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Fire chief urges residents to 'stay in the green' and prepare for short‑warning tsunamis
Summary
The fire chief described the city's NOAA TsunamiReady recognition, urged residents to use evacuation maps and go‑kits, and emphasized that a local Cascadia event could produce only minutes of warning — prolonged shaking is the practical immediate alert to move out of inundation zones.
The North Bend Fire Chief (name not specified in the transcript) told the council the city has completed NOAA's TsunamiReady application and met required elements such as signage, assembly areas and mapped evacuation routes, but the process also exposed areas for improvement.
"If you're in an inundation zone, go up to higher ground. If you're not in an inundation zone, shelter in place," the chief said, urging residents not to move from one green zone to another and warning that congestion can trap people in danger. He repeated a practical rule for a local Cascadia event: prolonged, intense shaking — on the order of several minutes — should be treated as an immediate signal to evacuate inundation zones.
The chief differentiated distant tsunamis, which often allow hours of preparation, from local tsunamis generated by nearby subduction events. He explained that distant events (for example those triggered by an earthquake or volcanic activity far away) typically give more time; a local Cascadia subduction event — which occurs roughly 70–100 miles offshore — can produce waves quickly and leave little time for coordinated evacuation.
He reviewed several preparedness tools. Printed evacuation maps with back‑side go‑kit checklists are available at the fire station and on the city's web page; staff distributed fact sheets in schools. Suggested kit items include prescription medications and pet food. The chief also noted tide timing and local geography affect surge levels and that bridges and roadways may fail in a major Cascadia event, isolating parts of town.
Council members asked about warning timelines and whether people on high ground should move; the chief said people already out of inundation zones should shelter in place rather than moving and creating traffic. He offered to return for shorter, targeted briefings for council and emergency response teams and to keep preparedness materials in front of the public.
The presentation emphasized practical, action‑oriented advice and community education rather than new regulations. No formal council action was recorded at the meeting.
