This is a joint Coquille Indian Tribe and Oregon Department of Human Services media release
Earlier today Tribal, county, state and local partners gathered for an emergency preparedness exercise and demonstration. These partners worked together to set up components of an Evacuation Assembly Point (EAP). An EAP is a short-term, designated location used after emergencies like the Cascadia earthquake and tsunami. It serves as a staging area where people can gather while emergency responders work to access impacted regions and facilitate evacuation.
The EAP equipment was purchased by the Oregon Department of Human Services’ Office of Resilience and Emergency Management. The Coquille Indian Tribe has graciously agreed to store this equipment on their land. The supplies are housed in metal shipping containers and include food, water, tents, and medical supplies to support up to 100 people at the EAP for two weeks.
“The Coquille Indian Tribe is excited to be able to take on this responsibility which highlights what is possible when two sovereign entities work together for the common good,” Chair Brenda Meade said. “This is a great example of the Coquille’s desire to be a leader in our community and to highlight the spirit of Potlatch, and it emphasizes the importance of these partnerships to ensure we are prepared to support our Tribal citizens and our neighboring residents in Southwest Oregon when the need arises.”
This is the third set of EAP equipment that OREM has deployed on the Oregon Coast. Additional EAP locations are situated at the Tillamook Municipal Airport and Newport Airport, both of which are pre-designated sites for transporting individuals out of immediate disaster zones.
“Coastal communities are a priority for housing EAP equipment because data indicates they are most likely to be cut off from the rest of the state in the aftermath of a Cascadia earthquake,” said Ed Flick (he/him), Director of the Oregon Office of Resilience and Emergency Management (OREM). “I’m grateful to the Coquille Indian Tribe for hosting this exercise and for their willingness to stage this EAP equipment for the Tribal members and their neighbors. As the lead state agency responsible for mass care and shelter in disaster situations, it's essential for us to ensure local communities have fast access to critical supplies that can immediately support their needs in times of crisis.”
In addition to the EAP demonstration, several mass care demonstrations were conducted:
- United States Coast Guard demonstrated medical extraction and search and rescue operations.
- CERFP (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosive Disaster Response Force) demonstrated mass care triage capabilities.
- Scappoose Fire Department showcased the use of an unmanned aircraft system (also known as a drone).
Visit this Dropbox link to download footage from the event: AR6 News pool file pictures and videos
Description of Dropbox content:
- Statements from:
- Jen Proctor-Andrews, Coquille Indian Tribe Vice Chair
- Paul Evans, Representative, Oregon House District 20
- Jonna Papaefthimiou, State Resilience Officer
- Eli Grove (Siletz), Oregon Department of Human Services’ Office of Resilience and Emergency Management Tribal Emergency Coordinator
- Pictures and video of the EAP tents and equipment
- Pictures and video of the USCG demonstration
The Coquille Indian tribe is hosting the Oregon Department of Human Services’ (ODHS) Office of Resilience and Emergency Management (OREM) for an emergency preparedness exercise and demonstration tomorrow.
News conference speakers:
- Brenda Meade, Coquille Indian Tribe Chair
- Lon Matheny, Coquille Indian Tribe Emergency Management Director
- Paul Evans, Representative, Oregon House District 20
- Jonna Papaefthimiou, State Resilience Officer
- Ed Flick, Director, Oregon Department of Human Services’ Office of Resilience and Emergency Management
Members of the media are also welcome to observe demonstrations from United States Coast Guard, CERFP and Scappoose Fire Department.
Schedule of key events:
- 12:45 p.m. news conference
- 1:15 p.m. mass care demonstrations:
- United States Coast Guard demonstrating medical extraction and search and rescue operations.
- CERFP demonstrating mass care triage capabilities.
- Scappoose Fire demonstrating the use of an unmanned aircraft system (also known as a drone).
- 2:30 p.m. demonstrations end
Parking available at Coquille Indian Tribe Plank House, 1050 Plankhouse Road, Coos Bay, OR 97420.
WHAT: On Thursday, November 21 the Coquille Indian Tribe is hosting state legislators and other leaders as the Oregon Department of Human Services' Office of Resilience and Emergency Management conducts an emergency preparedness exercise and installs evacuation assembly point (EAP) equipment.
Members of the media are invited to tour the EAP equipment and attend a news conference.
WHERE: Coquille Indian Tribe Plank House. Media parking at 1050 Plankhouse Road, Coos Bay, OR 97420.
WHEN: Thursday, November 21, 2024
- Members of the media may come and go anytime 12:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m.
- Key events:
- 12:45 p.m. news conference
- Speakers from the Coquille Indian Tribe, Oregon Legislature, Oregon Department of Human Services
- 1:15 p.m. mass care demonstrations:
- United States Coast Guard demonstrating medical extraction and search and rescue.
- CERFP demonstrating mass care triage capability.
- Scappoose Fire demonstrating an unmanned aircraft system (aka drone).
