Emergency Management

Mission Statement

To maintain an Emergency Services system as defined in ORS 401, by planning, preparing and providing for the prevention, mitigation and/or management of emergencies or disasters that present a threat to the lives and property of the citizens of Tillamook County.

Emergency Alert Notifications

April 13, 2024

President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Oregon Disaster Declaration

BRIEFING ROOM PRESIDENTIAL ACTIONS

Today, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that a major disaster exists in the State of Oregon and ordered Federal assistance to supplement state, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the areas affected severe winter storms, straight-line winds, landslides, and mudslides from January 10 to January 22, 2024.

Federal funding is available to state, tribal, and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe winter storms, straight-line winds, landslides, and mudslides in the counties of Benton, Clackamas, Coos, Hood River, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Multnomah, Sherman, Tillamook, and Wasco,and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures in all areas within the state.

Ms. Yolanda J. Jackson of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been appointed to coordinate Federal recovery operations in the affected areas.

Additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT THE FEMA NEWS DESK AT (202) 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@FEMA.DHS.GOV.

UPDATED DROUGHT INFORMATION FOR TILLAMOOK

https://www.drought.gov/states/oregon/county/Tillamook

TSUNAMI & HAZARD AREA MAPS

http://www.oregongeology.org/tsuclearinghouse/pubs-evacbro.htm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 9/11/23

Tillamook County will be participation in the Great ShakeOut/Oregon on October 19, 2023 at 10:19 am

GET READY TO SHAKE OUT, THEN MOVE OUT OF THE TSUNAMI ZONE

TILLAMOOK COUNTY WIDE EARTHQUAKE & TSUNAMI DRILL OCTOBER 19TH

You are invited to join thousands of people who will “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” on October 19th at 10:19 a.m. in the 2023 Great Oregon ShakeOut!

Then Tillamook County is taking it to the next level with a county wide tsunami evacuation drill. The earthquake is the

tsunami warning – if you are in the tsunami zone, then evacuate. Be prepared, not scared. Participating is a great way for your family or organization to become better prepared to survive and recover quickly from a big earthquake or tsunami.

Why is “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” important to practice? You may only have seconds to protect yourself in an

earthquake before strong shaking knocks you down, or something falls on you. Practicing helps you be ready to react.

Do you know your evacuation route for the tsunami? Do you know how long it will take you to WALK there? What if you aren’t at home – do you know the evacuation route in other areas? Do you have a Go-Bag ready?

September is Emergency Preparedness Month – so this is a great opportunity for your family, school or organization, and the community to review and update plans, gather go bag supplies, and secure your space in order to prevent damage and injuries. Everyone can participate! Individuals, families, schools, government agencies, businesses and other

organizations are all invited to participate.

Sign up to receive Tillamook County Emergency Alerts -

https://member.everbridge.net/453003085611895/login

Get alerted about emergencies by signing up for the Emergency Alert Program. You will receive time-sensitive messages wherever you specify, such as your home, mobile or business phones, email address, text messages and more. You pick where, you pick how. Tillamook County Emergency Management will use the citizen alert along with landline lists to notify citizens in the event of an emergency within Tillamook County.

On October 19th, Tillamook County Emergency Management will use the Emergency Alert system to notify citizens about the earthquake drill, and then tsunami evacuation drill.

Tillamook County Shake-Out & Evacuation participants will:

Learn what you can do to get prepared – SIGN UP FOR Tillamook County Emergency alerts
Receive news and other earthquake, tsunami and emergency preparedness information
Be counted in the largest earthquake drill ever
Set an example that motivates others to participate

Mark your calendar – October 19^th and great ready to Shake Out, then Move Out. Sign up for Tillamook County

Emergency Alerts, register for the Shake Out - ShakeOut.org/oregon – then get your GoBag ready, and make your evacuation plans.

