Two members of the Oregon House of Representatives are pushing for an increase in tsunami and earthquake preparedness funding.
During a Monday hearing of the House Interim Committee On Emergency Management and Veterans, Reps. David Gomberg and Paul Evans said Oregon’s lack of preparedness showed during July’s tsunami advisory. The two Democrats are calling for changes to the state’s natural disaster response.
Gomberg, whose district includes all of Lincoln County and some coastal parts of Lane County, recalled being out to dinner with friends on July 29 when an alert went out about a potential tsunami.
“What I found particularly interesting about that experience is that I and my wife got those warnings from Lincoln County, but our friends who are visiting from out of town didn't get the same warnings,” he said.
Evans agreed, noting that people may not receive an emergency message because their phone is off or they don’t hear a tsunami siren.
“$300 million over 10 years to build satellite training facilities to ensure that our full-time folks—but really, more importantly, our volunteer and part-time response folks have the capacity to keep their skills at the top of the scope, as opposed to having to depend upon a delivery system right now that's having a hard time doing that,” he said.
The two acknowledged that such investments are tough in a time when the state recently dealt with a budget crisis and recently held a special session to increase taxes for transportation funding.
Gomberg noted, in particular, spending on items such as education, healthcare and housing.
“We need to address those immediate concerns at the expense of things that are further over the horizon,” said Gomberg.
"Dollars that we invest in those programs," said Evans, "are not dollars we're investing in being ready for the worst natural disaster America will ever have. And it is not hard to count to 250-to-300,000 casualties in the first week if we aren't prepared."
Evans said Oregon has not seen a major earthquake and tsunami since 1700, and geologists warn that major seismic events happen every 300 years.
When asked about possible ways to fund his request, he pointed to a proposal that he said was in the legislature last session known as the 4% deduction reduction.
“If you're in the top tax bracket on income, there'd be a cover sheet that basically says after you take all of your deductions, if it doesn't equal 4% of your gross income, then you pay the difference to get to 4%,” Evans said.
The plan would, in his estimation, raise $60-$80 million.
