Astoria council approves MOU with school district for emergency supply storage and busing

The Astoria City Council unanimously approved a memorandum of understanding with the Astoria School District to store emergency supplies on district property and to use the district's buses for evacuation in the event of a natural or man‑made disaster.

Acting city staff said the arrangement formalizes a relationship that has largely been verbal for about two years. Fire Chief Dan Crutchfield said the district's middle and elementary schools were chosen because they are outside the coastal inundation zone, making them safer locations for staging supplies and moving people inland during a tsunami or other mass‑evacuation event. "The two locations that school district properties are the middle school and the elementary school. For the reasons you said, those are both located outside of the inundation zone," Chief Crutchfield said.

Councilor Davis moved to approve the MOU and the council voted in favor by roll call. Staff said the formal agreement includes authorization for signatures and will allow quick, organized access to district transportation and staged supplies in an emergency.

The agreement is intended to improve the city's immediate response capacity and reduce confusion about staging and transport in the early hours of an incident; staff will execute the agreement and return any implementation details as needed.