Cascadia Rising Earthquake & Response Exercise Set for June 7-10

State and federal partners have worked with the city, county and tribal emergency management entities to plan a Cascadia Rising Earthquake and Tsunami response exercise taking place from June 7-10. 

This exercise comes after much attention has been given to the Cascadia Subduction Zone, an area off the Pacific Coast which threatens to deliver the most destructive earthquake and tsunami in North American history. 

"Cascadia Rising is a perfect time for everyone to evaluate their family emergency plan and update or establish emergency kits. Remind yourself and family members of established exit routes, contacts, meeting places and other components of your emergency plan that will be important after a disaster," said Andrew Phelps, OEM director. 

Cascadia Rising is a region wide functional exercise and it's called that because it tests specific functions and capabilities emergency management agencies have in place to response to an event. 

The Exercise

The exercise will bring together multiple states including Oregon, Washington and Idaho and FEMA to prepare of a 8.0-9.0 earthquake. 

 Major Oregon cities, 23 counties, nine tribal nations, 17 state agencies and departments, the American Red Cross, and two private sector partner organizations have signed on to participate. 

"Cascadia Rising will assess plans, processes, and our ability to communicate and coordinate to help to ensure that our emergency response partners across the region are working effectively and efficiently to protect lives, property and the environment during a catastrophic disaster. Specifically, it's an opportunity to provide decision makers with information to implement programs and policies that allocate and manage resources efficiently with urgency during a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake and tsunami, and other disasters," said Phelps.

While Cascadia Rising is not geared toward public participation, Phelps says that Cascadia Rising provides an opportunity to show the public that government agencies are diligently working to be prepared for emergencies. Phelps said this is fundamental to public safety and community resilience. 

The public may be kept abreast of Cascadia Rising activities through social and traditional media, including a Cascadia Rising kickoff Twitter chat on June 6 using hashtags #CascadiaRising, #CascadiaEQ. 

http://www.golocalpdx.com/news/cascadia-rising-earthquake-response-exercise-set-for-june-7-10