PCEMA and US Third Fleet examine emergency landing sites

Photo courtesy PCEMA Facebook - US Third Fleet, PCEMA and Grays Harbor DEM surveying beach accesses in case of an emergency.

The US Third Fleet met with the Pacific County Emergency Management Agency to tour potential landing sites to use in case of a natural disaster.

On Tuesday, November 2, the US Third Fleet visited Pacific County and met with PCEMA Director McDougall and Grays Harbor DEM Deputy Director Hannah Cleverly.

The visit is just the beginning of the process of establishing landing places for the Joint Logistics over the Shore (JLOTS) planning. This is part of the emergency planning for actions to take following a Cascadia Subduction Zone Earthquake and Tsunami.

"We met at the Seaview and Sid Snyder beach approach and talked about potential landing sites for the Third Fleet," said McDougall. The US Third Fleet is the Navy fleet that plans and executes naval operations in the Pacific Ocean. "They would bring in hovercraft which would bring in heavy equipment, food, water, and would be a way to evacuate people off the peninsula in the event of a Cascadia Subduction Zone event."

"The US Third Fleet was very happy with the potential with both the Sid Snyder approach and the Seaview approach," McDougall continued. "We did not go further north on the peninsula because the level of destruction is liable to be more profound as you go north. We have a better link to infrastructure on the south end of the peninsula."

The Third Fleet also looked at the Cranberry Rd. and the Grayland Beach approaches. These are landing sites that are along the Pacific and Grays Harbor County lines. The idea is that these potential landing sites would serve Pacific County residents in the Tokeland/North Cove area.