THH 5-30-12

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GRAD PICS

‘MOOK TRACK SOLID AT STATE

NEAH-KAH-NIE HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR PHOTOS INSIDE, A6-7

TILLAMOOK’S STATE TRACK RESULTS, PAGE A10

Headlight Herald

TILLAMOOKHEADLIGHTHERALD.COM • MAY 30, 2012

Listen to the kids Cadets educate county commissioners on tsunami safety BY MARY FAITH BELL mfbell@countrymedia.net

On May 23, the Tillamook County Commissioners heard a lesson on tsunami preparedness from Tillamook Police Cadets, Morgan and Jessica Dally. The twin sisters, 13, are working with Tillamook Police Chief Terry Wright on tsunami preparedness outreach with a focus on the westernmost portion of the City of Tillamook, which was recently identified as being in the tsunami inundation zone in the event of a major local earthquake and subsequent tsunami. The cadets took time off from school last week to work the first Tillamook Ward 1 tsunami evacuation drill.

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FIRST-TIME DRILL Parts of Tillamook could see 5-10 feet of water during a local tsunami BY MARY FAITH BELL

Rebecca Corbus evacuated with her parents, Bob and Roxanne Stuart, and her two young sons, Luke and Jonah Corbus, during the first tsunami drill for Tillamook Ward 1. The family was surprised to learn their home is in the inundation zone.

mfbell@countrymedia.net

The first-ever tsunami evacuation drill was held May 23 for Tillamook’s Ward 1, the west side of the city that was newly added to the predicted local tsunami inundation zone earlier this year. The area, from the Tillamook River to approximately Douglas Street, could be underwater and flooded with debris in the event of a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake and subsequent tsunami. Part of Ward 2, the business district on Hwy. 101 north of Front Street, is also in the inundation zone. Organizers Jeannell Wyntergreen

MARY FAITH BELL/ HEADLIGHT HERALD

and Jerry Rillette, local tsunami outreach coordinators for DOGAMI, said approximately 100 citizen evacuees and 50 volunteers from several agencies participated in the drill. That was a good turnout considering Ward 1 has only about 500 residents. “Tillamook residents have experienced flooding on a regular basis, so they are inclined to think a tsunami would be more of the same. It would not be more of the riverine flooding we’re used to,” said Wyntergreen. It would, in fact, be more like the images of the Lower Ninth Ward after Hurricane Katrina.

See DRILL, Page A9

UNDER WATER

Artifacts reveal history about major tsunami in Tillamook

See KIDS, Page A9

INDEX

SAMANTHA SWINDLER/HEADLIGHT HERALD

Classified Ads .........................B5 Crossword Puzzle....................B2 Dining Guide ...........................B3 Fenceposts ..............................B3 Obituaries................................A8 Opinions..................................A4 Sports....................................A10 Tides .....................................A11

WEATHER MAY 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29

HIGH 55 54 57 63 59 58 57 61

STATS LOW 48 47 48 42 52 51 48 48

RAINFALL .98 .34 .10 .00 .00 .06 .04 --

PRECIPITATION 1.52 PAST WEEK: MONTH TO DATE: 4.90 MAY NORMALS HIGH: 62 LOW: 44 TOTAL PRECIPITATION: 4.72 WEATHER COURTESY OF WEATHER UNDERGROUND

