CANNON BEACH, Ore. (KOIN) — Cannon Beach is currently considering a change to part of its emergency preparedness plan in the event of a tsunami.
Right now, Cannon Beach residents can pay to store private emergency goods in barrels that sit on high ground above the tsunami inundation zone where people are instructed to go if — and when — a disaster strikes.
For $35, locals can purchase a 30 gallon barrel. A yearly fee of $30 rents the space where the barrels reside.
In the event a tsunami hits, those who purchased barrels would follow the crowds to the assembly areas. But unlike everyone else, they’d have access to their private cache.
“Creates a situation where those of us who are really, really, really prepared are going to share with other people, really whether we want to or not,” Karolyn Adamson, chair of the Emergency Preparedness Committee, told KOIN 6 News. “That was a concern regarding liability for the city.”
According to Adamson, the committee is now rethinking the plan because — although the sites do have some supplies and provisions for everyone — a disaster could create a rift in which only a select few have access to private stashes.
“Basically, a vision came to some of the people fighting for those things,” Adamson explained. “That didn’t create a good scene for us.”
The issue — private goods sitting on city land — is partly why the city manager said, “we are assessing the situation to assure that we’re following best practices.”
Safety is another concern. Just last year, break-ins revealed some of the barrels contained prohibited items like guns.
“It came to light that people did have those things, and whether they knew they weren’t to have them or not I have no idea,” Adamson said.
Now, the city is reassessing the sites and looking for a way to provide everyone with access to the same resources in the event of a tsunami.