Summer 2016
Special Edition
CASCADIA RISING
NORTHWEST’S LARGEST DISASTER EXERCISE
20,000 PARTICIPANTS
TESTING RESPONSE PLANS MIL.WA.GOV / SUMMER 2016 - 1
CONTENTS features 4
Preparing for the ‘Big One’
26
Saving lives through medical expertise
22
Reaching the islands
32
First vertical tsunami evacuation site
26
32 4 2 - EVERGREEN SPECIAL EDITION
22
62 extras
48
48
What’s Cookin’?
62
Amateur hour: volunteer radio operators put to the test
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CASCADIA RISING
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Story by Steven Friederich & Sgt. Matthew Sissel
Preparing for the ‘Big One’: Northwest conducts largest disaster prepardness exercise. Ever. MIL.WA.GOV / SUMMER 2016 - 5
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At some point in our future, hopefully our distant future, it will happen.
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he Washington Military Department joined partners across the Northwest for Cascadia Rising in June, the largest earthquake exercise in state history simulating a 9.0 Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ) earthquake and tsunami along the Washington and Oregon coast. Soldiers and airmen from the Washington National Guard worked side-by-side with first responders to test response capabilities. The Emergency Management Division activated the state Emergency Operations Center. And partner agencies from across the state and many counties, cities and tribes activated their own response plans. With an estimated
U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Paul Rider
20,000 participants, Cascadia Rising is one of the largest disaster preparedness exercises ever conducted in the Northwest. “This is a massive undertaking nearly four years in the making,” said Maj. Gen. Bret Daugherty, the adjutant general and commander of the Washington National Guard. Gov. Jay Inslee painted a picture of what a real earthquake might look like: Masonry buildings crashing. Dozens of bridges down, including several on Interstate 5 and Interstate 90 and a wave as tall as an eight story building crashing down on several coastal towns. “Imagine it,” Inslee said from a podium at Camp Murray, kicking off the exercise. “It is a reality. And
U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Matthew Sissel
at some point in our future, hopefully our distant future, it will happen.” Inslee said Cascadia Rising has given state, local and federal partners a chance to test out their plans. “And we have a solid response plan to help those immediately impacted as well as a plan to help those who will be impacted for a time,” Inslee said. “We also want to identify our weaknesses. That’s the only way we can refine and improve.” Inslee, personally, wanted to test out his ability to contact the U.S. Department of Defense and request the activation of active duty support, he said. The plan was to use a cell phone, but then the governor learned that the cell phones weren’t working in the first day of the exercise.
“The satellite phones worked,” Inslee said. “That’s the good news we learned today.” Inslee emphasized that individual preparedness is just as essential for the safety and well-being of Washington residents as is state preparedness. “State and federal partners – no matter what they do – cannot fully mitigate something of this extent,” Inslee said. “Having a basic emergency kit in homes, in cars, in offices, is absolutely essential for everyone that lives in our great state. I really want to encourage Washington residents to take this on as a personal responsibility.” “While we know we’ll get help from outside the state, it could take days for them to get here,” Daugherty added. “Get to know your neighbors. Meet with your family and
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Having a basic emergency kit in homes, in cars, in offices, is absolutely essential for everyone that lives in our great state.
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Courtesy photo by Johanna N. Hanson
develop an emergency plan.” Daugherty noted that 24 cities, 21 counties, nine tribes and 2,500 National Guard soldiers and airmen from 14 states were participating in the exercise in Washington state. When the CSZ ruptures, the Washington National Guard will play a vital role in ensuring that affected residents obtain resources as quickly as possible, said Lt. Col. Clayton Braun, the joint staff deputy operations officer and a lead planner for the exercise. “Our big piece of the plan is to try and help bring in all that sustainment as fast as we can after the rupture, and we do that by creating logistic bases throughout Western Washington,” Braun said. “What we are really talking about is bringing in everything from utility repairmen to food and water and medical supplies and medical re-
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sponders, and trying to get them as far forward in the disaster area as we can, trying to get them from wherever in the nation they’ve come from to exactly where they are needed, so they can help people across the state of Washington.” Conducting successful life-saving and life-sustaining response operations in the aftermath of a CSZ disaster will hinge on the effective coordination and integration of governments at all levels – cities, counties, state agencies, federal officials, the military, tribal nations – as well as non-government organizations and the private sector. During the exercise, for instance, Renton Municipal Airport experienced a mock liquefaction, where the integrity of the airfield was in question. Soldiers with the Guard were deployed to work with civilian authorities and determine the structur-
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Coordination at all levels of government
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tribes
24 cities
2,500 guardsmen
20,000 participants
U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Jodi Eastham
U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Lisa Hall
MIL.WA.GOV / SUMMER 2016 - 9
al safety of the runway. During a real earthquake situation, local airfields will be one of the primary ways to get supplies in and out for the population.
hoisting a soldier into the aircraft. Prior to the demonstration, the flight crew led the crowd on a tour of their helicopter and answered questions.
Testing the potential of inoperable ferry terminals, the 181st Brigade Support Battalion transported to Vashon Island via Army landing craft and assisted in search and rescue and developing distribution points.
For Kjel Skor, a firefighter and EMT with Clallam Fire District 3, the event brought to mind how vital the National Guard will be in sustaining his Olympic Peninsula community.
Elsewhere, members of the 792nd Chemical Company teamed up with Aberdeen and Hoquiam firefighters in response to a large hazardous materials response on the coast. A water purifying system was established at St. Clare Hospital in Lakewood, one of several interactions between the agency and hospitals in the region. At Grays Harbor Community Hospital, for instance, hoist training was done with the 111th Air Support Operations Squadron, necessary training because during a real earthquake, patients might need to be evacuated via helicopter.
The National Guard is a link to the outside – it will mean supplies coming in, and the injured getting out.”
At North Beach High School in Ocean Shores, a team from the Kentucky National Guard was deployed to conduct urban and wide area search and rescue. During a real disaster, the region will see help come in not just from local Guard units, but from across the country. Near Sequim, a crowd of Clallam County emergency responders and local community members gathered at a maintenance facility to watch a Washington Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter perform a simulated medical evacuation. The helicopter hovered 50 feet above the ground while 10 - EVERGREEN SPECIAL EDITION
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“Our community is an elderly community,” Skor said. “We are going to need to treat people right here, and it is way beyond what we are capable of. The National Guard is a link to the outside – it will mean supplies coming in, and the injured getting out.” Beyond building community relationships, another major benefit of the exercise and the preparation leading up was that it provided an opportunity for city and county emergency operations centers to anticipate what resource gaps will still remain after receiving National Guard support.
