KPLU Local News
(2010-03-15)
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The sign points the way toward a tsunami evacuation route on Washington's Olympic Peninsula.
AP photo by Elaine Thompson.
Chuck Wallace with Grays Harbor County Emergency Management says there's no doubt about what is coming.
"It's just a matter of time before we get an earthquake in Grays Harbor. It's going to happen sooner or later."
Wallace says the quakes in Chile and Haiti have reinvigorated conversations about the best ways to communicate and coordinate during big disasters.
"When I looked at the last four large events in the world, they lost communication."
In our case we can't count on cell phones and emergency text messages. So how will authorities be able to share information about things like, Which roads are blocked?' Turns out one of the best ways is likely old-fashioned, amateur radio.
"They have a whole system, the ham operators do, of communicating between themselves, so that the information gets passed the correct way."
Ham radio is used by hobbyists. Wallace is working with ham operators all over southwest Washington. They held an emergency drill late last year, and more are planned in the coming months. Seattle also incorporates ham radio operators into its disaster planning. Next week's tsunami drill in Grays Harbor County will be a way for cities, tribes and towns along the coast to test lines of command.
Emergency planners say if a major quake hits, get to high ground and stay there for at least 24 hours and monitor a battery- powered radio, such as a NOAA weather radio or AM-FM radio for information.
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