Disaster has far-reaching impact

Editor’s note: Although the earthquake and subsequent disasters discussed in this report did not actually occur, each publication and reporter represented here is real, as is their reporting about the four-day disaster training exercise taking place throughout Oregon, Washington and Idaho.

While North Idaho prepares for the large influx of evacuees after the 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Oregon Tuesday morning, areas along the coast are more directly affected by the devastation.

Eugene, Ore., is located 95 miles west of the epicenter of the earthquake along the Cascadia Subduction Zone that also triggered a tsunami along the West Coast. 

According to The Register-Guard, a Eugene area news publication, Tuesday was "busy and eventful" for nearly two dozen people with "a front-row seat to the catastrophe."

"The large tent they occupy, serving as a makeshift Lane County emergency operations center, is abuzz with chatter as they grapple with the aftermath of the most destructive natural disaster the Pacific Northwest has ever experienced," reported the Register-Guard’s Christian Hill.

Those in the tent were put to the test, Hill wrote, as to the best ways of sharing information, prioritizing incidents and coordinating their response. The group learned of the disaster's aftermath through radio communication, text messages and social media. Some of the communication included a landslide that damaged 10 homes, a bridge collapse that cut off access to the Walterville fire station, where officials had sent evacuated residents — and no one had heard from Florence, a coastal city apparently cut off from communication by the earthquake.

Whitney Woodworth from the Statesman Journal, a publication in Salem, located north of Eugene, spoke with Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, Tuesday who used a Benjamin Franklin quote to describe the need for preparedness: "By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail."

Woodworth reported the first step, after taking cover and ensuring everyone is safe, is getting the facts. The Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries is charged with assembling scientists and experts to analyze how the earthquake and subsequent tsunamis, landslides and floods had "changed the landscape of Oregon." Brown was to be briefed on the damage and flown over the affected areas by the Oregon National Guard.

With airports and roads damaged, the need to get supplies to those along the coast in areas severely affected by the devastation becomes a challenge.

Seattle Times reporter Sandi Doughton reported from Indian Island, located in Jefferson County about 50 miles north of Seattle, where United States military personnel prepared to deliver food, heavy equipment and other gear by "one of the best ways" possible — by water. With ports, docks and piers destroyed by the earthquake or tsunami, the Navy was prepared to make its own. At Naval Magazine Indian Island, a munitions storage depot near Port Townsend, the Navy deployed "several small landing craft and portable docks, called causeway ferries," Doughton reported.

Radio Free Redoubt reported updates from throughout the region Thursday. In Eugene, around 10:30 a.m., a "massive explosion" destroyed Mahlon Sweet Airport in Eugene. Officials said the fuel tank explosion was caused by a large aftershock, leaving the airport unusable. In Lacey, Wash., damaged bridges and roads, widespread power outages, flooding and unstable buildings complicated emergency response services to an estimated 2.5 million people in need of life-sustaining supplies.

Closer to home, emergency responders in Spokane arrived at the scene of an "airplane crash" Thursday at Spokane International. Jeff Humphrey from KXLY tweeted the "Jet liner broke apart after landing gear collapsed," claiming two lives and wounding 22 of the 40 "passengers." The Spokesman Review reported Tuesday that crash training is required every three years by the Federal Aviation Administration, with the objective of practicing emergency response plans and protocol for working with outside agencies.

Boundary County Emergency Management released several updates Thursday as Red Cross shelters were set up at state borders with Washington, including several reports from local grocery stores that supplies are running short and concerns that people may become violent getting supplies. Law enforcement agencies have teams that will be responding to the stores to keep the peace. The Red Cross Shelters for Pets is nearing full capacity in Bonners Ferry, and anyone willing to provide additional pet storage should contact the Red Cross. Boundary County may experience critical infrastructure issues like power and phones. The county will also experience heavy traffic flow on our roads. Residents are advised not to travel unless needed, fuel supplies are limited. Law enforcement will be directing traffic to needed emergency locations as needed.

The Coeur d'Alene Press reported Wednesday that an estimated 14,000 evacuees are expected in Kootenai County. There have been an estimated 13,000 deaths from northern California to British Columbia, according to government officials. Kootenai County and the state of Idaho made a disaster declaration Tuesday, and Wednesday the American Red Cross and Panhandle Health District set up emergency and medical shelters at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds as disaster victims began to arrive.