Or how three Tsunami Evacuations should get your attention.
2010. When we arrived on the S. Oregon Coast, it was not intended to be permanent. But we loved it. So we moved around every couple of weeks in our RV.
Late that fall, early in the morning not long after sunrise, the Tsunami sirens went off. We were camped at Bullard’s Beach, near Bandon. The evacuation plan involved hiking up a little hill to the east of our site. We did so in the mizzle and drist with our two dogs and a cat. This was the Mentawai quake offshore of Chile.
In January we bought our place, and rolled the RV ‘home’ to begin the process of reclaiming an abandoned property. Did I mention We love it here?
In March, the sirens sounded again for the Fukushima quake. It was the middle of the night, we really didn’t have ourselves organized to ‘grab and go.’ So we waited it out in the dark. Sirens ran for about an hour before the “all clear.” It was unnerving.
After then, we’ve been in a cycle of doing various light ‘prepper’ things. Fits and starts of trying to be serious about what to do if the Cascadia Quake happens. It’s going to be hard, that much we know.
The one serious promise I made was to get radios and an Amateur license. In 2013, I bought a pair of VHF/UHF radios and looked into the regulations. And then for all of the usual reasons, I failed to get busy with study for testing to get a license.
Fast forward to 2018, I finally plugged into the local club and attended a couple of meetings. I bought the ARRL books for the Technicians and General licenses. I was still busy with other volunteer work. I even arrived to take a test one evening only to find I had the wrong date. More excuses.
Then covid.
I formally retired after turning the reaching magic number in December of 2023. Then Pops passed away in the spring of 2024. That was hard. By November of 2024 my desk and head were fairly clear, I had time to enjoy studying again. I bought new books, subscribed an online course and crammed.
This is how it went down.
I tested on Sunday (December 1st), paid the FCC on Monday (December 2nd.) My Call sign arrived Tuesday December 3rd. That evening I joined a local #HAM club on their weekly repeater ‘net.
One day later (December 5th) The Eureka, CA earthquake caused tsunami evacuations for us again. We grabbed our go gear, the dog, a couple of cats and evacuated – per plan. And then, with my little radio I got on the local repeater and stayed busy periodically sharing updates over the air. An hour or so later, the all clear sounded.
Weird, but true.
And that’s why I’m pressing forward with Amateur radio. When the internet drops, bridges crash into rivers and phones don’t work? A battery, a radio a bit of wire for an antenna and some know-how might be really useful.
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