Local humanitarians converge on Echo for Cascadia disaster response

ShelterBox works to provide emergency shelters, aid and other essential tools for survival after earthquakes, volcanoes, floods and other disasters.

“Since 2000, ShelterBox has helped over two million people by providing emergency shelter following more than 300 disasters in nearly 100 countries,” explained Eric Reise, ShelterBox ambassador and former president of the Hermiston Rotary Club.

In the scenario, a massive 9.0 magnitude Cascadian Subduction Zone earthquake struck along the Juan de Fuca, Gorda and Explorer plates deep in the Pacific Ocean. The resulting tsunami slammed into the coast of the imaginary country of Cascadia, wreaking devastation from Seattle to San Francisco.

“The role-players had to deal with an entire country impacted, with massive critical infrastructure damage, tens of thousands of buildings destroyed or damaged, and hundreds of thousands of displaced people in desperate need of shelter,” explained Dr. Timothy Merritt, Hermiston Rotarian and member of the Oregon Army National Guard who created the online “Cascadia SmartBook.”

Alkali Canyon is one of only three locations in the world where ShelterBox conducts this type of training. The other two are near Cornwall, England, birthplace of ShelterBox, and Austin, Texas.

John Burns, 42, Hermiston Rotary Club president, with his wife and two children, 12 and 14, acted as displaced individuals living in a camp.

“It was an awesome experience, especially for the kids to feel how it is like to be in a disaster like this,” he said. “The real value to our club is that this event gives us an opportunity to provide service locally, for a cause with a global impact.”

“Because a Rotarian initially conceived ShelterBox, the relationship between ShelterBox and Rotary International is critical to the organization’s enduring global effectiveness,” Merritt said.

During an actual crisis, ShelterBox reaches out to Rotarians in the area affected by the disaster. Working together, ShelterBox Response Teams deliver resources and specialized training, while local Rotarians provide information and logistical support.

The event also raised awareness that climate change is a reality that can no longer be ignored. According to ShelterBox research, there has been an 83% increase in climate-related disasters across the world in the last 20 years. These disasters have ripped up homes, destroyed food supplies and displaced millions of people.

The data shows human habitat loss is one of the major impacts of climate change and highlights an average of nearly 42 million people per year face the loss of their homes due to climate change related extreme weather events in the next 20 years (humanitarian standards assume an average of five people per home).

By the year 2040 this figure could look as high as 54.9 million people in one year alone.