Food drop exercise conducted at Devils Lake

Devils Lake in Lincoln City could be a key focal point during a disaster or emergency. The popular waterway was the site of an emergency exercise conducted by the Oregon Disaster Airlift Response Team (ODART) on Saturday, June 15. A similar exercise took place that day at the Newport Municipal Airport (see related story).

A seaplane, loaded with donated food for the Lincoln City Food Pantry and the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Food Pantry, landed at the dock at Regatta Park on Devils Lake. The event was used to illustrate how ODART volunteers will deliver supplies from inland airports to coastal communities in the event of a major disaster.

The ODART team coordinated the drill in conjunction with Lincoln City Emergency Management, Lincoln City Parks & Recreation, and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office’s Marine Division.

To gain insight into this exercise, the Leader reached out to Lincoln City Emergency Preparedness Coordinator Cassidy Boyle.

Lincoln County Leader: What is the specific significance of this exercise being held at this time?

Cassidy Boyle: For the safety of the pilots and ground crews, it’s important to do this exercise during a time when Oregon’s weather is more reliable, especially here on the coast. In addition, there are three parts to this exercise, staging, reconnaissance, and delivery and these flights happen over several weekends.

Lincoln County Leader: Specifically, what types of supplies will be dropped, why those supplies, and where will they come from?

Boyle: In order to simulate a disaster response as best as possible, the pilots need to transport and deliver actual cargo, and ODART has graciously decided that this should be food to be donated to local food banks in the final destinations. It’s great to see these efforts paying off in more than one way. I know our communities will appreciate it.

In a real response, this cargo could be medical supplies, water, or food, and this would come from various locations outside the impacted region. A bonus is that once these planes deliver cargo, there is sometimes an opportunity to send people back to the valley on those planes.

Lincoln County Leader: During a disaster or emergency, once the supplies arrive, how will they reach those who will need such assistance?

Boyle: This is going to depend largely on the situation because it’s possible that anticipated landing zones will be inaccessible and in those scenarios we will adapt, but the ODART team will work with local agencies to determine the best options.

Lincoln County Leader: What range of training is your team of volunteers and city employees receiving who will conduct the collection and distribution of the supplies during an actual disaster or emergency?

Boyle: There are many great opportunities for disaster training, and it’s wonderful to see people with different backgrounds and experience levels come together. Whether you’re taking a mass care class, a part of a communications demonstration, or attending a basic preparedness seminar, there is always something to learn and put into practice.

ODART is an entirely volunteer run organization, and I want to emphasize the important work the team has done to put this exercise together and the true dedication they have for providing a valuable resource to all Oregon communities.

During the exercise, Lincoln City Food Pantry Manager Tilly Miller was on hand to receive the donated food.

“It’s great to have. This will help in our daily handouts.” Miller said. “The practice of getting something in during an emergency when everybody is anxious, I think it’s great to have a plan in place.”

Lincoln City Parks & Recreation Director Jeanne Sprague said the fly-in donation at Regatta Park demonstrates how the city’s park system can be beneficial during an emergency or disaster “because parks are often in areas of high public use and high public access,” she said. “For example at this demonstration at Regatta Park, we have the dock right here on the lake with lots of space for parking and traffic to get through, so it’s just a perfect place for this exercise to happen.”

While the city’s emergency manager would be in charge of designating how parks could be utilized during an emergency or disaster, Sprague said the parks could be a location where people could gather and be safe.

“I do see that,” she said. “For example, the Lincoln City Community Center is an evacuation site, so parks and recreation can play a vital role in emergency preparedness.”