I participated in the Cascadia Rising 2016 exercise to help add realism and stress.  Not everyone appreciated the challenges and annoyances I caused but there was a method to the madness.  My perception of what the west coast will look like after the next Cascadia event is formed through a collection of experiences.  Growing up along the Oregon coast I remember the 1964 tsunami, a very small ocean run-up compared to what a near-shore Cascadia event will do.  Over thirty years later I would become an Emergency Manager on the coast, responsible for the initial planning for a Cascadia event.

Due to the sheer magnitude of a Cascadia event, we can’t expect to save everyone. In fact, even with the best of intentions, thousands will perish.  But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t plan, train and exercise like lives depend on it because they do.

The article I Have No Choice But to Keep  Looking is a bit longer than I normally provide to readers but I think it has value.  If you find yourself short on motivation or push-back from individuals, organizations and agencies on why we should push harder at every Cascadia Rising exercise, read the article and share it.  You know an event is bad when a positive outcome may be just eliminating the need for one survivor to learn to Scuba dive.