“It’s very difficult to plan past the FEMA level for specific resources, but it’s much easier to plan for Guard assets across the states,” Braun said. “The counties will still have to identify their resource gaps to request aid from federal agencies.” It’s important for the counties to identify their gaps now so they will already be prepared to ask for specific resources from organizations like FEMA and the Department of Defense when disaster strikes, Braun said. Grays Harbor County was one of several that participated during the entire exercise. “Our planet doesn’t discriminate when
it unleashes natural disasters,” said Chuck Wallace, the deputy emergency management director for the county. “Disaster will strike large cities as well as small towns; the rich, poor, young or old, we are all vulnerable. Our goal is to prepare and reduce the impact upon everyone.“ “Cascadia Rising was very beneficial for those who participated. Our capacity to overcome the effects and issues surrounding a true Cascadia earthquake and tsunami event has progressed slightly, however, our inabilities became fully exposed under the pressures of the exercise. Closing identified gaps in emergency and disaster plans and building capacity to respond to natural disaster will continue to burden every community as it has since civilization began. Carrying the weight alone will not take us very far, but through enhanced participation, collaboration, coordination and cooperation we can travel much farther than ever imagined.” Jefferson Fire and Rescue Deputy Chief Ted Krysinski said the Cascadia Rising experience was invaluable and that he was impressed with the way Black Hawk crews demonstrated their hoist capabilities. “We’re going to need air resources to get people off mountains,” Krysinski said. “By being cut off from the rest of the world based on where we live, having the air assets to medevac people is an excellent resource… The first thing we learned is we were able to communicate at the lowest level with our military partners using our civilian (radios), which is very important.” The deputy chief said that using radios, first responders were able to communicate not just with the Guard, but also the Navy. “This is something we were able to prove worked…The biggest learning
U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Matthew Sissel
above Washington Army National Guard soldiers from Detachment 2, Charlie Company, 1st Battalion (General Support), 168th Aviation Regiment, demonstrate the hoisting capabilities of their UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter to members of Clallam Fire District 3 near Sequim, Wash., June 10, 2016, as part of exercise Cascadia Rising. MIL.WA.GOV / SUMMER 2016 - 11
The exercise helped agency partners figure out ways to communicate with people when cell phones don’t work and the Internet is dark.
lesson is everything is going to take time and we need to prepare for those first two, three, four days where we’ll be on our own.”
For the state Emergency Operations Center, the exercise helped agency partners figure out ways to communicate with people when cell phones don’t work and the Internet is dark. There was 12 - EVERGREEN SPECIAL EDITION
heavy reliance on amateur radio operators, for instance. The exercise also gave agency partners an opportunity to work in the state Emergency Operations Center, many for the first time. The external affairs team, for instance, saw a half dozen new faces who had never participated in a previous exercise or real world incident. The exercise also identified issues involving the best ways to categorize and disseminate situational awareness information found on social media to people who need it to make
U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Matthew Sissel
decisions. A work group has already been created to improve that process. When a major CSZ rupture does occur, the Washington Military Department won’t be scrambling to identify what assets they will need and where those assets will come from because it has already prepared the requests. Preparations for Cascadia Rising also helped identify a major challenge that planners hope to mitigate. “How do we get an incident commander to coordinate a response
across multiple counties?” Braun asked. “We need to work with those counties and agencies to continue planning. Creating a formal process in a catastrophic event is highly desirable.” “This exercise is not the end of a road to preparedness, it’s only a waypoint along that road to preparedness, and this is just a way to get better,” Braun added. “We are going to continue working on this until the ground begins to shake under our feet, and at that point we stop preparing and we start executing.” MIL.WA.GOV / SUMMER 2016 - 13
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- EVERGREEN EDITION U.S. Army 16 National Guard photoSPECIAL by Sgt. Matthew Sissel
EVACUATE. TRANSPORT. DELIVER. During exercise Cascadia Rising, Washington Army National Guard aviation units demonstrated just how critical helicopters will be when the Puget Sound’s network of bridges collapse and roadways are destroyed.
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U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Brianne Kim
“Everything was happening so fast. I was trying to turn with the wind, jettison my equipment, get the ruck down too, and the next thing you know, bam, on the ground.” Stephen Jackson
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igh above the abandoned Mason County Fairgrounds a CH-47 Chinook helicopter circles overhead. Out of the back, it drops a tightly wrapped package of computers, office supplies and tents attached to a parachute.
As the unmanned parachute drifts slowly down to its landing zone at the neighboring Sanderson Field, the helicopter makes a second pass, this time dropping a dozen paratroopers each equipped with radios, a rucksack and working hands. “The jump: pretty good, very fast paced from the bird to the ground,” said Spc. Stephen Jackson. “Everything was happening so fast. I was trying to turn with the wind, jettison my equipment, get the ruck down too, and the next thing you know, bam, on the ground.” Once grounded, the team recovered the first package and began setting up a field tactical operations center (TOC) as part of a preparedness drill for a megaquake and tsunami.
“The idea is that we can set this up anywhere that we’re needed to, and set up a communications and distribution center, or whatever it is that civil authorities need for us to do,” said Lt. Col. Paul Sellars, operations officer for the Washington National Guard’s Special Operations Detachment-Pacific. Parachuting in may be the only option for some responders following a massive earthquake, especially to reach isolated locations cut off by flooding, liquefaction or undriveable roadways.
“IT’S FOR DEMONSTRATION PURPOSES TO SHOW THE CAPABILITY WE HAVE TO AIRBORNE OR AIR LAND PERSONNEL AND EQUIPMENT INTO Lt. Col. Paul Sellars ANY LOCATION.”
“It’s for demonstration purposes to show the capability we have to airborne or air land personnel and equipment into any location that we need to,” Sellars said. “The other piece that we have besides this TOC bundle is a command and control center. We are going to demonstrate that we have the capability to sling load supplies anywhere we need,” Sellars added. A sling-load operation involves attaching cargo, such as food, water or medical supplies, to the bottom of a helicopter and flying it to another location. And not just in small amounts. The CH-47 Chinook, for instance, has a single sling load capacity of more than 25,000 pounds. In addition to the Ch-47 Chinook fleet, the Washington National Guard also has a fleet of UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. Blaine Zechanelly, a firefighter and EMT with Clallam Fire District 3, believe this will be a lifeline for his community. “The ability to get from one place to another will be dependent on air support,” Zechenelly said as he watched a medical evacuation demonstration. “Without the right assets to help us, we can’t do it. The Guard is everything.”
“THE ABILITY TO GET FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER WILL BE DEPENDENT ON AIR SUPPORT.” Blaine Zechanelly
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Capt. Adam Hanisch, a Black Hawk pilot and commander of Detachment 2, Charlie Company, 1st Battalion (General Support), 168th Aviation Regiment, said that the Washington Army National Guard has been expanding the ways in which their aviation units can support local civil authorities like Clallam Fire District 3. “We are working to bolster our medical evacuation capabilities,” Hanisch said. “By incorporating medical evacuation into our capabilities, we exponentially increase our ability to protect the lives of Washington residents.”
in areas across the Puget Sound. “This was a great chance for us to not only perform what will be a critical mission for the folks in Island, San Juan, Whatcom, Skagit and Snohomish counties, but also to build those relationships with our county and city partners,” said Col. Curt Simonson, commander, 56th Theater Information Operations Group. In addition to tangible resources the Guard can deliver via helicopter, Capt. Jack Parisi, logistics officer for 96th Troop Command, said that the soldiers of the Special Operations
Emergency officials emphasized that government can’t do it all; citizens needs to be prepared to survive at least three to seven days until help can arrive. The Black Hawk pilot spoke about the current strengths of the aviation program and echoed Zechenelly when discussing the role it will play following a Cascadia Subduction Zone disaster. “We have the most developed hoist program, personnel and equipment in the state. There will be locations where thousands of people will be gathered – and we will be their way out.” Medical evacuations are one way the Guard plans to support civil authorities. Another was demonstrated by members of the 56th Theater Information Operations Group who worked with aviation to deliver medical supplies to civilian partners 20 - EVERGREEN SPECIAL EDITION
Detachment-Pacific bring a unique and diverse set of skills as well. “They have a lot of specialties… You’ll have communications experts, you’ll have engineering experts and you’ll have medical/EMT qualified individuals that come out and provide a level of competence,” Parisi said. But the reality is that help likely won’t be parachuting in, dropping supplies or evacuating people out day one. While all of this practice will ensure a smooth operation when they arrive, emergency officials emphasized that government can’t do it all; citizens needs to be prepared to survive at least two weeks until help can arrive.
