Time to practice your “Duck, Cover and Hold”
The largest annual earthquake drill in the world is set for next Thursday morning. Emergency officials in the state are encouraging everyone, especially those along the Oregon Coast, to participate.
All are encouraged to “Duck, Cover, and Hold On” Thursday, October 20th at 10:20 a.m. during a simulated earthquake.
The aim is to create awareness of what to do in the event of a quake… as well as promote the awareness of the potential for a magnitude 9.0 quake along the Cascadia Subduction Zone off the Oregon Coast.
Residents can register for the Great Shake Out in advance at shakeout-dot-org. The website contains details about how to protect yourself and others during a quake. There are also links to information about how you can prepare yourself for the aftermath.
As far as during… participants next week are encouraged to “drop” – get on the ground to protect yourself from falling objects. “cover” – once again… protect yourself from falling objects by getting under something sturdy. And finally, “hold on” — grab something sturdy to help brace yourself, or at the very least cover your head with your arms.
Highway 20 finally opens
After more than a decade of work the U.S. 20 bypass between Pioneer Mountain in the coast range and Eddyville just west of Corvallis is now open.
Traffic began flowing on the 5.5-mile stretch of broad and straight highway that bypasses a ten mile narrow and winding roadway.
Work on the project originally began in 2005 and it was expected to cost $140-million to complete. The original design included a series of bridges.
Much of that work had to be scrapped when the central portion of the bypass was discovered to be on an ancient landslide that turned out to be unstable.
The Oregon Department of Transportation took over the project in 2012 and redesigned the problematic three-mile stretch. The bridges were ultimately destroyed and replaced by a series of hillside cuts, and valley fills… along with several large culverts; including one that would allow wildlife to pass beneath the roadway.
The final price tag wound up being about 2-1/2 times the original estimate… $365-million dollars.
Gas prices increase nationwide… steady at home
Retail gas prices held steady on the West Coast this week, but the national average price has risen four cents a gallon on average since October 4th.
The Triple-A average national price rose to $2.26 a gallon this week. Oregon’s average price, also measured by Triple-A, remained at $2.52.
The local average falls in the middle between the two… it actually went down a penny a gallon this week and is $2.35 a gallon.
Marie Dodds with Triple-A said Hurricane Matthew, along with seasonal refinery work, put “upward” pressure on prices at the pump in the Central and Eastern portions of the United States.
Back to school bingo in Mapleton
Mapleton Food Share will be offering some “back to school Bingo” this weekend. The event, Saturday evening at the Mapleton Elementary School, is a fund raiser to help the emergency food bank that aids upriver residents.
Adults will pay $20 to play all games, students pay only five dollars.
Karen Harden with Mapleton Food Share says you can also come just to eat Pork Sliders and Mac & Cheese… or participate in the dessert auction.
Doors open at 4:00 Saturday afternoon.
