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Emergency Preparedness Updates

Tillamook People’s Utility District Grant

Resilience is about how well we’re able to cope, adapt or “bounce back” when we experience hardship or trauma.

For more than a decade Cape Meares residents have been building resilience. Personal contributions and successful grant-seeking activities have enabled us to build and stock three emergency storage facilities. This spring a grant seeking team led by Miriam Fultz applied for several grants with success for one and awaiting results for two others. Funds from a successful Tillamook County Public Utilities (TPUD) Grant were used to acquire critical items that will strengthen our community resilience.

The major natural disaster we most fear is an earthquake, one serious enough to trigger a tsunami to cause at least 70% of the residents having to flee their homes. Because of multiple after-shocks following a major earthquake, remaining at a safe location may be necessary for approximately 72 hours before venturing back to our homes to assess damage and to access supplies.

Our successful TPUD grant 2024 focused on the shelter component. The two assembly points where shelters are planned are at 3rd St. and 8th St. At each location there will be a 12’ x 16’ tent that includes a cooking and heating stove.

Emergency Preparedness Updates, Tip of the Month

Emergency Preparedness Tip of the Month – Hydration

Importance of access to drinkable water in an emergency

Wilderness guides often refer to the “Rule of 3,” which says that a person can live for three minutes without air, three days without water, and three weeks without food. This month’s emergency prep tip is about the second “rule.” Hydration.

If our community experiences an earthquake our first reaction should be to “drop, cover, and hold on” until the shaking stops. The second reaction should be to head to a safe location. But not long after the first two actions our thoughts should turn to finding shelter, food and drinkable water.

For nine months of the year a sufficient quantity of natural water is available around our community via streams, but it must first be treated so it is safe to drink. Various measures are available for water purification, but having bottled water stored in an accessible space is essential. It is wise to store at least a 72-hour supply of drinkable water per person.

There is another possible source of potable water that we might access. Our 200,000-gallon water reservoir supplies drinking water to our community. The Oceanside Water District is seeking grant funding for acquiring and installing expensive seismic shut-off valves ($30 K each) that will automatically cut the flow of water to the community when violent earth shaking occurs. Why? Because a violent earthquake is likely to rupture multiple pipes in the distribution system with multiple leaks that could quickly empty the tank. Preserving this valuable water resource is critical. So, we can’t count on our water reservoir supplying needed drinking water so every resident should have a plan for having a variety of potable drinking water sources.

News

Water Quality Report (Cape Meares-2021)

The Water Quality Report for Cape Meares is now available for review and is now posted on the Cape Meares website.  Click on the link below to view.  

This annual report is intended to inform as well as to remind you about the primary focus of the water district on the importance of water quality. The Oceanside Water District (OWD) is committed to ensuring that the community’s drinking water meets the highest standards as regulated by The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and The Oregon Health Authority (OHA). This report contains information developed from water quality sampling conducted throughout the 2021 year. 

Take the time to peruse this report to understand more about this critical resource for our community.  

https://capemeares.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/WaterQualityRepor22021.pdf

News

Water Quality Report 2020

This annual report is intended to inform as well as to remind you about the importance of water quality. The Oceanside Water District (OWD) is committed to ensuring that the community’s drinking water meets the highest standards as regulated by The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Oregon Health Authority (OHA). This report contains information developed from water quality sampling conducted throughout the 2020 year.

News

Water Quality Report 2018

This annual report is intended to inform as well as to remind you about the importance of water quality. The Oceanside Water District (OWD) is committed to ensuring that the community’s drinking water meets the highest standards as regulated by The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Oregon Health Authority (OHA). This report contains information developed from water quality sampling conducted throughout the 2018 year. http://www.owd-oregon.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Water-Quality-Report-Cape-Meares-2018.pdf