Without the right assets to help us, we can’t do it. The Guard is everything.” Blaine Zechanelly
U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Matthew Sissel
“WE ARE GOING TO DEMONSTRATE THAT WE HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO SLING LOAD SUPPLIES ANYWHERE WE NEED.” Lt. Col. Paul Sellars
U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Matthew Sissel
U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Matthew Sissel
We have the most developed hoist program, personnel and equipment in the state.” Capt. Adam Hanisch MIL.WA.GOV / SUMMER 2016 - 21
JENSEN POINT On June 6, members of the Washington National Guard watch as equipment arrives on Vashon Island.
(Photo by Parker Miles Blohm | KPLU) 22 - EVERGREEN SPECIAL EDITION
WHEN the Cascadia Subduction Zone ruptures, ferry terminals will not be spared. For the millions of residents across Puget Sound who reside on an island, this creates a scary and isolated reality. “The sense of being isolated by a regional disaster was shocking,” said Rick Wallace, president of Vashon Be Prepared and volunteer manager for the Vashon Emergency Operations Center. “We have always known intellectually that the ferries would be disrupted, but we never understood at our gut level how isolated we would be even with ferries running.”
SETTING SAIL + ISLAND PREPAREDNESS
A CSZ rupture will leave dozens of island communities in the Puget Sound region cutoff from resources. Getting supplies to all of these locations will take an Army...and a Navy. STORY BY STAFF SGT. VIRGINIA M. OWENS MIL.WA.GOV / SUMMER 2016 - 23
ISLAND PREPAREDNESS
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N PREPARING for the Cascadia Rising exercise, planners recognized the inefficiency of relying solely on helicopters to transport massive machinery and supplies to an island community. Not to mention the dozens of other missions air assets will be needed for. So they came up with a better solution: Joint Logistics OverThe-Shore (JLOTS). JLOTS is a critical military capability to transfer cargo without the benefit of a fixed port facility. To test this out, members of the Washington National Guard’s 181st Brigade Support Battalion loaded Humvees, heavy trucks and supplies onto a floating barge and sailed from Tacoma to the beaches of Vashon Island. “If an earthquake hits or a tsunami, we’re going to be the ones who get the call,” said Spc. Christopher Barrientos-Bland, a soldier aboard the floating modular causeway.
ROLL OUT Soldiers from the 181st Brigade Support Battalion load trucks up for transport to Vashon Island.
U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Jodi Eastham
“BEING ABLE TO UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER’S CULTURE, LANGUAGE AND PRACTICE WORKING TOGETHER, IT’S... UNBELIEVABLY VALUABLE,” WALLACE SAID. “And we can deliver these supplies in the blink of an eye.” Landing on the shores of Jensen Point with vehicles and humanitarian aid in tow, the Guardsmen rolled out to Sunrise Ridge where they setup camp in anticipation of the exercise kickoff. “No one can accurately predict when a disaster like a major earthquake will occur, but we can all be prepared for them,” said Rear Adm. Jeff Ruth, commander, Navy Region Northwest. “Partnering with federal agencies like FEMA, the Coast Guard and the Army, as well as with state and local emergency management offices during exercises like Cascadia Rising is the best way to be prepared and to protect our communities.”
T
O ISLANDERS, the sudden influx of uniformed presence symbolized hope, and it meant that outside help would eventually arrive.
U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Michael Tietjen
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“We would be called upon by the
OFF LOAD Beach Master Unit 1 from, Coronado, California, remove a conex box from a floating causeway.
U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Charles D. Gaddis
civilian authorities to support their operations,” said Maj. Angela Halvorson with the Washington National Guard. “In an exercise like this and in the real world scenario, the civilians would be the lead and we would be there to back them up and support them with our logistics and operational capabilities that the National Guard trains for.”
BEACHED The first shipment of supplies arrives at Jensen Point June 6, 2016.
According to Wallace, one of the biggest pieces of the exercise was getting to know partners from other organizations and practicing communication when normal systems are down. “Being able to understand each other’s culture, each other’s language and practice working together, it’s...unbelievably valuable,” he said. Additional military exercises on the island included distribution of food and water, and drills loading critically wounded onto medevac helicopters.
U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Jodi Eastham
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STORY BY SPC. BRIANNE KIM
MASS CASUALTY
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Medical teams respond to thousands of casualties in worst case scenario exercise
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U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Brianne Kim
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atastrophic planners don’t mince words when discussing the expected impacts of a Cascadia Subduction Zone rupture. Buildings will collapse. Hillsides will level. And bridges will come crashing down. The result will be thousands of fatalities, and even more serious injuries – which will overwhelm damaged medical facilities and shaken medical personnel. “This is a simulation of a bus traveling down I-5,” said Senior Master Sgt. Tammi Stretch, an operations superintendent with the 194th Intelligence Squadron. “An overpass collapses and it smashes half of the bus.” It’s a dramatic exercise inject. But it’s all too possible. And in a real-world event, medical teams from the Wash-
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ington National Guard will be relied on to help save lives. “We’ve got people that are on the ground that are simulated under a part of the overpass. And then we have other casualties on the bus that were injured in the impact or by flying debris,” Stretch said. From the doctors and nurses to the medical assistants, everyone on the healthcare team understands the importance of what they do and the training value an exercise like this has. “We have a commitment to take care of people,” Stretch said. “We’ve been involved in many different things from fires to floods…The earthquake is imminent; it’s going to come, so we want to make sure that we are all prepared.”
U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Brianne Kim
U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Michael Tietjen
U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Brianne Kim
U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Brianne Kim
The result will be thousands of fatalities, and even more serious injuries – which will overwhelm damaged medical facilities and shaken medical personnel. MIL.WA.GOV / SUMMER 2016 - 29
W
hile the 194th Medical Group had their mass casualty exercise, the Washington Army National Guard’s Charlie Company, 181st Brigade Support Battalion (BSB), also worked to improve their response skills in the event of a devastating earthquake. Charlie Company required soldiers to drive a four litter ambulance (FLA) to a simulated disaster area in Shelton and triage role playing victims before loading them onto FLAs for transportation back to a level two treatment facility, or treatment field tent. When further medical assistance is needed in the field, a medical evacuation request, or “nine-line,” must be called in over the radio. A nine-line is the equivalent of calling 911 and giving the operator details about your emergency.
