In response to a letter to the editor in the Chinook Observer of July 30, 2008, I would like to point out there are several documents available on the evacuation routes out of Long Beach and the rest of the Peninsula. These are brochures developed by the State of
Washington and several of the Emergency Management Offices. We have attached them to this article.
The concern by the writer of the letter was the locked gates involving City property that is located on higher ground. The answer has two aspects, that is to say, if we have a tsunamis that is generated by a “distant event” (as an example an earthquake in Alaska) we should have about three hours warning and all of the city gates will be unlocked, plus there is a great deal of other high ground that one can go to for safety. The second aspect is a local earthquake, one that is generated by the movement of the tectonic plates just a few miles off shore. In this situation we will have from 15 minutes to maybe 25 minutes before the first wave hits. In addition we will have experience an earthquake as large as a magnitude 9 with up to 5 minutes of shaking. This is the big one and we do not mean to scare everyone, but most likely we will all be on foot and we will need to find the highest ground we can – locked gates will not matter as we will go around them or over them.
To make everyone feel a bit safer, the fact is our greatest chance of a tsunamis is the distant event, and in that case we will have the gates open and there will be police officers and other city officials helping direct traffic and deal with other issues as they happen. With the construction of our new water plant site we hope to have an evacuation meeting area established in the water plant area. This is presently under development and will be ready to use in another year or so.
Another critical issue is your own personal safety or survival kit. Please put one together and make sure you have a good flashlight or two, plus batteries. Also some water and other items listed in the attached brochures are very important.
If you do have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact city hall at 360-642-4421 and we will do our best to answer your questions.