This Saturday (May 14, 2022), Corvallis residents will participate in a mock evacuation exercise to help local emergency managers prepare for the real thing.
Dave Busby, emergency planning manager with City of Corvallis, told KLCC there are many reasons a community may have to evacuate.
“Everybody thinks about a wildfire, Busby said. “But it could be a gas leak. It could be an act of violence in the area. It could be a number of reasons that would cause us to ask the community to evacuate. So, it’s walking through that process for them.”
Saturday morning will start with a series of emergency alerts: Ready, Set, Go. Participating residents will then evacuate to a designated meeting place.
“They’ll check in with us there and then do a survey,” Busby said “You know, as local government I don’t get enough direct feedback and this is a great opportunity for us to learn from them.”
Busby said eleven neighborhoods plan to participate in the exercise. But, anyone in Benton County who’s signed up for Linn-Benton Alerts will get the alerts on Saturday. They’ll clearly say it’s only a test.
Copyright 2022 KLCC