A nineline is the equivalent of calling 911 and giving the operator details about your emergency. U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Brianne Kim
“A nine-line is the first thing that comes in when someone from the field is going to request medical evacuation. I [as the Radio Transmitter Operator] am going to go ahead and gather that information of where 30 - EVERGREEN SPECIAL EDITION
they are and what kind of resources they need,” said Spc. Charity McGeary, a healthcare specialist with Charlie Company. “Then I would dispatch our medical evacuation team to that site where they take over the level one care and they’re going to evacuate them here to this level two care center where we can stabilize, package and deliver those patients again to a level three care facility.” Triaging patients requires medical teams to categorize people by the severity of their injuries and transport the most severely injured patients, who are most at risk of losing their lives, first. Once wounded patients are triaged and transported to the treatment tent they receive more extensive treatment based on what equipment and capabilities are available. Charlie Company, for instance, is equipped with a mobile X-ray machine and staffed with trained X-ray technicians, healthcare specialists and numerous healthcare providers, making them highly capable of augmenting civilian first responders in the event of a major disaster. “When we have more patients than we have the ability to treat, and we have fewer resources than the patients that are coming in, we have to categorize and try to treat those patients according to the most urgent and then down onto less urgent so we can save and preserve as much life as possible,” McGeary said. The guard has a long history of providing support to local and state first responders following natural disasters within the state, to include the magnitude 6.8 Nisqually earthquake that struck in February 2001.
Charlie Company is staffed with trained X-ray technicians, healthcare specialists and numerous healthcare providers, making them highly capable of augmenting civilian first responders in the event of a major disaster.
U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Brianne Kim
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U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Michael Tietjen
Illustrated image by Maj. Johnathan Walker 32 - EVERGREEN SPECIAL EDITION
COASTAL COMMUNITY
ESCAPE ROUTE Rural Washington community opens nation’s first vertical tsunami evacuation site
BY STEVEN FRIEDERICH
A father holds his young daughter up and peers into the sky as thunderous helicopter blades hover overhead. Dust lifts to the air as a Washington National Guard soldier on the rooftop of Ocosta Elementary begins his ascent skyward from a position on the roof. “This is for you,” the dad tells his daughter. “Just in case the worst were to happen.” The father’s sentiments were shared by many of the 700 or so well-wishers, who attended the dedication ceremony on June 11 at Ocosta Elementary outside Westport. The rooftop and structure was built
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TSUNAMI EVACUATION
to withstand the worst earthquake that could potentially hit the area, as well as a tsunami. It is the first of its kind in North America and came together after a series of town hall meetings spearheaded by the Washington Emergency Management Division and other state and federal partners. “While the majority of the structure was built to meet the standard building code, this part was fortified to withstand a 9.0 earthquake followed by multiple tsunami waves,” Ocosta Superintendent Paula Akerlund said during a ribbon cutting and grand celebration, which included the hoisting demonstration of the Washington National Guard Black Hawk, showing how evacuees might be saved on the rooftop following a devastating tsunami. Beneath the rooftop is a gymnasium and multipurpose room, which may not survive should giant waves and debris push through. But the pilings are so thick and the reinforcement so great, that the building, itself, and the rooftop should be able to do just fine. In case school isn’t in session, there are multiple ways for residents to get to the rooftop staircases, including a way to unlock the rooftop doors using a latch inside a “break in case of emergency” cover on the outside. “The tsunami vertical evacuation structure, which is where we’re all sitting, has a platform directly above us here,” Akerlund explained at the dedication. “It’s a roof of the multipurpose room and the gym. It is 28 feet above grade and 53 feet above sea level. “The height was based on the inundation study done for our particular site,” she added. “It is accessible by four large staircases. The staircases have 14-inch 34 - EVERGREEN SPECIAL EDITION
thick concrete walls, 50,000 pounds of rebar in them and the platform was built to hold 1,000 people, but could easily hold, is rigorous enough to hold, twice that many. The foundation below us consists of 24-inch diameter concrete pilings, up to 50 feet deep and there are over 100 of them beneath this building.” In a statement, Gov. Jay Inslee noted that the project came about through a partnership known as Project Safe Haven, which looked at best practices and recommendations on crafting tsunami vertical evacuation sites up and down the coast. “I’d like to thank the city of Westport, the Ocosta School District and their Project Safe Haven partners, the Washington Military Department’s Emergency Management Division, FEMA, the University of Washington, NOAA, U.S. Geological Survey and
the Washington state Department of Natural Resources, for their work to increase public safety and community resilience,” Inslee said. “This project was a great accomplishment for the area and their resilience and I look forward to the completion of the next Project Safe Haven structures. Thank you for being part of this exciting milestone and for your proactive leadership to protect your students and the community as a whole.” Project Safe Haven looked at constructing a series of towers and berms along the coast, but also encouraged local governments to think of dual use facilities, such as sports and recreation complexes and parking garages. Akerlund and a team at Ocosta Elementary pushed forward with a plan to replace an outdated “round” elementary building with a tsunami refuge for students, staff and the community. In April of 2013, nearly 70 percent of voters approved a bond to tax themselves for the replacement. It was remarkable, Akerlund
The rooftop and structure was built to withstand the worst earthquake that could potentially hit the area as well as a tsunami. MIL.WA.GOV / SUMMER 2016 - 35
COASTAL COMMUNITY
pointed out, because a new building had been rejected twice before. “For the first time in the history of the United States, this small and rural community took a bold and innovative step to authorize construction of the first ever school to have a vertical tsunami evacuation structure,” Akerlund said. “This tightly knit, self-reliant community takes care of each other and we made the safety of children of this generation and future generations its highest priority. There was no regard for politics, no regard for what anybody else might think, it was a very, very courageous step, a very impressive step. When I look at this building, I see a community that put the welfare and education of its children above all else and put their hard earned tax money to the test.” “Looming large in our lives is the Cascadia Subduction Zone that could trigger a massive earthquake and tsunami,” U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer said. “We are blessed to have a community like this that invests in a project like this. This project matters. It matters to the thousands of citizens, who will now have a safe place to go. It matters to our state’s first responders, many of whom are here – our Coast Guard, our National Guard – who know that when the earth shakes, they are on 36 - EVERGREEN SPECIAL EDITION
“This small and rural community took a bold and innovative step to authorize construction of the first ever school to have a vertical tsunami evacuation structure.” - Paula Akerlund
duty 24 hours a day for the foreseeable future focusing on saving lives and providing stability. This project matters to our kids. They say that kids are one-third of our population and 100 percent of our future. With this project, the people of Ocosta say they value that future and the safety and security of our families.”
