Wheeler Emergency Team (W.E.T.) Committee
The Wheeler City Council authorized a citizen committee to identify areas of emergency preparedness planning that need to be updated and improved. This committee is called the Wheeler Emergency Team (or W.E.T.). The W.E.T. Committee plans emergency responses to events or major disasters that could dramatically impact the normal operations of our community. Our charter is to work with the Wheeler City Council to develop an Emergency Disaster Planning that meets the needs of our community to respond to a major disaster.
The W.E.T. will also work to involve the citizens of Wheeler in emergency preparedness. Our goal is to engage them in preparedness, gain input on emergency planning and practice working together to respond during a disaster that could dramatically impact our community. Typical exercises include a weekly yellow-radio check-in, management of emergency supplies and resources and models for home and auto go bags.
The W.E.T. has been working on updating preparedness for disasters and emergencies since a storm flooded Wheeler in 2015. We partner with the Emergency Volunteer Corps of Nehalem Bay to share resources, plan mutual aid and educate communities.
We will post more information ongoing. Look for our preparedness tips in the Wheeler newsletter, which is mailed on alternate months with water bills. It is also posted to this website.
You have probably seen the signs......What is an Assembly Areas?
Wheeler’s emergency preparedness program designates seven neighborhood Assembly Areas, where people will gather in a community emergency. The Assembly Areas are located outside the Tsunami inundation zone.
Each Assembly Areas has a volunteer steward nearby, who houses limited tools and supplies for setting up a neighborhood outpost: basic shelter (tarps), first aid supplies and a water filtration system.
At the Areas, neighbors and visitors can communicate needs, gather information, receive basic first aid.
Check the map at the top of this page, so you know the Assembly Area nearest to you in case of an emergency. On the map, each Assembly Area is marked with an (A), except the Rinehart Hospital (H). Our multiple sites ensure that, if one is inaccessible – due to a flood or landslide – you can still get basic first-aid care and information elsewhere.
Wheeler Assembly Area locations
1) Top of Ridgeview
2) Third @ Cedar
3) Third @ Gregory
4) Wheeler Upper Park
5) Top of Gamble Street
6) Pennsylvania Street
7) Paradise Cove (North Side of Hwy 101-East of the pool)
What a homeowner should know about Landslides
Living in an area that has had a history of landslides, it is important as a home owner to know things you can do to protect your home and your family.
Did you know that landslides take place most often where they’ve occurred in the past? They’re also more common in areas that have recently been burned by wildfires or clear cut.
Landslides are one of the most common and devastating natural hazards in the pacific Northwest. The damage they cause is almost never covered by insurance.
WHAT IS A LANDSLIDE? A landslide is the downward slope movement of rock, soil, or debris. Debris flow, earth flow, rock fall, mudflow, mudslide, slide, and slump are also terms for landslide.
There are actions that you can take as a homeowner to reduce the chances of a landslide affecting your property. Look for warning sign. If you live on or near a steep slope, evaluate your property for signs of landslide movement.
For more information about the landslide warning signs and other action you can take there is a informative and easy to follow pamphlet created by Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries and the Washington State Department of Natural Services that can be accessed at the follow link below:
http://file.dnr.wa.gov/publications/ger_homeowners_guide_landslides.pdf
(This public services information has been provided to you by The Wheeler Emergency Team Committee).
Route signs, Assembly Areas direct you to safety!
