5 counties join pet evacuation disaster drill

Yuxing Zheng, The Oregonian
CANBY -- Animal noises pierced the chilly morning air inside the livestock barn of the Clackamas County Fairgrounds on Wednesday.

But instead of the usual oinks and moos, shrill howls from 20 or so dogs filled the cavernous room. The 25 or so "cats" sat silent, seeing as how they were actually plush toys.

The assembly of pets live and fake allowed animal service officials from Clackamas, Columbia, Multnomah, Washington and Clark counties to stage a mock evacuation and sheltering exercise for pets. The training exercise helped emergency preparedness officials test their procedures for the mass sheltering of pets after a major disaster.

"With Hurricane Katrina and various other disasters, we have seen that people love their pets and they're part of the family," said Diana Hallmark, manager of Clackamas County Dog Services, which coordinated the exercise. "Emergency pet sheltering is that extra piece that allows people the peace of mind to be able to evacuate in a safe manner when they're first asked."

Wednesday's exercise simulated a post-earthquake evacuation of residents and their pets. Red Cross volunteers ran a human evacuation shelter in the fairgrounds' pavilion hall a short distance away.

First, community volunteers brought their dogs as well as stuffed toy bunnies, turtles and other toy cats to the pet shelter. Organizers feared real cats might have proved too "temperamental" for training purposes, said Tim Heider, a Clackamas County spokesman.

Officials then took pictures of each pet with its owner, with one photo going on top of each kennel. The owners and pets were each tagged with matching wristbands or collars with ID numbers: red tags for female pets and blue ones for males. The pets were then led to one of the individual kennels spaced in a grid pattern throughout the room.

Pets designated as having wounds or injuries were directed to a triage center. The most seriously "injured" pets, such as a stuffed horse, were sent to Multnomah County's mobile vet unit behind the building.

The training follows completion of a regional planning effort for the mass evacuation and sheltering of pets in the event of a large-scale disaster. Congress and Oregon passed laws calling for such plans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
The practice session and the proximity of the pet and human shelters helped Clackamas resident John Gill feel more confident about potentially leaving his home in an emergency.

Under normal evacuation circumstances, "I'm not convinced I would give up my dog to a shelter," said Gill, whose 3-year-old poodle, Henry, participated in the exercise. "But I feel confident in this situation, where I can see him and I can talk to him."

At the end of the exercise, organizers noted several areas needing improvement, such as spreading out the reunification of owners and pets, putting more distance between the cats and barking dogs, and bringing in propane heaters.

The exercise also helped pet owners note their own weak spots.

Tualatin resident Noralyn Danielle said she learned she needed to complete emergency preparation work for her two Siamese cats, which had remained at home during the exercise.

"I didn't have their vaccination numbers. I couldn't remember the vet's name," Danielle said. "It's a wake-up call for us, especially if they need medication. It's all those things I would've never thought of."

Organizers of the exercise emphasized that owners should keep a three-day supply of food, water and medicine for their pets in case of a disaster.

Sandy resident Sarah Richardson said the exercise taught her to talk with relatives to ensure they could retrieve her three dogs from a shelter should anything happen to her during an evacuation.

"If I've lost everything in a disaster, if you reunite with your family and on top of that your pet -- that would be the ultimate comfort," Richardson said.

Mitigation can save lives, property, money and lots of hassle!

Mitigation is one of those words people throw around expecting everyone to understand what it means. Though the word may not be common, it is very important. Here’s the definition.

“Mitigation” is any sustained action taken to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to people and property from natural hazards and their effects. This means taking steps to reduce damage from future hazards, like flooding.

Oregonians who need to make repairs or rebuild as a result of the December and January storms have a responsibility to themselves, their families and their neighbors to rebuild in a way that reduces future flood losses. It’s safer, cheaper, and much easier to limit future destruction than to repair it afterward and the rebuilding phase of a disaster is the ideal time to consider ways to limit future damage.

Mitigation steps that can be taken to protect homeowners from suffering repetitive loss include rebuilding with materials less likely to be damaged by water and raising utility connections and electrical outlets. Owners should avoid building in a flood plain unless they elevate and reinforce the structure and/or seal walls in basements with waterproofing compounds to avoid seepage through cracks.

Not only does mitigation save lives and property, it also may qualify you for lower-cost flood insurance. Contact your insurance agents for premium rates, and check with your local planning department or online to find ways to mitigate.

More information about mitigation strategies to reduce flood risk can be found at www.fema.gov.

A Wet La Niña Winter On The Way

Kristian Foden-Vencil October 5, 2010 Portland, OR


Oregon has enjoyed some wonderful sunny days over the last couple of weeks. But as Kristian Foden-Vencil reports forecasters predict it's going to be an especially wet winter.

Last year, winter was pretty warm and comparitively dry. The region was moving out of an El Niño year. Now, says Clinton Rockey a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, we're in a La Niña pattern.