LEFT: View from the top shows what it looks like from the roof of the evacuation center. RIGHT: A capacity crowd fills the Ocosta Elementary gymnasium for the grand opening of the evacuation site. BOTTOM: Ocosta Superintendent Paula Akerlund smiles while standing next to Brig. Gen. Wallace Turner of the Washington National Guard and Robert Ezelle, director of the Washington Emergency Management Division.(Photos by Steven Friederich)
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feature
GOT
Milk? AS IF BEING A NEW MOM WASN’T TOUGH ENOUGH, TRY FINDING A PRIVATE SPOT TO PUMP IN THE WORKPLACE. PARTICULARLY WHEN SAID WORKPLACE IS A TENT CITY OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE.
THE STRUGGLE IS REAL. Editorial by SPC. BRIANNE KIM
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I
I’m a brand new mom. A mom who hasn’t spent more than a cat-naps time away from my baby girl since I had her a short two months ago. Until today. Today I return to work in a part-time capacity with the National Guard. It’s also the first time I have to use my breast pump away from home. This should be interesting. Thankfully one of the captains in my unit—also a fellow mom—gave me the inside scoop on a few of her prime pumping spots, one of which was the commander’s office of the unit we share a building with. Lucky for me they weren’t drilling. If he let her pump in his office then he probably won’t mind if I do. I told myself, trying to ease my guilt of not actually asking to use his space. Not drilling, remember? I sneak in and scoot the desk chair up against the door to ensure no visitors enter. I take a moment to assess my surroundings. Ample desk space? Check. Electrical outlet? Check. Time to get to work. Fifteen minutes of Facebook surfing later, I check my progress.
IT’S ALSO THE FIRST TIME I HAVE TO USE MY BREAST PUMP AWAY FROM HOME.
Sweet victory! I just pumped a whole five ounces! That’s over a bottles worth of milk. I was so proud. I pour my “liquid gold” into a milk storage bag and set it back on the desk. And that’s when I hear it: The sound of heartbreak and pure devastation. The sound of dripping. Who ever said “there’s no use crying
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EDITORIAL evidence of my mistake and casually return to training. Ugh I can’t believe I didn’t seal the stupid bag. Next time.
F
ast-forward three months later and it’s time for the dreaded Annual Training (AT). Don’t get me wrong I enjoy AT, but being away from my daughter every day for nearly two weeks is STRESSFUL. As a public affairs specialist there is a lot of potential for me to be in the field covering whatever some other unit may be doing. Where will I pump? When will I be able to pump? If I don’t pump enough then my milk supply will go down and then I won’t be able to feed my daughter. I need to bring home at least 20 ounces of pumped milk for her meals tomorrow.
over spilt milk” was dead wrong. It was my first rookie pumping mistake. I hadn’t actually sealed the bag. All you new mothers out there better write this down. You ALWAYS seal the bag. Period. Back in the commander’s office, I’m panicking.
Seriously, I was living my life by the ounces. Always keeping track of how many ounces I was up or down.
Oh ****! I hope it doesn’t smell like rotten milk. He’s going to be so mad if his office smells. Deep breaths, deep breaths. Just get this cleaned up, and FAST! Shirt tucked, pants buttoned I run for paper towels. Half a roll later, I think I’ve gotten as much up as I can. At least that’s what my rug-burned hands and knees are telling me. I discard all
BABYSITTER Cousin Isabelle (above) bottle feeds threeweek-old Lilly.
She’s eaten eight and I’ve pumped six, I’m down two ounces. Damn. Thankfully my unit and the majority of people I’ve met in the guard are very supportive of my choice to breastfeed and the needs that MIL.WA.GOV / SUMMER 2016 - 41
EDITORIAL
accompany it. I even expressed my constant worry about bringing home enough milk to my commander who very sincerely told me that if I needed to excuse myself more frequently I was more than welcome to do so. When I was assigned to a mission during AT at a deserted fairgrounds location in Shelton, about an hour away from home base, all I could think was “how am I going to pump?” “Spc. Kim, I have a story for you,” one of our operations officers told me. “You’re going to write about the lactation tent.” The WHAT!? Did she say lactation tent? Yes. Yes she did. And do you know where said lactation tent was? That’s right, in Shelton. As it turns out, there was a female guardsmen who wanted to go to the field with her unit during AT but needed to be able to pump. Her commander contacted Command Sgt. Maj. Abby West, the state equal employment manager for the Washington National Guard, about what to do. They came up with a plan to order a tent, like a shower tent for camping, and a fold up chair with a table on the side. In the span of a few short weeks, they had not one but three lactation tents delivered and ready for use during AT. Military moms rejoice! 42 - EVERGREEN SPECIAL EDITION
IN THE SPAN OF A FEW SHORT WEEKS, THEY HAD NOT ONE BUT THREE LACTATION TENTS DELIVERED AND READY FOR USE DURING AT.
ON THE HORIZON The Guard is ordering Mamava pods—a 32 square foot mobile room— designed for mothers to nurse or pump in privacy.
I
n talking with West about how it all came together, and in record speed for a government request, she told me about the Army Directive (2015-43, for all you military mommas wondering) stating the military MUST provide soldiers with a place to pump that’s not a bathroom. I mean, would you want your sub sandwich prepped on a toilet seat? I didn’t think so. West said she’s in the process of ordering Mamava pods to put around guard bases. The pod is a 32 square foot—or 4-by-8 feet— room designed for people to nurse or pump in privacy, and you can move them if you need to. How cool is that!? But wait, it gets better. The new Pierce County Readiness Center on Camp Murray, which is my unit’s future home, has a lactation room built in!
According to a new subsection of the Fair Labor Standards Act, federal employees are entitled a private space, again not a bathroom, to pump. Because the new Pierce County Readiness Center was built with federal money, a designated lactation room was included in the floor plan. Can I get a hallelujah for the progress being made for not only breastfeeding mothers in the workplace but in the military? I’m fairly certain that if you asked military moms 20 years ago what breastfeeding in the military would look like in 2016, they would never guess there would be lactation rooms or tents for field training. The military may not have a reputation for being progressive. But leaders, those who make the decisions, can be. I am beyond grateful to see that the leaders in the Guard, my leaders, care about me and my choice to breastfeed enough to truly support me, to support us. MIL.WA.GOV / SUMMER 2016 - 43
Story by Steven Friederich
The hub of response and relief efforts from across the state
T
he state Emergency Operations Center was at its highest activation level during Cascadia Rising, bringing hundreds of people into the building on Camp Murray, flanked on all sides by communication trucks and satellites and teams of amateur radio operators. On the first day of the exercise, communications were down and leadership had to figure out a way to talk to local officials and make sure federal partners 44 - EVERGREEN SPECIAL EDITION
knew help was needed. Had the 9.0 earthquake been real, there would have been communication blackouts throughout the region with cell signals likely sketchy and landlines in some areas disabled. “We’ve got people from across state government, from federal government, from voluntary industry organizations working together to build situational awareness of what’s happening as a result of this massive earthquake, which has struck,” Washington
Emergency Management Director Robert Ezelle said as the exercise was starting. “We’re working on re-establishing communications with impacted tribes and counties and municipalities so we can share information, and it’s going to be put into place the mechanisms to take care of the people impacted from search and rescue to mass care and medical to help.” Sue Bush, with the state Department of Social and Health Services, was in charge of the mass care unit, exploring ways to
meet immediate needs as well as figure out where potential shelters could be set up in Eastern Washington as the focus from the disaster turned into recovery. The state of Idaho was participating in Cascadia Rising, in part, because state officials anticipate there will be plenty of residents heading to Idaho following the disaster. Bush said the exercise was very realistic when it came to help not arriving in some areas for the first few days following a major disaster. “We can put supplies in transit and get it to a staging area within the first couple of days, but getting supplies from a staging area some 200 miles from an impacted area is another matter,” Bush said. During the exercise, points of distribution were set up
with National Guard soldiers helping to facilitate. In other cases, the supply drop off spots being set up were literally just points on the ground where supplies would be airlifted in and dropped off, sometimes in large farm fields or parking lots of elementary schools near population centers. Bush said people in a population center may be fine with three days of food and water in storage, but those in rural areas, where it may take longer for assistance to arrive, need to think realistically about their situation and store an even greater supply of food and water. “The further you are from other people, the less likely you are to receive services right away because the response, by necessity, will be to those areas where we can serve the greater good.”