For more information, contact Tillamook County Emergency Management Director Randy Thorpe,

rthorpe@co.tillamook.or.us. Or contact your local Emergency Volunteer Corps:

If you live in:

Manzanita, Nehalem, Wheeler - EVCNB.org

Nedonna Beach - Nedonna Beach Neighborhood Association – Your Neighborhood Association in Nedonna Beach

Rockaway Beach - Emergency Management – City of Rockaway Beach (corb.us)

Bay City - http://www.bcevor.org/

Cape Meares - EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS | Cape Meares

South County - South Tillamook County Emergency Volunteer Corps – Creating a Culture of Emergency Preparedness (southtillamookcountyevc.org)

Stay tuned for additional information on the countywide event – October 19th @10:19 am - Shake Out – Drop, Cover, Hold On; Then – Move Out to high ground and your area’s tsunami evacuation area.

CARGO CONTAINERS LANDED APRIL 20 AND 24 AT TILLAMOOK AIRPORT TO STORE SUPPLIES TO HELP IN A DISASTER

News Release from Oregon Department of Human Services
Posted on FlashAlert: April 26th, 2023 9:57 AM

(Tillamook) – To help Tillamook County prepare for a Cascadia earthquake event, the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS), Office of Resilience and Emergency Management delivered two large portable cargo containers filled with emergency relief supplies and equipment to the Tillamook Municipal Airport.

These containers, called Conex boxes, were delivered in April and are part of an emergency preparedness partnership between ODHS, Tillamook County, Tillamook Municipal Airport and Near Space Corporation.

“Coastal communities like Tillamook 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), director of the ODHS Office of Resilience and Emergency Preparedness. “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.”

A section of the Tillamook Municipal Airport is designated as an evacuation assembly point for Tillamook County. The Conex boxes are stocked with food, water, tents and medical supplies to support 100 people at the evacuation assembly point for two weeks in the event of an emergency. Conex boxes are tan or rust colored containers that are 20-feet long and 8-feet wide.

Evacuation assembly points are short-term locations for people to gather while emergency responders work to access the impacted area. They are not intended to be long-term shelters but are places people can register, receive nourishment and short-term shelter, get essential medical care and be scheduled for transport out of the area when needed.

The Conex boxes and the emergency supplies in them are being provided to Tillamook County at no cost.

There will also be a series of training sessions to ensure emergency preparedness officials in Tillamook County are familiar with how to use and deploy the provided supplies during an emergency.

“Tillamook County is grateful to ODHS for supporting our community’s emergency preparedness efforts in this way,” said Randy Thorpe (he/him), Tillamook County emergency management director. “Having these critical and lifesaving emergency supplies immediately available at an evacuation assembly point will help our community respond to and recover from a mass disaster like a Cascadia earthquake event.

Michele Bradley (she/her), general manager at Port of Tillamook Bay where the airport is located, is involved with emergency management planning in Tillamook County and collaborated with Thorpe to identify the best location for the Conex boxes and supplies to be stored. They determined that a location close to Near Space Corporation at the airport would be best.

“I’ve been a part of work groups on resilience after a disaster,” said Bradley. “I wanted us to be part of the solution. The airport is a good location, and it makes sense to work with the state on this. We could easily serve the seven cities and unincorporated areas in Tillamook County from this location.”

Near Space Corporation tests and flies unmanned aerial vehicles such as drones for the Federal Aviation Administration. Kevin Tucker, president of Near Space Corporation also has experience in emergency preparedness planning.

“With our unmanned aerial vehicle testing and operations we are very much involved with emergency management and disaster preparedness,” said Tucker. “We want to make sure we are doing everything we can for preparedness. We want to help all we can. It’s pretty much just being a good citizen.”

Anyone who wants to learn more about how to prepare for emergencies can find resources at www.ready.gov.

About the ODHS Office of Resilience and Emergency Management

ODHS holds three distinct roles through its Office of Resilience and Emergency Management, all of which reduce the impact of disasters on people. In its most foundational role, OREM staff work every day with ODHS programs, offices and affiliated agencies to ensure the safety of the people served by our programs, and our staff. The second role is as the lead agency for cooling, warming and cleaner air centers to protect the public from life-threatening weather and related events. The third role is as the primary agency for mass care and social services recovery, as outlined in Oregon’s comprehensive emergency operations and recovery plans. In this role, ODHS supports the evacuation, sheltering, feeding, emergency assistance, family reunification, distribution of emergency supplies and human services needs of people impacted by disasters.

Across all these roles, ODHS develops and relies on partnerships and coordination with public and private organizations at the local and regional levels and with our state and Tribal Nation partners.