Clatskanie CERT Fund-Raiser

The Clatskanie Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) will be offering an old-fashioned dutch oven meal on Saturday, Aug. 7 at the Clatskanie City Park from 5-7 p.m. for $8. The menu includes sausage, corn-on-the-cob, cubed potatoes with mushroom and cheese sauce and coleslaw. The food will be prepared by David Moore, a professional dutch oven cook and teacher.

A 12-inch Camp Chef dutch oven donated by Moore will be raffled following the dinner. Tickets will be sold for $1 each, with 1000 tickets available. Proceeds from the raffle will go to the Clatskanie CERT team for vehicle repairs.

Report courtesy of The Clatskanie Chief http://www.clatskaniechiefnews.com

Facebook, Twitter

Do you have Facebook or Twitter? Columbia County Emergency Management sends out regular alerts for preparedness, emergencies (flooding, most major accidents, etc.), and other important reminders through these two services--more often than blog updates. You can even set up Facebook and Twitter to send you text messages to your phone so you can get these important alerts while away from the computer!

Check us out at:

Twitter-- http://twitter.com/columbiacoem

Facebook-- search for "Columbia County Emergency Management"

Text messages from these services are FREE (standard text message rates from your provider may apply depending on your individual plan).

Cooling Centers in St. Helens, Scappoose

For those in need of a way to beat the heat on Wednesday and Thursday, there are cooling centers open in the following areas (times open follow):

St. Helens:

St. Helens Senior Center, 375 South 15 Street: 9 AM-3 PM

Scappoose:

Rose Valley Assisted Living, 33800 Frederick: 10 AM-4 PM
Scappoose Senior Center, 33342 Meadow Drive: 10 AM-4 PM

Please bring your own food and drink as these centers are only providing cooled shelter from the heat of the day.

Heat Advisory for Columbia County

The National Weather Service in Portland has issued a heat advisory for Columbia County starting at 10 AM on Wednesday, June 7 and ending at 9 PM on Thursday, June 8th. Temperatures are expected to be in the middle to high 90s during the day and drop only into the 50s and lower 60s overnight.

Drink plenty of fluids. Try to stay in the shade and watch for heat exhaustion if working outdoors. Check on relatives and neighbors, especially those without air conditioning.

For more information, go to:

http://www.weather.gov/portland

Dealing with Household Hazardous Materials

Focus on Fire Safety: Residential Hazardous Materials Safety

Residential hazardous materials (hazmat) safety is important in preventing fires in and around your home. Hazmat safety involves the proper handling and storage of combustibles and flammable liquids such as gasoline, kerosene, propane, oil, aerosols, certain household cleaning products, and painting supplies.

Read more at:

http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/citizens/focus/hazmats.shtm

Emergency Management Furlough Days

Emergency Management, along with most other Columbia County offices, will be closed the following days for cost-cutting furlough:

* Friday, July 2, 2010
* Friday, August 20, 2010
* Friday, November 12, 2010
* Thursday, December 23, 2010

We will be able to respond to major emergency requests, but routine business will not occur on these days. If you have questions, please call us at 503-366-3931 or e-mail us at emergency.management@co.columbia.or.us .

Job Posting: Administrator, Columbia 911

Administrator for Columbia 911 Communications District--application period closes August 31, 2010.

For position and application info, go to www.esci.us .

Oil Spill Response Exercise Tuesday Near Kalama

By The Daily News

If you are in the Kalama area Tuesday and see a flurry of activity on the Columbia River, there should be no cause for alarm.

Private spill response boats and recovery vessels will be deploying oil boom barriers and tracking buoys and other gear in a test of their ability to quickly deploy equipment in the event of an actual oil spill.

No oil will be used for Tuesday's exercise.

The Washington Department of Ecology will test how well several state-regulated companies can implement their oil spill preparedness plans, including coordinating actions and quickly mobilizing equipment to effectively respond to an oil spill.

This planned drill is being conducted by the Marine Spill Response Corp., a private, nonprofit contractor providing oil-spill response services for 20 companies in Washington.

The Columbia River is a particularly challenging location for the exercise. Shifting sediments can make navigation tricky and participants may have to work in swiftly moving water. Oil tankers, fuel barges, and large cargo vessels make more than 2,300 transits a year in the Columbia River

Source: The Daily News (http://tdn.com/news/local/article_545bfd1c-8282-11df-ab07-001cc4c002e0.html)

Aircraft to Make Low-level Flights Over Parts of Washington and Oregon

Aircraft to Make Low-level Flights Over Parts of Washington and Oregon

Washington and Oregon residents should not be alarmed to witness a low-flying aircraft over parts of southern Washington and northern Oregon in late-June through July.

Beginning on June 19th and lasting about six weeks, a fixed-wing aircraft monitored by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) will begin collecting and recording geologic measurements over parts of Washington and Oregon.

Scientific equipment is mounted to the aircraft and is designed to map geologic structures beneath the earth. This analysis is part of an ongoing USGS federal research program to identify physical occurrences such as changes in rock types.

The aircraft is controlled by experienced pilots who are specially trained for low-level flying and is operated by Goldak Airborne Surveys, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Editor: In the public interest and in accordance with Federal Aviation Administration regulations, the USGS is announcing this low-level airborne project. Your assistance in publicizing this information is appreciated.

Free Upcoming Animal Disease Response Training

Announcing a rare training opportunity sponsored by the Columbia County Homeland Security and Emergency Management Commission:

Animal Disease Response Training (AWR-206-1)
Animal Disease Response Training provides the information needed to minimize the effects of animal-centered agricultural emergencies in our community. This course focuses on best practices and safety issues including:

Biosecurity • Quarantine • Personal protective equipment

Euthanasia and disposal • Cleaning and disinfection

Date: Wednesday September 22, 2010
Time: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Location: Clatskanie School District Board Room, 555 Southwest Bryant Street, Clatskanie, OR 97016
Cost: Free

This training is specifically geared toward:

Law enforcement
Public health officials
Public works personnel
Agriculture producers and workers
Veterinarian and animal health care providers
Emergency medical services personnel
Emergency management
Elected officials
Firefighters

There will be a break for lunch. You may bring your own lunch or dine locally.
We are working to secure DPSST and Veterinary CEU credit for this course.

Register online at

www.AgPreparedness.org

Click “Register Now”