Johanna Hanson, a student seeking a master’s degree in Emergency Management, arranged to be embedded in the state Emergency Operations Center (EOC) for the duration of the four-day exercise. Lit Dudley, the state’s Exercise & Training Section Manager, said it was important to have a different perspective on how the state
“Even before you have an emergency kit, have a plan, because family reunification is a huge thing,” Bush said.
“And even before you have an emergency kit, have a plan, because family reunification is a huge thing because people will forgo shelter, water and food until they know their loved ones are safe,” Bush said.
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EOC was running and gave her access to attend whatever meetings she wanted to attend and peer into the lives of emergency managers. On her blog, Hanson gave a breakdown of what a day in the state EOC is like. She also explored what the communication tools could be used. “While I was participating in the exercise, I found it difficult to describe the work happening around me to friends,” she said. “There are so many little pieces to keep track of and so many vague abbreviations and tasks to do.” One tool utilized to make the exercise feel more real in the state EOC was Simulation Deck, which housed synthetic media and fake social media posts. The tool was provided for all of the dozens of partners involved in Cascadia Rising with contractors working as reporters developing stories throughout the exercise. Video news reports were shown on the big screens while teams worked to gain situational awareness and work on public messaging by monitoring and interacting with the fake social media. Altogether, there were 11,660 fake social media posts and dozens of fake news articles, videos and blog posts. The state EOC answered questions in both English and Spanish and 46 - EVERGREEN SPECIAL EDITION
Photo by Steven Friederich
After Japan’s 9.0 earthquake in 2011, there were dozens of aftershocks in that first day. delivered more than 1,200 responses on social media during the exercise, helping the public find drinking water, provide advice on food and even how to deal with bodies.
Japan’s 9.0 earthquake in 2011, there were dozens of aftershocks in that first day. The result may be communications downed for longer than people are prepared for, Walsh said.
Tim Walsh, who works as the assistant state geologist for the state Department of Natural Resources, gave real world advice to policy leaders during the exercise. He said that the threats facing the public may be even greater than the exercise that was practiced. For instance, the exercise’s 9.0 earthquake had several aftershocks, but after
“We’re better prepared than we were when I started 20 years ago, but we still have a ways to go,” Walsh said. State Emergency Management Division officials are now going through after action comments and advice and figuring out ways to improve best practices in responding to emergencies.
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U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Michael Tietjen
Food Service
The
MASTER
Chef
By Sgt. Michael Tietjen
It’s
3 a.m. and Pvt. Tyler Ernst, a diesel mechanic with the 420th Chemical Battalion, is in unfamiliar territory. Working on very little sleep, he’s back at the Camp Murray Dining Facility (DFAC) providing extra hands to ensure soldiers and airmen had enough sustenance and energy to get through the exercise. “I got off last night at 11 and came in this morning at three,” Ernst said. Ernst had one of the more critical jobs during the exercise. To sustain soldiers and airmen in the field, the Joint Forces Headquarters culinary specialists and food program managers worked tirelessly to provide nutritious, high quality meals. “Cooks are the hardest working soldiers in the Army,” said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Frank Gibson, Washington National Guard state food service advisor. “You are the first ones up in the morning and the last ones in bed MIL.WA.GOV / SUMMER 2016 - 49
Food Service
U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Michael Tietjen
at night. You have three deadlines a day. If you make your deadlines no one cares, but if you miss a deadline you will definitely hear about it.”
During Cascadia Rising, units were required to send soldiers to the Camp Murray DFAC for a 24 hour cycle of KP duty.
In support of Cascadia Rising, DFAC personnel arrived at Camp Murray before 2 a.m. each day to prepare and transport more than 1,400 meals to seven locations across the state. Their outstanding performance earned each of the kitchen crew a challenge coin from 96th Troop Command commander Col. Dan Dent.
“It’s a real eye-opener what these cooks and KPs do every day,” said Spc. Eric Juan, a soldier from Headquarters Company, 1st Squadron, 303rd Cavalry Regiment.
The regular kitchen staff couldn’t do it alone though. The term “Kitchen Police” or “Kitchen Patrol” has been used since World War I and is synonymous with assigned extra duty in the kitchen or mess hall. “KP duty,” as it is known, is sometimes associated with minor punishment but is mostly assigned due to work load or operational necessity.
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This practice will come in handy. When a natural disaster strikes and guardsmen are mobilized, commanders have to consider how they will feed their men and women. The Washington National Guard Food Service program strives to have hot food service to service-members within 72 hours of boots on the ground. “As a cook, you are only as good as your last meal” said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Frank Gibson, State Food Service Advisor.
" you are only as GOOD as your last MEAL
.�
Mr.Gibson
U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Brianne Kim
U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Michael Tietjen
U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Michael Tietjen
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Law Enforcement
SERVING TIME “
We are responsible for the inmates,
so we have to figure out a way to
”
move them to high ground,
SOLDIERS from the Washington Army National Guard’s 506th Military Police Detachment aided Hoquiam police and police services officers as they simulated an evacuation of the Hoquiam city jail Thursday, June 9, as part of the Cascadia Rising earthquake preparedness exercise. The Hoquiam Police Department is located in the identified tsunami zone. In the event of a 9.0 earthquake along the Cascadia Subduction Zone, the city would have 20 to 30 minutes to evacuate be52 - EVERGREEN SPECIAL EDITION
fore the 80-100 foot wall of water would potentially inundate the community. “Just like we need to move our staff and we urge citizens to move to high ground, we are responsible for the inmates, so we have to figure out a way to move them to high ground,” said Jeff Myers, Hoquiam chief of police. “Having a National Guard MP unit here, it was a great fit, they were already activated because of the Cascadia Rising drill and this gives us a little extra cushion of protection and se-
By Capt. Colette Muller
National Guard MPs rehearse tsunami jail evacuation with Hoquiam Police Department
TSUNAMI FAST FACTS • Typically require an M7 or greater earthquake • 400+ mph speed of wave travel • 20 minutes to evacuate • Up to 100 ft. waves on WA coast
U.S. Air National Guard photo by Capt. Colete Muller
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U.S. Air National Guard photo by Capt. Colette Muller
U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Paul Rider
curity for this operation,” Myers said. “Just moving the jail without any calls in the field will take all of our personnel present.” Eight MPs provided general security and checked blankets for hidden contraband while the police and police services officers patted down all 26 inmates before escorting them outside to holding vehicles. “The National Guard is here to assist local law enforcement and MPs are a natural fit for that. We already have the military experience, we have the police and law enforcement experience, and we integrate well with our civilian counterparts,” said Capt. Drew Nevins, 506th Military Police commander. 54 - EVERGREEN SPECIAL EDITION
The drill was the first time the Hoquiam Police practiced the full procedure.
