County Urges Spring Into Preparedness

The Oregon Department of Emergency Management brought its Tsunami Roadshow to Lincoln County as part of a broader push to help coastal residents better prepare for disasters. The roadshow, which traveled down the Oregon coast, making stops in every coastal county, featured subject-matter experts in tsunami science and earthquake preparedness. In Lincoln County, the team delivered two identical presentations on April 2 – one at 11:30 a.m. in Newport and another at 6 p.m. in Lincoln City.

Residents who attended heard detailed explanations of how tsunamis form, what local risk looks like on the central coast, and the practical steps individuals and families can take to be ready. Each session included time for questions from the public, giving community members a chance to get tailored advice about their specific neighborhoods and evacuation routes.

Local emergency management officials framed the roadshow as the kickoff to a broader “Spring into Preparedness” speaker series aimed at expanding the conversation beyond earthquakes and tsunamis.

More Preparedness Events This Month

In addition to the tsunami-focused events, Lincoln County lined up more expert-led presentations throughout April to help residents prepare for a range of emergencies:

• Financial Readiness Presentation

  • Date & Time: April 9, 6:00 p.m.

  • Location: Newport Recreation Center

  • Presenter: Oregon Division of Financial Regulation

  • Focus: How households can get financially prepared for disasters — including organizing key documents, understanding insurance, and building financial resilience that applies to all types of emergencies, not just earthquakes and tsunamis.

    
    

• Wildfire Ready Presentation

  • Date & Time: April 23, 6:00 p.m.

  • Location: Lincoln City Community Center

  • Presenters: Oregon Department of Forestry and OSU Extension Services

  • Focus: How residents can make their homes and properties more wildfire resilient, with practical mitigation strategies tailored to local conditions on the coast.

The wildfire readiness event also features a partnership with Pacific Power, which will provide snacks and refreshments for attendees. Pacific Power representatives will be on site with an information table, answering questions and sharing additional wildfire mitigation strategies as part of their ongoing outreach campaign.

Lincoln County Emergency Manager Samanthat Buckley said the Tsunami Roadshow’s stop in Lincoln County served as both an educational opportunity and the starting point for a month-long effort to help coastal residents become better prepared for tsunamis, earthquakes, wildfires, and other emergencies.