In the aftermath, hundreds of thousands of evacuees flee toward eastern Washington and north-central Idaho. Roughly 1,000 head for Moscow.
The scenario was presented this week during the Cascadia Rising 2016 Functional Exercise, which has included local, state, tribal, federal, private sector and non-governmental organizations across Washington, Oregon and north-central Idaho.
The scenario arose from scientific evidence that indicates the Cascadia Subduction Zone is due for a large earthquake. It is believed the approximately 700-mile-long fault that runs along the Pacific Coast from northern California to British Columbia has been building stress for more than 300 years.
According to information provided by exercise coordinators, more than 8 million people live in the Cascadia Subduction Zone, and an earthquake and tsunami of the exercise's magnitude could kill more than 10,000, injure another 30,000 and leave at least one million people in need of short- to long-term sheltering.
On Thursday in Moscow, members from area agencies, including disaster services, the University of Idaho, public health, Gritman Medical Center and the American Red Cross, gathered in various locations to participate and assess what could be improved in preparation for a real disaster.
"We are testing a lot of things that have only ever been thought of," Latah County Disaster Services Coordinator Mike Neelon said.
As Neelon and his group gathered in the chambers of the Latah County Commissioners at the county courthouse, staff at Gritman Medical Center held another exercise, while a group of local ham radio operators were at the fairgrounds trying to relay messages to other operators in Boise.
As the disaster unfolded, responders were forced to respond to sporadic power outages, loss of phone services and slow or downed internet, while personnel at Gritman faced dwindling medical supplies. Workers at the command center worked on ham radios to secure additional supplies from Boise, while county officials grappled with fuel shortages and keeping emergency services and first-responders operating.
One group consisting of local support services including public health, the Red Cross and the UI set up an evacuee shelter at the UI Kibbie Dome. With cots, the dome can shelter 2,375 or seat 4,750 if an evacuation of some sort was needed, said Catherine Rawsthorne, disaster program specialist for the North-Central Idaho region of the American Red Cross.
Rawsthorne said the Red Cross often has memorandums of understanding with area schools or community centers to house refugees. She said these types of locations are preferred because they usually have bathrooms, showers and kitchens, and are ADA compliant.
In small towns where such buildings may not be available, portable bathrooms can be brought in, but that's not ideal, she said. Some area fairgrounds can work too, but those spaces are more often used to store livestock or animals that have been evacuated, she said.
Penny Martinez, director of campus security for the UI, said using the Kibbie Dome, even during the school year, would cause minimal disruption to campus, although problems could arise if there are shortages of food and the university is trying to provide for both students and evacuees.
Austen Cole, with Latah County information technology, Latah County Amateur Radio Emergency Services and the Latah County Community Emergency Response Team, was also on hand at the commissioners' chambers to help relay messages to the ham operators at the fairgrounds.
With the voice and digital capabilities of the radios used, Cole said he is able to relay messages, including simple-formatted emails, at local and regional ranges. He said based on Thursday's exercise there is a need for better relays or long-range frequencies to reliably connect with Boise.
Unless there was a widespread electrical wipeout or solar flare, the radios are able to run for a long period, if not indefinitely, on generators, batteries and solar panels, he said.
Neelon said one of his top focuses during the exercise was communication, not only between local organizations, but also with the state and federal levels and the public.
Neelon said the exercise ran relatively smoothly - although chaotic at times - and it appears as if all involved learned from the experience and will be able to address current shortcomings in case of a real disaster.
©2016 the Moscow-Pullman Daily News (Moscow, Idaho) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
