Earthquake drill kicks off today

SANDPOINT — Emergency Operations and Coordination Centers at all levels of government and the private sector in Washington, Oregon and Idaho will activate beginning today as part of ‘Cascadia Rising,’ a national level exercise that will simulate a 9.0 Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake and tsunami along the Washington and Oregon coast. Thousands of people, including military personnel, will participate to test a joint response to one of the most complex disaster scenarios facing the Pacific Northwest.

The exercise will run through Friday, June 10.

The predicted direct effects of a full CSZ earthquake end at the Cascade Mountains but the indirect effects will extend far beyond the mountain passes. Western Washington and Oregon will have the greatest impacts but eastern Washington and Oregon along with Idaho are important partners in the exercise and will be vital in a real world event.

“While Idaho is not inside the expected impact area, we want to make sure we are able to support our neighbors should a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake and tsunami happen,” said Idaho Bureau of Homeland Security Director Brad Richy. “Idaho’s participation in the Cascadia Rising functional exercise is an effort to ensure the optimal level of readiness. IBHS is working with nine northern Idaho counties, the Department of Health and Welfare, all seven Idaho Public Health Districts, as well as Oregon and Washington to test our response. The level of cooperation between FEMA Region 10, and our neighboring states and exercise players, has been outstanding and we look forward to acting upon the lessons learned.”

Cascadia Rising 2016 is a four-day exercise focused on interagency and multi-state coordination. Emergency management centers at local, state, tribal and federal levels in coordination with military commands, private sector and non-governmental organizations in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, will activate to coordinate simulated field response operations.