious injury and major expense from an earthquake.

Be prepared — for your family's sake.

For more information about earthquakes, go to www.oregongeology.org
Jennifer Bailey, formerly of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is the Public Affairs Coordinator of Oregon Emergency Management. She may be reached at (503) 378-2911, Ext. 22294, or jbailey@oem.state.or.us. Additional Facts

Learn more
Send questions about emergency preparedness to be answered in this column to jbailey@oem.state.or.us. Other information may be found at www.oregon. gov/omd/oem or www.fema.gov.

How do I know if I live in a flood zone?

There are a few ways to find out if you live in a flood zone or what the flood risk is at your location. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has a great web site at www.floodsmart.gov where you can enter your address in the One-step flood risk profile on the left side of the page.

This will tell if your property is at low to severe risk of flooding. It will also give you an estimate of what flood insurance premiums may cost and a list of insurance agents in your area.
On www.floodsmart.gov you can also find information on flood insurance benefits, types of policies, questions to ask your insurance agent, questions to ask your real estate agent, and how to buy flood insurance.
If you already have a home-owner’s insurance agent, they should also be able to tell you the level of flood risk for your property. You could also contact your local City or County Emergency Manager or planning department.

After purchasing flood insurance there is a 30 waiting period for it to take effect so this is a very good time to take action.

Please send questions concerning disasters, emergencies and preparedness to jbailey@oem.state.or.us. I will be happy to answer them in the column.

Myth Number 3

My insurance policy will take care of everything.

SWAT teams of insurance agents aren't going to instantly rebuild your life like on TV. Insurance companies will be far more concerned about their own bottom line than yours. In fact, many insurance companies are rewriting policies to redefine some rather common terrorism or disaster related incidents as being excluded and not coverable. Check your policies closely!

AND - regular home owner's insurance does not cover flood damage. You must have nation flood insurance (NFIP). You can buy both the contents and the propery coverage from you home owner's insurance agent if your area is in a participating community. Check with your agent.

Statesman Journal OEM column June 24

June 24, 2009
It's important to be prepared.

All areas are vulnerable to any type of disaster.

The recent thunderstorms and tornado watch was another disaster preparedness wake-up call. Will we pay attention? Will we be ready to care for ourselves when the power goes out and the roads are closed?

It is sometimes difficult for people to understand the importance of being prepared for disasters even though we wouldn't think of living in a home without a smoke detector.
Here are four statements I hear regularly — did any of these come from you?

"If something happens, all I have to do is call 911" — during a major disaster, help is limited and can only get there so fast. Roads often are blocked.

"All I need is a 72-hour kit with a flashlight, some food and water and a radio" — 72 hours is the minimal amount of time you need to be self-sufficient. Two or more weeks would be better.

"Good preparedness is too expensive and too complicated" — If you can't afford to purchase a ready-made kit, purchase one or two items each week with your regular grocery shopping.

"Nothing really bad ever happens here" — You may have noticed that in the past few years, Oregon has had more and more disasters. No area is immune. Consider the possibilities of flood, earthquake, chemical spill, school shooting, thunderstorms, terrorist attack, snow storm, landslides, etc. Any of these could cause you to be isolated at home for several days.

Remember, there will always be someone needier than you and the more prepared you are, the more you free up resources so they can help those less fortunate.

Jennifer Bailey, formerly of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is the Public Affairs Coordinator of Oregon Emergency Management. She may be reached at (503) 378-2911, Ext. 22294, or jbailey@oem.state.or.us. Additional Facts

Learn more
Send questions about emergency preparedness to be answered in this column to jbailey@oem.state.or.us. Other information may be found at www.oregon. gov/omd/oem or www.fema.gov.