Part of Oregon’s efforts to promote preparation for an earthquake and tsunami has included distributing safety and evacuation information to visitors to tsunami-threatened areas via the hotels where they stay during their visit.
More than 10 hotels Seaside are a part of the program, which includes using materials like keycard sleeves printed with evacuation information to let visitors know what they should do in the event of an earthquake and tsunami.
The program, paid for by a grant from the Oregon Office of Emergency Management through the Clatsop County Office of Emergency Management, included printing 52,000 information fliers like those used at Riverside Inn and Suites, Rahl said in an email.
Around 30,000 have been distributed with help from the Fire Marshal, he added, with another round of distribution scheduled in November.
Initially, some businesses worried that using items like the key cards might cause concern for visitors, said Mark Hopman, general manager at the Rivertide Suites in Seaside.
Those fears proved to be unfounded, however, he said. There hasn’t been any negative feedback from guests at Rivertide Suites, he said, and the hotel has distributed around 1,000 of the cards since the start of the program. The hotel also provides evacuation maps in a kiosk for guests, he said.
“We believe it’s better to educate the public than to not,” Hopman said.
The hotel is also staffed by locals, he said, and employees know evacuation routes and the appropriate high ground to head for in the event of an earthquake.
“All of our employees are born and bred and raised in Seaside, so they know what to do,” Hopman said.