Clinton Rockey: "La Niña means we have cooler than usual water in the central and north Pacific ocean. and what that will bring to us is energized storm track for the winter months and generally speaking that means more rainfall for the Pacific Northwest and of course in the mountains that's going to result in a lot more snowfall."

He says rain will gradually increase now as we go through October. Then the big storms are expected to start in November. That's when the typhoon season ends in the western Pacific -- and moisture from those storms can curl over and come back across the ocean.

Clinton Rockey: "Certainly compared to last year this is going to be wetter. In fact, we haven't seen a wet one now probably for five or six years since we saw one this wet, that we're anticipating."

As for temperatures, he's not as sure where they’re headed. He says with more moisture there'll probably be more clouds, which means warmer nights and colder days.

In Portland, the city transportation department has already scheduled a winter preparedness meeting for next month, in anticipation of a wet winter.

Spokeswoman, Cheryl Cook, says they're also asking people to keep their storm drains clean.

Cheryl Cook: "Prior to a heavy rain fall event, when the forecast calls for it, to get out and stay on the curb with a rake or a pitchfork and check the catch basin nearest your home or your business."

The Oregon Department of Agriculture is also making predictions of a wetter, stormier year, with at least one Arctic outbreak likely.

Up in Seattle, utilities and government agencies have already kicked off a "Take Winter By Storm" campaign -- complete with a web page and a checklist of how to get prepared.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration lists two really serious weather events in Oregon over the last 20 years. Both involved flooding.

The worst was over the winter of 1996-97 when there was $4 billion dollars worth of damage.



www.govlink.org/storm

Citizen Corp needs you

After September 11, 2001, America witnessed a wellspring of selflessness and heroism. People in every corner of the country asked, "What can I do?" and "How can I help?" A group named Citizen Corps was created to help all Americans answer these questions through public education and outreach, training, and volunteer service.

Citizen Corps has five programs where citizens may volunteer to be of service in their local areas. The five programs are Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Fire Corps, Medical Reserve Corps, Neighborhood Watch (USAonwatch.org), and Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS). For information on all of these programs go online to www.citizencorps.gov

The group that I want to discuss with you today is the CERT program. CERT educates people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. CERT members also are encouraged to support emergency response agencies by taking a more active role in emergency preparedness projects in their community.

Using the training learned in the classroom and during exercises, CERT members can assist others in their neighborhood or workplace following an event when professional responders are not immediately available to help. People will have to rely on each other for help in order to meet their immediate life saving and life sustaining needs.

One also expects that under these kinds of conditions, family members, fellow employees, and neighbors will spontaneously try to help each other. This was the case following the Mexico City earthquake where untrained, spontaneous volunteers saved 800 people. However, 100 people lost their lives while attempting to save others. This is a high price to pay and is preventable through training.

CERT is about readiness, people helping people, rescuer safety, and doing the greatest good for the greatest number. CERT is a positive and realistic approach to emergency and disaster situations where citizens will be initially on their own and their actions can

make a difference. Through training, citizens can manage utilities and put out small fires; treat the three killers by opening airways, controlling bleeding, and treating for shock; provide basic medical aid; search for and rescue victims safely; and organize themselves and spontaneous volunteers to be effective.

To find and join a CERT group in your area, go online at www.citizencorps.gov, click on programs and then CERT. You will be asked to enter the zip code for your area. Thank you for helping your community.

American Red Cross

Let's start with a stunning fact: 65% of home fire deaths occur in homes with no working smoke alarms.

When was the last time you tested your smoke alarm? Do you have one on every level of your home? And how old are the batteries?

www.oregonredcross.org/homefires

October is Fire Prevention Month, the perfect time to focus on fire safety. Test your smoke alarm and re-test it on the same date every month going forward. Replace the batteries at least once a year or check on 10-year batteries. And keep in mind that while carbon monoxide alarms are also lifesavers, they're not a substitute.

Want to do more? Talk to your family about a fire escape plan and then practice, practice, practice. And if a fire really does happen? Remember to get out, stay out and call 9-1-1. In no time at all, your Oregon Red Cross will be there to help.

www.oregonredcross.org/homefires

Let's start with a stunning fact: 65% of home fire deaths occur in homes with no working smoke alarms.

When was the last time you tested your smoke alarm? Do you have one on every level of your home? And how old are the batteries?

www.oregonredcross.org/homefires

October is Fire Prevention Month, the perfect time to focus on fire safety. Test your smoke alarm and re-test it on the same date every month going forward. Replace the batteries at least once a year or check on 10-year batteries. And keep in mind that while carbon monoxide alarms are also lifesavers, they're not a substitute.

Want to do more? Talk to your family about a fire escape plan and then practice, practice, practice. And if a fire really does happen? Remember to get out, stay out and call 9-1-1. In no time at all, your Oregon Red Cross will be there to help.

www.oregonredcross.org/homefires