- 2:30 p.m. demonstrations end
- Video and still images of the exercise will be sent to media by 3:00 p.m. on November 21.
WHO: Leaders from the Coquille Indian Tribe, State legislators and leaders from Coos County and the Oregon Department of Human Services’ Office of Resilience and Emergency Management
WHY: The Coquille Indian Tribe agreed to host the EAP supplies provided by OREM. The supplies are housed in metal shipping containers that store food, water, tents and medical supplies to support 100 people at the evacuation assembly point (EAP) for two weeks in the event of an emergency. Evacuation assembly points are short-term locations for people to gather while emergency responders work to access the impacted area, and stage people for evacuation.
This is the third set of EAP equipment that OREM has placed on the Oregon Coast. Others are located at the Tillamook Municipal Airport and Newport Airport. These are pre-planned locations for people to be transported out of the immediate disaster area.
OREM is the lead state agency for mass care (e.g., shelter, food and water). Along with partners like the Coquille Indian Tribe, OREM has staged these supplies in coastal communities because they will be isolated from responders in the immediate aftermath of the Cascadia earthquake.
HOW: For interviews or additional information please contact:
- Sara Campos, ODHS OREM Public Information Officer, 971-208-1947 sara.k.campos@odhs.oregon.gov
- Tim Novotny, Coquille Indian Tribe Communications Director, 541-751-7491 timnovotny@coquilletribe.org
(Salem) – The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS), Child Welfare Division, asks the public to help find Cherie “Rene” Stewart, age 16, a child who went missing from Portland, Oregon on Nov. 2. ODHS believes that she may be at risk and is searching for her to assess her safety.
ODHS asks the public to help in the effort to find Rene. Anyone who suspects they have information about the location of Rene should call 911 or the Oregon Child Abuse Hotline at 1-855-503-SAFE (7233).
Rene is known to frequent the Northeast Portland area as well as the neighborhood of SW 19th Avenue and SW Davis Street in Portland. She may attempt to travel to Vancouver, Washington. It is possible that Rene is traveling with her mother Rebekah Blackburn.
Name: Cherie Rene Stewart (prefers Rene)
Pronouns: She/her
Date of birth: Feb. 20, 2008
Height: 5-foot-1
Weight: 90 pounds
Hair: Brown
Eye color: Blue
Other identifying information: Prefers to go by “Rene,” and has recently shaved her head.
Oregon Health & Science University Police Case #24-21392
Sometimes when a child is missing they may be in significant danger and ODHS may need to locate them to assess and support their safety. As ODHS works to do everything it can to find these missing children and assess their safety, media alerts will be issued in some circumstances when it is determined necessary. Sometimes, in these situations, a child may go missing repeatedly, resulting in more than one media alert for the same child.
Report child abuse to the Oregon Child Abuse Hotline by calling 1-855-503-SAFE (7233). This toll-free number allows you to report abuse of any child or adult to the Oregon Department of Human Services, 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year.
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(Salem) – Siblings Aesbeau Lorelai Sabine Rose Jones, age 7, and Brooklyn Korus Summer Mae West, age 9, went missing with their mother Chelsea Alexander and step-father Jason Alexander from Eugene, Oregon. on Oct. 7. The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS), Child Welfare Division believes that Aesbeau and Brooklyn may be at risk and is searching for them to assess their safety.
ODHS asks the public to help in the effort to find Aesbeau and Brooklyn. Anyone who suspects they have information about the location of the children or Chelsea or Jason Alexander should call 911 or the Oregon Child Abuse Hotline at 1-855-503-SAFE (7233).
They are believed to be in the area of Pagosa Springs, Colorado, and may be traveling in a black Honda Civic towards Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Georgia or North Carolina. Chelsea Alexander also goes by Chi Alexander.
Name: Aesbeau Lorelai Sabine Rose Jones
Pronouns: She/her
Date of birth: Aug. 1, 2017
Height: 3-foot-10
Weight: 44 pounds
Hair: Brown
Eye color: Brown
Other identifying information: Aesbeau, pronounced “Esbay” also goes by Beau
Lane County Sherriff’s Office Case #24-05401
Eugene Police Department Case #24-17246
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Case #24-17246
Name: Brooklyn Korus Summer Mae West
Pronouns: She/her
Date of birth: June 21, 2015
Height: 4-foot-1
Weight: 50 pounds
Hair: Blond
Eye color: Brown
Lane County Sherriff’s Office Case #24-05402
Eugene Police Department Case #24-17246
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Case #24-17246
Sometimes when a child is missing they may be in significant danger and ODHS may need to locate them to assess and support their safety. As ODHS works to do everything it can to find these missing children and assess their safety, media alerts will be issued in some circumstances when it is determined necessary. Sometimes, in these situations, a child may go missing repeatedly, resulting in more than one media alert for the same child.
Report child abuse to the Oregon Child Abuse Hotline by calling 1-855-503-SAFE (7233). This toll-free number allows you to report abuse of any child or adult to the Oregon Department of Human Services, 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year.
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