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Freshwater School District Announcements & Downloads:
Tsunami/Earthquake Info for Parents
Dear Freshwater Parents,
Below is information regarding Freshwater School's Tsunami risk and related plan of action. Hopefully, this will help alleviate any anxiety you have regarding the safety of your child while at school.
Two years ago Freshwater School received a $143,000 Readiness and Emergency Management Grant (REMS) from the Federal Government. It has been our task to prepare the school for mainly earthquake/tsunami preparedness. Since last years' tsunami in Japan, I requested the services and risk analysis from our local tsunami hazard experts, Dr. Lori Dengler and NOAA representative, Troy Niccolini, about Freshwater School's location and tsunami risk. I thought you would appreciate her response. You will find our biggest concern will be reduced access to and from the school.
Last year, prior to this information, we did do an evacuation route study. There is no safe way to "walk students up Greenwood Heights Drive" as last year people were speeding recklessly up the hill, there is no shoulder on the road and nowhere to assemble 300 students. Also, if there is a 9.0+ magnitude quake, there will certainly be damage and injuries at school and trees down . After shocks will also be a big concern. Our team, including the experts, all agree that staying at school is the safest and most responsible course of action.
Here is the risk assessment from our local experts:
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From: "Lori A. Dengler" <Lori.Dengler@humboldt.edu>
Subject: Re: Tsunami Hazard Zones
Date: March 28, 2012 3:38:43 PM PDT
Reply-To: Lori.Dengler@humboldt.edu
We have been re-assessing the maps. The new set of maps that were released on Monday attempt to incorporate those lessons learned from the Japan event. The good news is that even when we look at a 2500 year return period event, it looks like Freshwater School is high and dry. The biggest lesson from Japan is to make sure you plan for a worst-case possible event. The Japanese were only looked at the last 400 years of information and were expecting an earthquake of about magnitude 7.5. They got a 9. We've been planning for a 9 from the beginning and have bent over backwards to be conservative - taking into account the effects of high tides, large storm waves and a possible submarine landslide and then making the hazard zone even a little bit bigger by taking it to roads and other geographic markers.
The good news for Freshwater is that it is so far from the open coast, the bay is very shallow, and the dunes on the Samoa Peninsula range from 40 to 70 feet in elevation. In order for a tsunami to reach Freshwater, it would have to make it over these dunes. Any substantial tsunami overwash would have left sand deposits in the Mad River Slough. We've looked very hard for such deposits and have never found any (we do find them in the South Bay). What is likely, were a Cascadia earthquake to occur, is that the school would be cutoff from Eureka and Arcata because of damage to roads and bridges. So it is really important for the school to think about how it would take care of 300+ students for a number of days.
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I hope this helps understand our plan of action and alleviates some of your concern. Please feel free to call me or come by the office if you need more information or clarification.
Thom McMahon, Superintendent
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