“We are looking for contraband; we’re looking for security risks...” Jeff Myers, Hoquiam PD
The drill was the first time the Hoquiam Police practiced the full procedure, which until now, was part of a formal written process but was never able to be fully exercised. “This is not only an evacuation drill for the Cascadia Rising exercise but it is also an evacuation drill we may need for a fire alarm or some sort of problem or issue here at the jail. We have to be able to move the inmates in a rapid manner,” Myers said. After all of the inmates were moved, the soldiers assisted the Hoquiam jail with a sweep of the facility. “Today, since we have the opportunity to move all of the inmates out, we will then utilize the National Guard MP unit to shake down the jail itself,” Myers said. “The entire jail, top to bottom, which we don’t often get to do because it’s hard for us to move all of the prisoners out. We are looking for contraband; we’re looking for security risks; we are looking for any type of utility
issues that have been compromised by the inmates.” The soldiers and police officers, working side by side, were able to clear the facility quickly, finding several unauthorized items, repairing many inoperable light fixtures and clearing toilet paper from clogged audio surveillance vents. “This is the most thorough search we’ve ever done,” said Deputy Chief Don Wertanen. “We’re here to help in any way that U.S. Air National Guard photo by Capt. Colette Muller we can,” Nevins said. “For us it’s a chance to assist the local law enforcement with conducting a drill they otherwise would not have the manpower to do. They can Capt. Drew Nevins provides do it in a safe manner with us a boost to one of his solhere. They can do a lot more diers, Spc. Jennifer Staley, with the amount of personwho uses the extra height to nel that we bring, and in the check a ceiling vent for damcase of an actual disaster, age or hidden items at the we are building relationships Hoquiam jail, June 9, 2016. now that we wouldn’t have to build in the middle of a crisis.”
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TOXIC SLUDGE It’s a dirty job. National Guard chemical companies like the 792nd ensure the health and welfare of first responders in a contaminated environment. STORY BY SGT. JODI EASTHAM
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A
long the coast of Washington, small towns face an enormous added threat following a rupture of the Cascadia Subduction Zone.
The 792nd arrived on scene with M-12 decontamination units, systems that can pump 50 gallons of decontaminating solution per minute through two hoses. The system allows for decontamination of vehicles and large equipment. Teams also assisted in setting up the hospital’s decontamination tents where simulated victims went through non-ambulatory and ambulatory tents, based on the patient scenarios.
When the plates slip, the result will be giant waves –20 feet or higher – that will tear apart factories, fuel tanks and septic systems that sit along the shore. As the water churns, it will create a dangerous toxic stew that risks the health and safety of people and equipment in the area. Decontamination
isn’t glamorous, but it’s required. It’s an essential part of any disaster or catastrophe.
“You have people out there recovering personnel, equipment and valuable property that families have lost,” said Staff Sgt. Jerrid Barber. “We need to make sure it’s clean and try to return everything to the families as quick as we can and in the best condition. And also make sure the people that are out there are clean and not spreading the contamination elsewhere.” Barber and the Washington Army National Guard’s 792nd Chemical Company joined local first responders along the coast at Westway Terminal and Grays Harbor Community Hospital to enhance their response to a contaminated environment.
“
First responders, and all of their gear, will need to be decontaminated after being exposed to the debris.
“
“We have a good knowledge base here. So getting the National Guard here is opening our eyes to things we may miss,” said Hannah Cleverly, Grays Harbor Community Hospital’s environment of care coordinator.
Along with exercising an emergency response, the scenario helped strengthen community partnerships and build trust. Both are required for an effective emergency response. “It’s really important,” said Spc. Shane Turntoes-Kuhnhenn. “Decontamination isn’t glamorous, but it’s required. It’s an essential part of any disaster or catastrophe.”
“We’re here to support them, and try to get things back to normal,” Barber said. “Try and relieve some of the stress factor.” “We have a nice piece of property here, plus we’re a chemical storage facility,” said Steven Williams, team manager of Westway Terminal. “This is a great opportunity for us to watch what’s going on, kind of see how something like this would actually happen in a real world situation.”
U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Jodi Eastham
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Illustration by Spc. Tyler Main
#CASCADIARISING
SOCIAL EXPERIMENT: How the state is using social media to communicate with affected citizens in the midst of disaster STORY BY MAJ. ANGELA HALVORSON & SGT. MICHAEL TIETJEN
In the social media cell of the Washington state Emergency Operation Center (EOC), three people sit at computer screens of constantly refreshing “bleater feeds.” Each bleat represents a citizen of the state of Washington seeking water, blankets, food, shelter, or the location of lost or missing family members. The social media team responds to each bleat for assistance with a phone number of a local resource, the location of a local shelter, or in some cases simply words of hope and reassurance, a human connection in a world gone dark and a little bit crazy. “We are approaching this exercise and our role in it from two approaches,” said Steven Friederich, communications consultant for the Washington Military Department. “The first approach is to mine social media to see if people affected by the disaster need help and if we can actually respond to their request for help. We help people find water, shelter and other resources. We assume they have cell service if they are bleating, so we send them a number to contact for local help.”
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SOCIAL EXPERIMENT
Bleater feed is the name given to the simulated online system, mimicking the real-time social networking feed, Twitter. Friederich, who is the Deputy Chief of the External Affairs cell for the exercise, said the second approach they are using with social media in Cascadia Rising is to help identify where people may be trapped or stranded following a building or structural collapse. “If people have location services enabled on their phones, when they bleat a comment or request, even if they don’t identify where they are, we can track their location using the geo tags from the bleat,” he said. According to Friederich, when a person uses their phone or other device to post a photo or comment to a real-world, web-based application Bleater feed is the like Facebook or Twitter, name given to the geo tags are simulated online included in the post that system, mimicking contain lonthe real-time social gitude and latitude informanetworking feed, tion that can pinpoint the Twitter. poster’s exact location. “This also allows us to determine immediate aftermath damage,” added Karla Salp, a member of the state EOC social media cell. “By tracking the bleater feed and people’s posts, we can track what is happening around the area and what people are experiencing.” “In this case,” she said, pointing to a 60 - EVERGREEN SPECIAL EDITION
#CASCADIARISING
feed that has scrolled across the screen, “these people are bleating about a school building that has collapsed. We aren’t tracking that here, but now we can pass that on so the local responders can follow up.”
