Before a Disaster

Because Columbia County is spread across a wide rural area, emergency response resources during and after a disaster may be spread very thin and can take up to three weeks to get to all residents. 

The best step you can take is to prepare.

Emergencies can happen any time and any where. You could be at home, at work, or away for other reasons. So plan ahead by learning, making plans, building kits and staying informed. 

• sign up for public alerts to be sent to your home phone, mobile phone and/or email address
• be 2 Weeks Ready and build a STAY kit and a GO kit for your family and your pets
• place an emergency kit in your vehicle
• connect with your neighborhood CERT (Community Emergency Response Team)
• be informed of all ways to prepare. 

Learn about the Cascadia Subduction Zone

Among other disasters that can occur in the Pacific Northwest, a major earthquake caused by the Cascadia Subduction Zone is one that would be devastating to a wide area. Read about it in the following articles and webpages. 

Oregon Office of Emergency Management

• Cascadia Subduction Zone
• hazards in Oregon

News media articles

• New Yorker magazine - for an eye-opening, easy read about the zone, its history and why it has become a hot-button issue now. 
• EarthSky news - with maps and illustrations on the "Big One"