1908 2nd St. 503-842-7535 www.TillamookHeadlightHerald.com

Vol. 123, No. 33 75 cents

A PRAYER FOR THE FLEET BY ERIN DIETRICH edietrich@countrymedia.net

ated ILLAMOOK – If you’re wondering why Tillamook’s Ward 1 held a tsuna- with its earmi evacuation drill last week, consider lier occupation.” The findings coincide with this: Archaeologists believe that Native Amerirecent mapping by the Department of cans living along the Trask River, where Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI) Tillamook’s wastewater treatment plant stands that, for the first time, shows areas of west today, likely abandoned the site after a major Tillamook that would be inundated by a tsunaearthquake and tsunami struck the area in mi in the event of a major local earthquake. 1700. In the last few weeks, “Tsunami evacuation A report released in February by Applied Route” signs have cropped up on some TillamArchaeological Research, Inc. of Portland conook streets. tains details about the location of the archaeo“Prior to DOGAMI’s recent re-mapping of logical site, descriptions of the items found and communities along the entire Oregon coastline, information about the Native Americans living researchers believed that, based on topographiin the region dating back thousands of years. cal maps and basic knowledge of tsunamis, The find serves as a wake-up call to resithat a wave of up to 50 feet was possible in our dents of neighborhoods in the city’s west end, area,” said Tillamook County Emergency Manwhich was only recently mapped for tsunami ager Gordon McCraw. “But it was not believed inundation zones in the event of a major local that western Tillamook fit into that zone.” earthquake event. The new tsunami inundation maps, released “There’s value in acknowledging and honorin March, are based upon the latest light detecing our past, and unfortunately we had to do it tion and ranging (LIDAR) technology and geothrough finding out it was deposited there logical data, which combined, show where before the tsunami,” said Tillamook Mayor tsunami flood waters have reached in past CasSuzanne Weber. “That’s kind of mixed feelcadia Subduction Zone earthquake events. ings, but still, it gives validity to all that recent “The new LIDAR mapping they used is [tsunami mapping] research.” brand new technology,” McCraw said. “They More than 20,000 objects were recovered combined that with the science of plate tectonbetween 2007 and 2009 at the site near the ics we use today, that didn’t exist in the mouth of the Trask River, in what is today 1980s.” Tillamook’s Ward 1 neighborhood. Among the The Native American artifacts were uncovrelics, dating as far back as 1,300 years ago, are stone artifacts, bone tools, pieces of animal ered during excavation for the city’s new sewage treatment plant. Many of the artifacts bone, fire-cracked rocks and the remnants of were on display at City Hall for some time. stone tools. They were then given to the Confederated The report indicates the site was used as a Tribes of Grande Ronde. base camp for fishing and hunting On page 36 of the 175-page report, activities and for the manufacture of it is noted that the cycle of relocation M0RE ONLINE tools and equipment. It was, however, and resettlement in a particular area abandoned completely someA full pdf of may have occurred 24 times in the time around A.D. 1700, the the 175-page 12,000-year presence of humans along year a magnitude 9.0 archaeological the Oregon coast. earthquake centered report is available “At least 11 such events have been about 75 miles offshore, on the Headlight documented, with the last large earthgenerated a massive quake occurring in A.D. 1700, which Herald website, tsunami that hit the may have dropped land surrounding the tillamookheadPacific Coast of the lightherald.com. bay up to three feet,” the report states. U.S. Before the arrival of Europeans to “Once abanthe area, the Tillamook (a Chinookan doned, the site does not seem to have been word for the inhabitants of the Nehalem area) lived in the area spanning just south of Seaside reused by the Tillamook,” to the Siletz River. Little is known of their way according to the report. “The site’s historical com- of life prior to the arrival of Europeans, which devastated Native American populations ponent dates to the late 19th century or early 20th through diseases such as small pox, measles and malaria. century and is not associ-

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Above: A zoomorphic stone-decorated object found at the Trask River archaeological site dates between 250 and 1,300 ago. Left: A projectile point found at the site.

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Singh remains in jail after second passport found BY MARY FAITH BELL mfbell@countrymedia.net

Hamraj Singh, 46, the Tillamook Center Market manager who has been indicted on numerous sexual abuse charges, remains in jail after his bail hearing May 23. Judge Mari Garric Trevino considered Singh a flight risk after the prosecution showed he has a valid passport, despite the defense’s claim that he did not. The court had concerns that Singh, an Indian citizen, would flee the U.S. rather than stand trial. Singh’s bail is set at $1.327 million. He faces 24 counts of first-degree rape and five counts of sodomy – all Measure 11 offenses – as well as 51 counts of Sex Abuse II and III and two counts of Harassment. The courtroom was packed with Singh’s family and friends; approximately 40 people attended the hearing to show that Singh has strong community support. “It has not escaped my attention that half of my court is full of Mr. Singh’s supporters,” said Judge Trevino. “I will not forget how many of you are here.” But, she went on to say, “It is not my responsibility to decide here today whether or not Mr. Singh is guilty. Having a bunch of people say that they think Mr. Singh is a nice man and not guilty won’t help.” Trevino said that in order to craft a release agreement, she has to answer two questions: whether Singh is a danger to others; and whether Singh is a flight risk.

See SINGH, Page A9

TILLAMOOK FARMERS’ CO-OP Tillamook’s Country Store Serving Tillamook County Since 1935

GARIBALDI – During the Blessing of the Fleet ceremony on Saturday, May 26, pastor Jerry Jefferies (above) blessed the ceremonial wreath to be laid at the Tillamook Bar. He offered the following prayer: “Most gracious Lord, who numbered among your apostles the fishermen Peter, Andrew, James and John, we pray you consecrate this wreath in memory of United States Coast guardsmen, Charles Macholl and Ernest Broder, World War II veterans who served on these waters. May this wreath be a symbol of your creative power, which from the beginning of time, brought forth life, both great and small. “May the waters upon which it will rest continue to grant us food and labor, and in return, grant us courage to protect this resource. May the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, preserve our fleet in safety this day and forever.”

PROPANE Proud Sponsor of our Tillamook Youth Football Program would like to announce pre-registration on

Thursday, May 31, 2012 at the Tillamook High School Cafeteria from 4pm - 6pm

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