B
efore the pervasiveness of social media, victims of catastrophic disasters like the one being simulated in Cascadia Rising, would have no means of communicating with anyone who could help them. Now with social media, individuals have a means for requesting assistance or support, as long as they have cell service. As individuals across the affected region continued to post requests for help, Salp said, the social media cell and the operations cells had to adjust how they communicate.
“We have to make sure that the information we are receiving is getting passed on to the right people and acted on.”
“It isn’t unusual for us to have information before everyone else does because we are tracking [the public’s] posts,” Salp commented. “We have to make sure that the information we are receiving is getting passed on to the right people and acted on.” MIL.WA.GOV / SUMMER 2016 - 61
CAN YOU
HEAR When communications systems go black, it will be up to volunteer amateur radio operators to get the message out.
ME NOW?
STORY BY MARK STEWART
A
CASCADIA SUBDUCTION ZONE earthquake and tsunami would disrupt communication systems in a way unimaginable in our modern world. Not having phones – both landline and cellular – email and internet, or spotty service, can put a big damper on the ability of the state Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to understand what is happening in impacted communities and determine what help is needed and where. That’s where RACES – the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service – comes in.
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During Cascadia Rising, the RACES amateur radio team at the EOC demonstrated the value of its services. “The first word of a major disaster is usually communicated through amateurs,” said Ed Leavitt, RACES station manager at the state EOC. Leavitt’s team is entirely volunteer, including Leavitt himself. RACES is a FEMA-sponsored organization of licensed volunteer amateur radio operators. RACES teams provide radio communications to state and local government agencies during emergencies and disasters.
During the early hours of the exercise when landline communications and the internet were not available, the RACES team used both voice and digital systems to move 70 emails and eight voice messages in four hours via amateur radio systems and networks. Larry Richardson, one of the volunteer operators, said the benefits of the exercise are many, including training new operators and gaining experience with new digital communications systems (e.g., email through radio). He indicated that the benefit works both ways. “If we were not here, nothing would have happened, [there would have been] no communications,” Richardson said. “In any emergency, amateur radio is the first group that stands up, the first group that communicates, the first group that has stable communications, and is the backbone for any emergency.” Richardson said that practicing for these disasters builds confidence that they’ll be ready if and when the real thing occurs. “We do these exercises because there is a firm belief that this can really happen. If we don’t get used to all these systems that we have to send messages back and forth, what would really happen [to our ability to communicate]?” “ What would happen is that we’d all be in trouble.”
RADIO CHECK Washington State Guard Pfc. Jared Morrison establishes connectivity with the Joint Incident Communication Capability (JISCC).
U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Tawny Dotson
THE JISCC OF IT • JISCC = Joint Incident Site Communications Capability • Brings wireless/wired internet and wireless IP phone capabilities to disaster area • Three JISCCs in Washington • Deploy within 24 hours THE INTERVIEW Washington National Guard Communications Officer Maj. Yeng A. Lacanlale Q: How would JISCCs be valuable after a devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami? A: In a catastrophic disaster like this, there will likely be no cellular coverage or regular means of communicating (land lines or cable). The JISCC can provide critical communications Command and Control elements, EOCs, or elemenxts similar to that. Q: Are the communication capabilities the JISCC provides only valuable to the Military? How do they benefit civilians/citizens? A: The JISCC is capable of providing internet as if it were commercial internet through its satellite dish. So yes, there is value for our state and local partners. It also has the capability to bridge radio frequencies from military to civilian, civilian to civilian, and vice-versa. Q: Were there any lessons learned from you, or your team, by participating in this exercise? A: The most important lesson that we learned from our recent exercise is that we need to educate all of our emergency response partners about this capabilities (State, Federal, Military, local partners). MIL.WA.GOV / SUMMER 2016 - 63
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STATE PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM Government and military officials from Southeast Asia know all too well the devastating impact of a massive earthquake and tsunami. When they heard about the magnitude of exercise Cascadia Rising and the planning that went into it, they paid attention.
FRIENDLY EMBRACE BY CAPT. JOSEPH SIEMANDEL
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U.S. Army National Guard photo by Pfc. George Fuller
E
EARTHQUAKE country extends far beyond the Pacific Coast. And other disasters, like floods and fires, know no boundaries.
9
Countries observed the exercise, shared their expertise, and left with valuable lessons-learned.
~76 Nations around the globe participate in the State Partnership Program.
2002 The year Washington partnered with the Kindom of Thailand.
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During Cascadia Rising, more than 50 officials from nine countries observed the exercise, shared their expertise and left with valuable lessons-learned that can be applied when the next disaster hits their own nation. The guests were here through the National Guard’s State Partnership Program (SPP).
U.S. Army National Guard photo by Pfc. George Fuller
“They are gaining insight from what we are doing to respond to a disaster, as well as providing us insight on the planning process to help improve our training,” said Maj. Jeff McDonald, Washington National Guard SPP director. “Their experience is invaluable.” Since 1991, SPP has been successfully building relationships, which now includes 76 nations around the globe. SPP links a state’s National Guard with the armed forces or equivalent of a partner country in a cooperative, mutually beneficial relationship. Washington joined the SPP program in 2002 when it partnered with the Kingdom
U.S. Army National Guard photo by Pfc. George Fuller
of Thailand. “This exercise shows our partners other avenues and capabilities that they may not have in their own country and provides us the potential to work together in the future,” said Master Sgt. Marc Jolicoeur, SPP coordinator.
reminds us that no one can stand alone in a disaster, we need each other in times like this.”
S
SIMILAR to the West Coast of the United States, Southeast Asia sits on multiple active fault systems that have proven capable of generating a 9.0 earthquake or larger.
REMOTE CONTROL Visitors got some hands-on training with some of the Guard’s tools, including remote controlled robots.
“We all share in each other’s trials and tribulations with the events like the 2004 tsunami that occurred in Indonesia and Thailand and the Nepal earthquake in 2014. When our countries can partner together, it reinforces the importance of providing lessons learned from the past.” “We have gained a lot of knowledge from observing the training,” said Col. Teresak Krisnaseranw, deputy director, Thailand Medical program. “There was cooperation between both military and civilians. It’s a key function to work together. It
On Dec. 26, 2004, one of the worst natural disasters in the region’s history occurred when a 9.3 magnitude earthquake hit off the western coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, killing nearly 300,000 people and destroying thousands of structures across 14 countries.
“It reminds us that no one can stand alone in a disaster,” Col. Krisnaseranw said. “We need each other in times like this.”
U.S. Army National Guard photo by Pfc. George Fuller
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Communications Director Karina Shagren State Public Affairs Officer Capt. Joseph F. Siemandel Chief Editor Staff Sgt. Virginia M. Owens Copy Editor Maj. Christina Martin Contributors Steven Friederich Sgt. Matthew Sissel Sgt. Michael Tietjen Spc. Brianne Kim Sgt. Jodi Eastham Spc. Lisa Hall Tech. Sgt. Paul Rider Maj. Johnathan Walker Capt. Colette Muller Spc. Tyler Main Maj. Angela Halvorson Capt. Joseph Siemandel Pfc. George Fuller Mark Stewart Maj. Tawny Dotson Tech. Sgt. John Hughel
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U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. John Hughel