Oregon Public Broadcasting

Last winter’s devastating storms may be a distant memory for most in the Northwest.  But officials want to be ready for the next time a natural disaster strikes.

A panel in charge of evaluating Oregon’s response to the storms issued a report Tuesday.  Salem correspondent Chris Lehman reports.

Hurricane force winds cut communications links to many coastal communities in Oregon and Washington. Some emergency officials turned to local ham radio operators to get their messages through.

Fixing the communications breakdown is high on the list of things to improve before the next natural disaster hits.

Paul Evans is a policy advisor for Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski.  He says just getting together to analyze what went wrong is another good step.

Paul Evans:  “The biggest lesson is that it’s important to train and work together before an event happens.  So the first time you meet isn’t at the disaster.”

Other areas the state says it could improve include pre-positioning more supplies ahead of time, and coming up with a better evacuation plan for people stranded in state parks and campgrounds.